yuletide letter! 2014
Oct. 20th, 2014 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ionthesparrowHello Yuletide author / new friend:
I’m a big believer in writing stories you enjoy and are passionate about, so if you have a great, epic idea, or something you really want to write – that is the story I want to read, and you can feel free to ignore everything else I’ve written here. As a Yuletide author, though, personally I find it interesting and helpful to hear what sort of stories people enjoy, so if you do too, read on:
General thoughts and preferences:
I’m super easy going. No one theme / trope / characterization / kink is going to terrify me or prevent me from enjoying your story, and (for at least the fandoms I have requested below) I have no "OTP"s. In general, my favorite stories are slash or gen and mature-but-not-explicit, although I will not be horrified if you want to write porn, and I will not be disappointed if you want to write something G-rated. Some of my favorite stories deal with queerness, with people struggling with or coming to terms with their sexual or gender identity, with coming of age stories, or with people carving out a life for themselves even if it’s not what they expected. I love stories about found families. I love stories about complicated relationships and people triumphing over adversity.
I know some of those sound like downers, and I’m definitely a happy-ending-not-required sort of person. But if you’d rather write happiness (fluffy or otherwise) DON’T WORRY. I ALSO love stories about crushes and first kisses and people making other people laugh (and space and car chases and explosions).
Some of my favorite stories are ones where the author has built an AU out of a world they know very well, and so I get to see my favorite characters AND learn something at the same time. So if you want to set something in your summer job or your favorite library or if you’re passionate about… archery or cooking or WHATEVER, feel free to work that in :)
The National Football League
Despite a being a moral gray area, I love football. I was raised on football, and I honestly believe football represents the best and worst of the United States of America. I think there should be more stories about football in general, so if you have a favorite player or team you want to share with the world, I would love to hear about them, even if they’re not on the approved character list. Go crazy. Share your passion. I think Aaron Rodgers is fascinating because he’s so incredibly talented and intelligent and quirky, I wonder how his more unique personality traits fit in this straight-laced league. I think Manziel is interesting for similar reasons – what happens when a privileged, possibly-troubled kid comes up against the structure of the NFL?
Outside of those two, if you're looking for more specific guidance, I follow the Chiefs and the Seahawks. And am peripherally interested in JJ Watt, Colin Kaepernick, and Brandon Marshall.
I’m also pretty (okay, VERY) obsessed with punters and kickers, probably because they’re usually the odd-guys-out. Stories about or featuring special teams in any way would be a thrill.
As far as football-specific themes: I love stories that work with the particularly fraught nature of professional sports (high stakes. High pressure. Dangerously high testosterone) and pair that with a person navigating their sexuality (coming out. Being in the closet. Learning to trust their team. All of it). I love stories about how teams can become a support network and even a family. I love team dynamics. I love stories about rookies (making it, not making it, dealing with stress, being awed by meeting their heroes, all of it). I am also a sucker for redemption arcs (see my obsession with Alex Smith).
Junior League
I love this show for similar reasons to what I wrote about football above. Team as family. Learning to get along and trust. Specifically, my favorite character is Bakin. He’s obviously on the show to play the fool: he gets the silly music and the silly dad and the flailing, occasional incompetence. But there’s real pathos to a backup goalie’s life: high pressure, high uncertainty, lots of built in self doubt. I also love that while his peers are all in these fraught, dramatic relationships, he seems content to float along and daydream. I’d love to read about his secret crush on one of his teammates or his awkward courtship of someone. (what other ridiculous advice does he find on the internet??) If you're feeling political, I would not shy away from a story that dealt with Russia's more problematic aspects of its treatment of homosexuality.
Or, if gen’s more your thing, I’d love to see more about how he feels about his dad, or how he wants to get better as a player and his relationship to his coach.
I should mention I haven't finished watching the series, but I will have by the time stories are released, so no worries about spoilers.
The Kings of Summer
This movie is about boys playing house in the woods over the summer, and that’s great. Joe and Patrick hooking up while playing house would be even better. Missing scene of what life was like in the woods? Awesome. A what-happened-after reflection on their time? Amazing. If you’re looking for something a little more off-the-wall, I always thought one interesting interpretation of the movie was that Biaggo was an imaginary friend or mutual hallucination.
More gen-based explorations of family relationships, what drives a kid to run away, and what drives a kid to come back also welcome.
