How to Get the Most Out of Your Fic Exchange Experience

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(I conceived of this article when planning for my own comm's holiday fic exchange. I thought, instead of writing a ridiculously long FAQ, why not put all of the optional guidelines I wanted to include in one easy-to-link article?

If you'd like to link to this article, go for it. And don't forget to include your own tips and experiences in the comments!)

So, you’ve signed up for a fandom exchange! This is going to be great, right?

Well, unless you end up with a recipient who makes only one, super-detailed prompt that outlines the entire fic for you and doesn’t leave you any room to be creative.

Or you don’t get a prompt at all! One of those people who insists they “love everything” and would be happy with whatever you turn in! (As if that’s a help...)

Or the person assigned to write for you hates your OTP!

Or they’re known for writing super-explicit slash, and you only read gen!

Or the mod’s cat/grandmother/cat’s grandmother suddenly gets swine flu and they disappear off the face of the earth!

Or...well. You get the picture. There’s a lot to stress over! But don’t worry, most if not all of those scary fandom scenarios can be avoided with just a bit of crafty thought on your part! The rest? Well, it’s in the hands of the gods. Err...mods. :P



Navigate this article:

Find the Fest That's Right For You:

Fest timeline and word count/requirements
Fest theme
Fest rep
Friends/Community

Sign-Up

What You Offer to Write
Squick and Triggers
A Note On Offensive Language and DNW Lists
Be Specific About the Tropes/Genres You Want to Write/Read About
List of Possible Tropes/Genres to Include On Your Sign-Up
Be Specific About the Things You Don’t Want to Read/Write About!
Provide Prompts and Describe the Fic You’d Like to Receive

Write the Fic

Tips and Things To Consider When Writing For an Exchange

Getting Your Gift / Wrapping Up the Fest
Links to other articles

Find the Fest That’s Right For You!

In the months before the December/January holiday season, you’re likely to be bombarded with advertisements for fandom gift exchanges. It’s easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm and want to do ALL THE FESTS, but realistically: well, you can’t. (Believe me, you can’t!) For maximum fun and success, you’re going to have to take stock of your free time and your writing abilities, and come up with a realistic estimate of how many fics you’ll be able to produce in the time you have. Other than that magical, alchemical formula of self-evaluation I have yet to discover or implement properly (if you can do it, LET ME KNOW HOW!) here are some other criteria to consider when choosing which fests to partake in:

• Fest timeline and word count/requirements
: First, look at what the fest is asking you to provide and when they’re asking you to provide it. Do they want you to deliver 3,000 words in a week and a half, or a 100 word drabble in a little over three months? In the case of the former, you’d be rushing to finish, and in the case of the latter: well, you’re likely to forget about the exchange or lose enthusiasm for it by the end.

A word of advice? Fests/exchanges with a 1,000 word minimum are just about perfect. Some writers struggle with short pieces, and others just can’t manage the longer epics, but just about everyone can turn out 1,000 words of quality fic in 4-8 weeks. That means you’ll not only produce, but will likely receive, a better fic!


• Fest theme
: If you’re a member of a large mega-fandom that’s been around a few years, you’re likely to have plenty of fests to choose from. Even small-to-medium-sized fandoms can have a range of options. If you have specific tastes in fic, it’s probably worth it to see if there’s a fest or exchange that caters to those tastes. Look around your favorite fandom haunts, and ask people who are into the same kinds of fic you are: Is there a pairing-specific exchange for your OTP? A Slash or Het or Gen-only fest? Crack!fic? Smut? Does the fest welcome crossovers? Is there a multi-fandom fest that covers a small fandom you’d love to write/receive a fic for? Look around and get a feel for what’s out there before committing.

Also: if you’re signing up for a Christmas/holiday-themed exchange, do the fics themselves have to adhere to that theme, and are you comfortable with that?


• Fest rep
: If it’s an established fest, what’s it’s reputation? Find people who’ve taken part, and ask them if they liked it. If it’s a new fest, do you know the people who are running it and what they’re like? (If you know the person running a fest is a notorious wank-stirrer, or known for abandoning projects in the past, it might be best to steer clear. However, the fact that a fest is new and/or you don’t the mods is not necessarily a reason to stay away! After all: every mod/fest was new at one time.)

