theological valentines, and fandom wibbly-wobblies

[martasfic]

These are really funny, if you like that kind of thing.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2015/02/theologian-valentines.html

On a different note, I'm having definite wibbly-wobblies on whether to participate in the next round of acd_holmesfest. To be clear, this has absolutely nothing to do with the exchange itself, which is really well run and has both a high quality of submissions and really good rates and quality of feedback. And if you write Doyle-'verse Sherlock Holmes fanfic, I'd really encourage you to head over and sign up yourself.

The thing is, for me, committing myself to write a story for someone else and knowing that they'll be disappointed if I don't come through (or that I'll create a last-minute hassle for other people is really high-stress. I also don't really like the pressure of having someone create specifically for me. I love the creativity and love seeing what someone else comes up with on my idea, but it makes replying feel a bit like an obligation rather than a gift to the author. I have either struggled with this aspect or in a few cases had to bail. I'm much better suited to being a pinch hitter because it lets me play hero, and because I'm a quick writer when I have an idea and a deadline. I spend much more time between projects than on them. The thing is, there's no guarantee they'll need a pinch-hit, and I'd really hate to let the fest pass without contributing to the Doyle fandom somehow, as it's one of my favorite fannish events.

So... a favor? Driven by my rather "unique" psychology more than anything. If I volunteer as a pinch hitter and am not needed, could I have someone agree ahead of time to give me a Doyle-verse prompt I could write for you? Maybe if you are participating yourself, particularly as a first-time participant, that would be good because it would let me feel like I was participating in my own unique way. The asynchronous prompting (where I do something extra for someone else but don't get anything in exchange) is just a much better fit for me, I think.

If no one's interested I'll probably bite my thumb and sign up as part of the main exchange. It really is a marvelous fandom event. (Sign-ups open through the 22nd, here.)

Comments

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

FWIW we've never NOT needed at least one pinch hitter, so if you feel most comfortable with doing that, we'd certainly be happy. But then, we'd be happy however you want to join us, as participant or reader/art appreciator.

Canon-based fun for all, that's the aim :-)

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

... and in my experience, the result. I love acd-holmesfest.

That's actually incredibly helpful information. This is the first time I've asked to pinch-hit, not as a second-best move when I couldn't sign up as an exchange author, but because I wanted to do it. It definitely is where I best fit, I think. I just didn't want to end up missing out.

I'll sign up over at the comm post in a bit. And if nothing else, this wibble's given me a chance to encourage others to sign up. (If you're reading that and interested, do think about it. And, you know, do it. :^) )

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I find exchanges way too stressful and have only ever done one main one and a couple of drabble exchanges.

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

A thing I have really learned to love about Yuletide (and it's not cheating, really) is that I can not sign up for the exchange part, but read all the requests and write them as treats. I don't get a story in exchange, but that's fine by me. No pressure, just fun writing.

Otherwise, I'm with Linda - way too stressful.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that I found your post rather reassuring. It was my first ACD Holmesfest last round, and I found writing the fic for it horribly stressful. I'm sort of pleased that it isn't just me ^^ I am glad I took part though - didn't particularly enjoy the writing process but I loved the part afterwards when we were all commenting together on the posted fics and artworks. Being a participant myself meant I felt more relaxed about commenting on other people's work.

I will be signing up again this time - I'm hoping I'll feel a bit more laid back now I know what to expect ^^