femgenficathon | A Week's Delay...and a Poll

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A Week's Delay...and a Poll

I decided to wait until April 9 to start FemGen VI. A great many ficathons are starting, finishing or posting right now, so I thought it best to delay a bit so that we wouldn't be lost in the shuffle. Also, this being a holiday weekend, I know that a number of people will be away with family and friends. So it seemed better, overall, to wait a week.

But we will definitely start next Friday.

And now, a poll:

[Poll #1546819]

Keep in mind that there are only 160 prompts (well, 161, but the odd one out is for me), so when they're gone, they're gone.

Also, every year we get a few people who want to sign up when the prompts are all taken. What would you think about letting these people pick one of the existing prompts?

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I've seen a lot of ficathons allowing people to double claim, and I definitely appreciate it. Sometimes, people have a lot going on in their lives and they can't necessarily rush over the day that claims are open. Also, it seems that the goal of this ficathon is to increase the amount of writing about women, and maximizing people's opportunity to participate would help achieve that goal.

This makes sense.

I'd suggest that people who want to sign up after all the prompts are taken be given an unfulfilled prompt from a previous year. It seems a shame to waste those prompts when lame people like me failed to finish their fics last year.

I don't mind how we get the prompts, so I am afraid I haven't answered the poll. In answer to your question, though, I counted up last year's completed submissions and got 64. If I remember rightly, there were 150 prompts, so it seems like there is a pretty big attrition rate (I know last year sucked for many, many people - lets hope everyone is having a better year this year). Given that, I don't think there would be a problem with letting people pick a prompt that's already been claimed once. I wouldn't mind if someone wrote the same prompt as me, anyway.

I was wondering if you were thinking of setting up a DW mirror community, too. I have a spare invite code somewhere around, if you are in need of one. Oh, and I love the AO3 collection.

I'm going to try to cut down on the attrition this year by cutting the absolute deadline from October 1 to July 31. Less time to write, but also less time to forget that you signed up to write something and that it's expected soon. I hope it works.

I'm so glad people have been contributing to the A3O collection!

I hadn't really thought of setting up a mirror community on Dreamwidth. I have a progressive congenital condition that affects muscles, nerves, susceptibility to infection, and stamina. This ficathon costs me a great many spoons (http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:yMzHo8S95c8J:butyoudontlooksick.com/navigation/BYDLS-TheSpoonTheory.pdf+Spoon+Theory&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjLlAl5sfYG4_5gAJlSxRho-Ae3aJC5Q9JR-8wFe9zn3ACnBHqMnSFjIjfN6YLbRlmFv-Z12g1UZ6Vi_zScLr-bpBDHC7G1rTC9E4QvhJMkShd7NkdSUjBV8zpXQdu86gokhga7&sig=AHIEtbTLYthOoH_SJXzLBXodYapPPI2q0A) each year. It's exhausting maintaining a ficathon on one journal community; I honestly don't think I could manage it on two.

Edited 2010-04-03 08:25 (UTC)

You're right. That does make sense.

*nods* that's a good move, and I think it will help.

Yeah, whatever works for you is the most important thing when it comes to time and energy for modding.

Sounds right to me.

I agree because I had a lovely prompt last year and didn't end up using it for my fic, and didn't end up finishing the fic either. *lame* Besides, two people can take the same prompt and run with it in completely different directions.

I enjoyed getting a random prompt last year, so I voted for "pick a number," but really, either approach would be fine with me. (I ended up using my prompt only indirectly, anyway).

As for sign-ups, yeah -- let in as many people as you can without burdening yourself. I like

woldy's idea of re-using unfilled prompts.

I really like getting the random prompts, so I voted for that, but speaking as someone who completely missed the deadline for sign-up last year (and was totally devastated about it, although thankfully I did get to participate anyway), I also think it'd be great to let late people use unused prompts from previous years or pick one of the prompts or whatever.

Thank you for doing this! I'm already getting excited. :)

Getting a random prompt (via the pick a number style) pushed me to write something I would never have thought of otherwise, so I like the current system. I don't particularly care if people claim/use the same prompt though. Or if you gave out unfilled prompts from the past years (that is, if you aren't already recycling them into this years prompts). Whatever is less stress for you! After all, either way its more people writing about women.

I think I'm going to sit out this year; while I love the fic, love the concept, I inevitably end up missing the deadline and have a half-finished fic sitting in my 'To Write' file. I'll still hang out to read and support, of course.

I would vote that we double up so that even late people get to play--but fair warning I say this for selfish reasons. I'm going to be out of town next week and won't be able to sign up until after (I assume) everything will be taken already. And that would make me sad.

I think that doubling up on prompts might be a good way to go. More potential stories and fewer people get shut out. Plus I'd like this to be the year that we get a hundred stories or more.

That's understandable. I've bailed on a few ficathons exactly because I didn't think I could meet the deadline. And hey, reading and support are important too!

I think I might just go with the same prompt being claimable twice. I've recycled a lot of old prompts this year, plus adding new ones.(I was trying to get women from a variety of eras, countries, cultures and occupations.)

I think that I might allow each prompt to be claimable twice. The first person who picks a number doesn't know what she's getting; the second one does. If all the prompts are claimed twice before April 16...well, then, I might go with the unused prompts from previous years--if I haven't recycled them already for this year, that is.

Oh! And you're welcome!

Edited 2010-04-03 18:38 (UTC)

I think that I might allow each prompt to be claimable twice. The first person who picks a number doesn't know what she's getting; the second one does. So there would be 322 potential stories about women. I hope this is the year that we hit 100 stories or more.

If all the prompts are claimed twice before April 16...well, then, I might go with the unused prompts from previous years--if I haven't recycled them already for this year, that is.

I think doubling up on prompts is a great idea. Does anyone happen to know which prompts didn't get stories from the last time around?

I would love to take part, but don't know it I can make the deadline with the new, shorter time line. I would love to write for the same prompt number I've chosen in the last two years, but I don't want to take the first place and take someone's chance away to join, when I don't know if I'll be able to make the deadline. So I thought about simply waiting until the prompts are revealed and then pick that particular number and write for it, without officially signing up.

Leaving aside the issue of the deadline--which still gives you two months to write--you won't be taking away anyone's chance to join if you sign up.

I've decided to allow each prompt to be chosen twice, and if there are still people wanting to sign up after all the prompts have been claimed twice over...well, there are unused prompts from five previous years. I don't think anyone who wants to sign up for the ficathon between April 9 and April 16 will be deprived of the opportunity to do so.

you won't be taking away anyone's chance to join if you sign up.

That's good to know. I will rethink my decision whether to sign up or not.

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A Week's Delay...and a Poll

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