Take a look at the members' list or the people who have signed up. Ask the mods a few questions. Do they have clear, practical rules up for how the exchange will run? Is there anything dodgy in the FAQ? For instance: do they bash characters or kinks in inappropriate ways? Are the rules overly condescending or hostile? (NB: just about every mod who’s ever run a fest or exchange before will have at least one random freakout moment/overly-detailed nitpicky criterion in their FAQ. Especially good mods will have two or three! It’s a bigger warning sign for a mod to have a snotty attitude about answering questions or dealing with well-meaning mistakes than it is for them to talk tough about deadlines and defaulting.)


• Friends/Community
: Do you know anyone else who’s doing the fest? It enhances the fun to have someone to squee/commiserate with during writing time.

Conversely, has your fandom arch-nemesis signed up? It doesn’t necessarily preclude your involvement, especially if it’s a larger fest, but if you’ve had a negative experience with another member in the past, it’s a good idea to PM/email the mod with a head’s up. You don’t need to be specific: just a simple “I’ve had issues with daisyChainxx1x in the past, and I don’t think it would be a good idea if we were paired-up.” DO NOT, however, request not to be paired with someone simply because you don’t like them or their fic, especially if all your past interactions with them have been civil. (Or non-existent!) That’s part of the risk that you take when getting involved in a fest: you get who you get!

Also to consider: is the fest a part of a community you like, or is it a stand-alone affair? Are there options for chatting with/getting to know other participants? Will they have posts to help you find a beta? Is the community active and cheerful, likely to leave lots of comments and feedback on the stories, or is it pretty quiet?

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Sign-up!

You’ve found the perfect fest: a gen-only crack!fic crossover exchange that came highly recommended by your fandom BFF! Now it’s time to sign-up. All you’ve got to do is put down your name, what you’re offering to write, and what you’d like to receive as a gift, right?

Well, basically: yeah! But if you want to Go The Extra Mile toward achieving Maximum Fest Success, here are some tips for filling out your sign-up:

What You Offer to Write:

The bottom line: don’t offer to write anything you wouldn’t be comfortable actually writing.

I mean: duh, right? But it’s easy to mess it up. Believe me!

Story Time: My first ever fest I managed to break this rule. I specified on my sign-up form that I was primarily a het writer but, wanting to be helpful, I also threw it in there that I would be willing to write slash or femslash if necessary. Well, to a stressed-out mod under the pressure of matching those last few hard-to-pair participants, that “if necessary” is going to apply pretty quickly! When I got my assignment? My recipient requested femslash, and only femslash!

Eep! I’d never actually written femslash before. Heck, I’d hardly even read femslash before! And now I was being asked to write it as a gift? STRESSFUL!

In the end, I wrote femslash. The person I wrote it for ended up dropping out, the fic got re-gifted to an flister of mine who loved it (or said she did...), and all ended well. (And actually, since then, I’ve expanded my fic-writing comfort zone way past a simple PG-13 femslash fic!)

The point? Save yourself some drama and be honest about what you’d feel comfortable writing.

(See also the “list of fic tropes and genres” for ideas of what you can include in the “offering” section of your profile!)

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Squicks and Triggers

Most fests will ask you to list your squicks and triggers, so the mods know what you aren’t willing to write, and your recipient knows what to avoid when they’re writing for you. It’s important to know the difference between the two, as that will affect your decision of what you should list.

Generally:

A Trigger is something that causes a person to re-experience some of the emotions or sensations of past traumatic experiences. It causes psychological distress that is not easily dealt with or pushed aside, and that may linger for a time after the fic is put aside.

A Squick is something that a person finds disturbing or disgusting. It might cause temporary distress, but the person is able to cope with the discomfort.

If you have any triggers, you should most definitely list them on your sign-up form.

Whether or not you include all or some of your squicks should depend on how serious they are and how likely they are to come up. A serious squick with a decent probability of turning up in a fic (example: incest in a fandom with a popular incest pairing) should be listed; a minor squick that’s unlikely to show up should be skipped. Anything in between? Use your judgment.

Example: I have been clinically diagnosed with a blood phobia (hematophobia). I’ve dealt with most aspects of it, and have even worked in a hospital before. However, graphic descriptions of blood in any erotic context is extremely triggering to me. (My hands are actually shaking now as I type this. The right combination of imagery has me fainting like one of those goats that keel over as a defense mechanism!) I would include “blood in any erotic context” as a trigger.