I can be found on the internet in these places: twitter / AO3
Thanks!
I’m a big believer in writing stories you enjoy and are passionate about, so if you have a great, epic idea, or something you really want to write – that is the story I want to read, and you can feel free to ignore everything else I’ve written here. As a Yuletide author, though, personally I find it interesting and helpful to hear what sort of stories people enjoy, so if you do too, read on:
General thoughts and preferences:
I’m super easy going. No one theme / trope / characterization / kink is going to terrify me or prevent me from enjoying your story, and (for at least the fandoms I have requested below) I have no "OTP"s. In general, my favorite stories are slash or gen and mature-but-not-explicit, although I will not be horrified if you want to write porn, and I will not be disappointed if you want to write something G-rated. Some of my favorite stories deal with queerness, with people struggling with or coming to terms with their sexual or gender identity, with coming of age stories, or with people carving out a life for themselves even if it’s not what they expected. I love stories about found families. I love stories about complicated relationships and people triumphing over adversity.
I know some of those sound like downers, and I’m definitely a happy-ending-not-required sort of person. But if you’d rather write happiness (fluffy or otherwise) DON’T WORRY. I ALSO love stories about crushes and first kisses and people making other people laugh (and space and car chases and explosions).
Some of my favorite stories are ones where the author has built an AU out of a world they know very well, and so I get to see my favorite characters AND learn something at the same time. So if you want to set something in your summer job or your favorite library or if you’re passionate about… archery or cooking or WHATEVER, feel free to work that in :)
The National Football League
Despite a being a moral gray area, I love football. I was raised on football, and I honestly believe football represents the best and worst of the United States of America. I think there should be more stories about football in general, so if you have a favorite player or team you want to share with the world, I would love to hear about them, even if they’re not on the approved character list. Go crazy. Share your passion. I think Aaron Rodgers is fascinating because he’s so incredibly talented and intelligent and quirky, I wonder how his more unique personality traits fit in this straight-laced league. I think Manziel is interesting for similar reasons – what happens when a privileged, possibly-troubled kid comes up against the structure of the NFL?
Outside of those two, if you're looking for more specific guidance, I follow the Chiefs and the Seahawks. And am peripherally interested in JJ Watt, Colin Kaepernick, and Brandon Marshall.
I’m also pretty (okay, VERY) obsessed with punters and kickers, probably because they’re usually the odd-guys-out. Stories about or featuring special teams in any way would be a thrill.
As far as football-specific themes: I love stories that work with the particularly fraught nature of professional sports (high stakes. High pressure. Dangerously high testosterone) and pair that with a person navigating their sexuality (coming out. Being in the closet. Learning to trust their team. All of it). I love stories about how teams can become a support network and even a family. I love team dynamics. I love stories about rookies (making it, not making it, dealing with stress, being awed by meeting their heroes, all of it). I am also a sucker for redemption arcs (see my obsession with Alex Smith).
Junior League
I love this show for similar reasons to what I wrote about football above. Team as family. Learning to get along and trust. Specifically, my favorite character is Bakin. He’s obviously on the show to play the fool: he gets the silly music and the silly dad and the flailing, occasional incompetence. But there’s real pathos to a backup goalie’s life: high pressure, high uncertainty, lots of built in self doubt. I also love that while his peers are all in these fraught, dramatic relationships, he seems content to float along and daydream. I’d love to read about his secret crush on one of his teammates or his awkward courtship of someone. (what other ridiculous advice does he find on the internet??) If you're feeling political, I would not shy away from a story that dealt with Russia's more problematic aspects of its treatment of homosexuality.
Or, if gen’s more your thing, I’d love to see more about how he feels about his dad, or how he wants to get better as a player and his relationship to his coach.
I should mention I haven't finished watching the series, but I will have by the time stories are released, so no worries about spoilers.
The Kings of Summer
This movie is about boys playing house in the woods over the summer, and that’s great. Joe and Patrick hooking up while playing house would be even better. Missing scene of what life was like in the woods? Awesome. A what-happened-after reflection on their time? Amazing. If you’re looking for something a little more off-the-wall, I always thought one interesting interpretation of the movie was that Biaggo was an imaginary friend or mutual hallucination.
More gen-based explorations of family relationships, what drives a kid to run away, and what drives a kid to come back also welcome.
I can be found on the internet in these places: twitter / AO3
Thanks!
