Summergen Assignments
May. 13th, 2011 07:26 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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spn_summergenAssignments for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
spn_summergen will be going out this weekend. I'll be sending the emails out in batches over Saturday and Sunday. A new post will be made in this community once all assignments have gone out. Please don't contact the mods asking where your assignment is until after that post goes up.
We've got 54 participants this year. Welcome and thank you to all those taking part in Summergen for the first time!
The assignment email will tell you who your recipient is, what her prompts are and give you a link to her journal.
About the matchups: The matching is done based mostly on positives, not negatives. That is, I look at what you've said you can do, not what you say you can't. This does not mean you won't receive a prompt or two for characters or genres you didn't include. I wish it were possible to give everyone a perfect match for their offerings and prompts, but it's not. I lost count of the number of times this year I thought I had a perfect match, only to find I was trying to give someone their own prompts! You should recieve at least two prompts that match what you offered to write.
Some prompts are very short and cryptic. Where a short prompt doesn't specify a genre, I haven't made assumptions. Where a long prompt doesn't specify a genre, I've used my best guess but your interpretation of the prompt might be very different from mine.
Other prompts are pretty detailed. In these cases, I've tried to match character and time more than genre, on the understanding that the writer who gets it could choose to take the prompt in a different direction from what the promptee intended. You can also put your own spin on many prompts: a prompt for a casefic, for example, could be written as hurt/comfort, darkfic, comedy, angst, deathfic...anything that might blend well with the case.
I know that, while we're all excited to receive our assignments, sometimes when we finally open that email, our first reaction is something along the lines of OMG I can't do any of these!. And then we panic. So I want to offer some tips for how to handle it if your assignment isn't as perfect and wonderful as you're hoping for :-)
The first thing to do is glance over the prompts you've been given. Is there anything there that immediately sparks an idea? Anything that looks interesting? Remember that you are not obliged to stick to the prompt word-for-word: it's there to prompt you. Some prompts read like story summaries; others are brief - a phrase, an image. If the prompt gives you a whole plot there's no reason you have to follow that idea to the letter. Sometimes a prompt will send your imagination off in an odd direction - this is completely okay. Read the prompts with a "can do" spirit in mind, and for now, ignore the parts you can't.
Next, take a look at the "do not want" list - this is the part that says Scenarios and stories you'd rather not receive. This is the only part of your assignment you absolutely have to stick to. This is a gift exchange; if someone has said she doesn't want death fic, it's not very nice to write her a story in which her favourite character dies horribly. That said, some "do not want" lists are pretty vague; if you don't understand what's being said, you should ask (see below for how to ask questions of your recipient).
Third, take a deep breath and read over it again. You've got until 1st July to write your story: there's no reason to panic right away. If you still don't have an idea, read over the prompts again. Look for any bits and pieces in there that work for you. Here's an example list (totally made up, BTW!):
If none of those story ideas appeals to me straightaway, I'd try to break down what my recipient likes from the list. Prompt 1 is season 1 fic about Sam. Prompt 2 looks like she's after some heavy angst, and 4 is pure crack. Prompt 3 is post-S5, and sounds quite dark and twisted, but there's potential for that to go any way. "Not human" doesn't necessarily mean evil.
The other thing I notice is this person has a taste for "dark" - 1 and 2 could both be deathfics, even 4 could be written as very angsty: it's a curse, after all. But her character choices are all Sam and Dean, she hasn't even mentioned Bobby or Castiel, so I'm thinking this recipient might not appreciate a focus on minor characters.
Now...what can I do with all that?
After some thought, I'm gonna look at prompt 3. The prompt is about Sam, but that story could go anywhere - Sam might encounter Dean, but it could just as easily be solo!Sam or post-Hell-Sam encountering Bobby or Castiel. Or all of them. I could go for darkfic - Sam is demonic and evil - or an angsty fic with a happy ending as he's reunited with Dean. Reborn!Sam might even be angelic...the prompt only says "not human". Good Heavens, I could make him a cuddly bunny! Or how about combining 3 with 2: maybe escaping from the cave-in is how Sam discovers he's not human any more. Yeah, I like that idea, and it will allow me to write a happy-ish ending even though the fic is heavy on the angst.
Can you see what I'm doing there? Dig out the different elements in the prompts until you find something you can work with. Check the recipient's "do not want" list to make sure you're not completely off-track...and go! If you're not certain what your recipient will think of your idea, you can always ask.
The other thing to bear in mind is that prompts don't necessarily limit your character choices. A prompt about Sam, like 3 in my example, can lead to a fic that involves Sam with Dean, Bobby, Castiel, a demon or two, maybe even Lisa and Ben. It's an AU prompt, so I could even resurrect a few dead characters if I wanted to. Heck, it could even be a story about Dean searching for not!human!Sam, with Sam barely appearing, though if I were to write that version, I would be conscious it's probably not what my recipient was looking for.
Mix and match prompts, take elements that suit you and twist the parts that don't. The only part if the assignment you have to follow to the letter is the part that says "Stories and scenarios I would rather not receive". Anything else is fair game.
[Credit to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
midnitemaraud_r from whose post I cribbed some of the above advice.]
If you have any questions about the prompts do not ask your recipient directly. This is supposed to be an anonymous exchange, remember? Contact the mods at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk and we will contact the recipient on your behalf, and pass her answer back to you. Yes, it's a bit awkward to do it that way, but it preserves the anonymity of the exchange. Be prepared to wait a day or two for a response.
Alternatively, you can do a little research of your own. You'll have a link to your recipient's LJ - take a look at her journal or profile and see if you can get a feel for the kind of stories she'll like.
Most importantly, we want you to have fun. Write/create what you're happy writing or creating.
Most of all, if you get a prompt set you dislike or can't work with, I beg you not to post publicly about it. Think how your recipient will feel if she sees a post like that. If I've screwed up a match-up, it's MY fault. Complain to ME. I can't guarantee I'll be able to help, but you might not be the only one. Sometimes I can arrange a trade.
If you find you need to freak out about what you've been given, or you want a bit of help thinking through an idea, anything like that, feel free to PM me (briarwood) via the LJ message system. I'm a good sounding board and I'll help if I can.
If you need a beta for your story, visit our willing to beta post. There will be a new post for this in the community shortly.
If you find you need to drop out of Summergen, it's very important that you let us know as soon as possible. Don't leave it until the last minute - that makes it harder to find a pinch-hitter to cover for you. Email us at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (without the spaces) to let us know.
nightporters has created a sister community spn_genpinchhit which we'll be using to co-ordinate the pinch-hit assignments for this year If you are willing and able to pinch-hit, please join that community. All pinch-hit requests will be posted there.
Rules, Schedule and FAQ
spn_summergen will be going out this weekend. I'll be sending the emails out in batches over Saturday and Sunday. A new post will be made in this community once all assignments have gone out. Please don't contact the mods asking where your assignment is until after that post goes up.We've got 54 participants this year. Welcome and thank you to all those taking part in Summergen for the first time!
The assignment email will tell you who your recipient is, what her prompts are and give you a link to her journal.
About the matchups: The matching is done based mostly on positives, not negatives. That is, I look at what you've said you can do, not what you say you can't. This does not mean you won't receive a prompt or two for characters or genres you didn't include. I wish it were possible to give everyone a perfect match for their offerings and prompts, but it's not. I lost count of the number of times this year I thought I had a perfect match, only to find I was trying to give someone their own prompts! You should recieve at least two prompts that match what you offered to write.
Some prompts are very short and cryptic. Where a short prompt doesn't specify a genre, I haven't made assumptions. Where a long prompt doesn't specify a genre, I've used my best guess but your interpretation of the prompt might be very different from mine.
Other prompts are pretty detailed. In these cases, I've tried to match character and time more than genre, on the understanding that the writer who gets it could choose to take the prompt in a different direction from what the promptee intended. You can also put your own spin on many prompts: a prompt for a casefic, for example, could be written as hurt/comfort, darkfic, comedy, angst, deathfic...anything that might blend well with the case.
Some advice for when you receive your prompts
I know that, while we're all excited to receive our assignments, sometimes when we finally open that email, our first reaction is something along the lines of OMG I can't do any of these!. And then we panic. So I want to offer some tips for how to handle it if your assignment isn't as perfect and wonderful as you're hoping for :-)
The first thing to do is glance over the prompts you've been given. Is there anything there that immediately sparks an idea? Anything that looks interesting? Remember that you are not obliged to stick to the prompt word-for-word: it's there to prompt you. Some prompts read like story summaries; others are brief - a phrase, an image. If the prompt gives you a whole plot there's no reason you have to follow that idea to the letter. Sometimes a prompt will send your imagination off in an odd direction - this is completely okay. Read the prompts with a "can do" spirit in mind, and for now, ignore the parts you can't.
Next, take a look at the "do not want" list - this is the part that says Scenarios and stories you'd rather not receive. This is the only part of your assignment you absolutely have to stick to. This is a gift exchange; if someone has said she doesn't want death fic, it's not very nice to write her a story in which her favourite character dies horribly. That said, some "do not want" lists are pretty vague; if you don't understand what's being said, you should ask (see below for how to ask questions of your recipient).
Third, take a deep breath and read over it again. You've got until 1st July to write your story: there's no reason to panic right away. If you still don't have an idea, read over the prompts again. Look for any bits and pieces in there that work for you. Here's an example list (totally made up, BTW!):
1. (Grey's Anatomy Crossover) Season one: Sam's headaches and visions might be a brain tumour. They go to Seattle Grace to get it checked out.
2. Sam and Dean are trapped by a cave-in. Dean is hurt (a broken leg or something that means he can't get out easily), but Sam's on the other side of the rockfall and his air is running out.
3. Post 5.22 - Sam escapes from Hell. He's not Lucifer, but he's not human any more, either.
4. Dean is cursed: he's convinced he's pregnant. Can be real or not - author's choice.
If none of those story ideas appeals to me straightaway, I'd try to break down what my recipient likes from the list. Prompt 1 is season 1 fic about Sam. Prompt 2 looks like she's after some heavy angst, and 4 is pure crack. Prompt 3 is post-S5, and sounds quite dark and twisted, but there's potential for that to go any way. "Not human" doesn't necessarily mean evil.
The other thing I notice is this person has a taste for "dark" - 1 and 2 could both be deathfics, even 4 could be written as very angsty: it's a curse, after all. But her character choices are all Sam and Dean, she hasn't even mentioned Bobby or Castiel, so I'm thinking this recipient might not appreciate a focus on minor characters.
Now...what can I do with all that?
After some thought, I'm gonna look at prompt 3. The prompt is about Sam, but that story could go anywhere - Sam might encounter Dean, but it could just as easily be solo!Sam or post-Hell-Sam encountering Bobby or Castiel. Or all of them. I could go for darkfic - Sam is demonic and evil - or an angsty fic with a happy ending as he's reunited with Dean. Reborn!Sam might even be angelic...the prompt only says "not human". Good Heavens, I could make him a cuddly bunny! Or how about combining 3 with 2: maybe escaping from the cave-in is how Sam discovers he's not human any more. Yeah, I like that idea, and it will allow me to write a happy-ish ending even though the fic is heavy on the angst.
Can you see what I'm doing there? Dig out the different elements in the prompts until you find something you can work with. Check the recipient's "do not want" list to make sure you're not completely off-track...and go! If you're not certain what your recipient will think of your idea, you can always ask.
The other thing to bear in mind is that prompts don't necessarily limit your character choices. A prompt about Sam, like 3 in my example, can lead to a fic that involves Sam with Dean, Bobby, Castiel, a demon or two, maybe even Lisa and Ben. It's an AU prompt, so I could even resurrect a few dead characters if I wanted to. Heck, it could even be a story about Dean searching for not!human!Sam, with Sam barely appearing, though if I were to write that version, I would be conscious it's probably not what my recipient was looking for.
Mix and match prompts, take elements that suit you and twist the parts that don't. The only part if the assignment you have to follow to the letter is the part that says "Stories and scenarios I would rather not receive". Anything else is fair game.
[Credit to
midnitemaraud_r from whose post I cribbed some of the above advice.]Any questions?
If you have any questions about the prompts do not ask your recipient directly. This is supposed to be an anonymous exchange, remember? Contact the mods at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk and we will contact the recipient on your behalf, and pass her answer back to you. Yes, it's a bit awkward to do it that way, but it preserves the anonymity of the exchange. Be prepared to wait a day or two for a response.
Alternatively, you can do a little research of your own. You'll have a link to your recipient's LJ - take a look at her journal or profile and see if you can get a feel for the kind of stories she'll like.
Most importantly, we want you to have fun. Write/create what you're happy writing or creating.
Most of all, if you get a prompt set you dislike or can't work with, I beg you not to post publicly about it. Think how your recipient will feel if she sees a post like that. If I've screwed up a match-up, it's MY fault. Complain to ME. I can't guarantee I'll be able to help, but you might not be the only one. Sometimes I can arrange a trade.
If you need help
If you find you need to freak out about what you've been given, or you want a bit of help thinking through an idea, anything like that, feel free to PM me (briarwood) via the LJ message system. I'm a good sounding board and I'll help if I can.
If you need a beta for your story, visit our willing to beta post. There will be a new post for this in the community shortly.
If you find you need to drop out of Summergen, it's very important that you let us know as soon as possible. Don't leave it until the last minute - that makes it harder to find a pinch-hitter to cover for you. Email us at supernatural @ summergen . co . uk (without the spaces) to let us know.
Pinch-Hitters
nightporters has created a sister community spn_genpinchhit which we'll be using to co-ordinate the pinch-hit assignments for this year If you are willing and able to pinch-hit, please join that community. All pinch-hit requests will be posted there.Essential Links:
Rules, Schedule and FAQ
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