I am squicked by puppets. (Yeah, keep laughing! :P) I find them legitimately disturbing. However, it’s unlikely that one is going to randomly pop up in a fic, and I’d be able to deal with it if it did, so I won’t bother to list that in my sign-up.

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A Note On Offensive Language and DNW Lists:

I’m always amazed at the incredibly detailed and thorough lists of rare and obscure kinks and tropes that people come up with when specifying what they don’t want to receive in a fandom exchange! Really, how likely are you to get a random necrophilia fic as a Secret Santa gift?

Consider the fandom and the type of fic you’re requesting when you specify what you don’t want. If you’re requesting a fluffy genfic, it’s probably not necessary to say “No Knifeplay!” There are some fandoms that haven’t even heard of vore! Certain kinks and tropes are only likely to be written for you if you specifically request them, so it’s not necessary to specify that you don’t want them.

What’s the harm in including them “just in case”? Well, because it sets a tone. The stuff that squicks you? Someone out there is into that, and may have been thinking of requesting it. You don’t have to write MPreg if you’re not comfortable with it, but then someone else shouldn’t be discouraged from requesting it just because the dozen people who signed up before them have proclaimed it’s gross.

Which brings up another point: there’s no need to provide judgment or commentary on the things you don’t want to write or read about. You can specify “No Slash” or “No Het” without implying that anyone is carrying TEH COOTIES. (Also: anything to do with a person’s sexuality or self-identity should not be listed as a squick or trigger!)

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Be Specific About the Tropes/Genres You Want to Write/Read About!

This will help out immensely in the matching process! Two people who are really into kid!fic or genderswap will really stand out to a mod who’s trying to pair up participants. So if you really love a particular trope or genre, mention it! Even if you don’t think anyone else will be interested, you might be surprised.

List of Possible Tropes/Genres to Include On Your Sign-Up

• Aging up/down	• Angst	• Anthropomorfic
• Apocafic	• AU	• Baby!fic/kid!fic
• Bodyswap	• Crack!fic	• Crossover
• Darkfic	• Drama	• Emoporn
• Fluff	• Genderswap	• Humo(u)r
• Hurt/comfort	• Marriage tropes	• Meta fic
• Mpreg	• Mystery	• Original Characters
• Polyamory	• RPF/RPS	• Schmoop
• School AU	• Sex pollen	• Smut
• Whumping	• Wingfic	• Zombie!fic

This is, of course, a partial list. Different fandoms will have their own lists of popular tropes. But including these sorts of key words in your sign-up will help the mods to match you with someone who will be able to write a fic you’ll truly enjoy.

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Be Specific About the Things You Don’t Want to Read/Write About!

If you don’t feel you’re particularly good at writing a certain character, say so! If you don’t want to read about specific characters, say that, too. However, unlike when you’re talking about what you do want, it’s not necessary to throw out every possibility: just think about the characters/pairings/tropes that are likely to be requested or written for you, and mention the ones you wouldn’t want to read or write about.

Avoid bashing or negative language. It’s not necessary to explain why you dislike a particular ship or character: just list the name(s) and move on! You don’t know who will end up writing for you, and they’re unlikely to want to do their best for you if you dis their OTP in the sign-ups.

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Provide Prompts and Describe the Fic You’d Like to Receive:

Variety is the spice of life, and it’s the key to a good fic exchange sign-up! You can’t predict who will end up writing for you and what their strengths are, so it’s a good idea to give them enough material to work with. Start with a general description of your likes: characters, genres, tropes, styles, etc. Be honest about what you want! If you really, really want a ship fic with your OTP, say that, and don’t spend a lot of time describing ideas for gen story lines.

(If you are going to focus your request on one particular pairing/character, be sure to consider the fandom and the popularity of your request!)

Example: One of my fandoms is BBC Sherlock. John/Sherlock fics are overwhelmingly popular in that fandom. If I wanted a John/Sherlock fic, and only a John/Sherlock fic as my gift: it wouldn’t be a problem.

However: the only pairing I’m really interested in in that fandom is Molly/Moriarty. As far as I know, there’s about 3 people in the fandom who write that pairing, of which I am one. If I wanted a Molly/Moriarty fic, and only a Molly/Moriarty fic: well, I’d have to reconsider my participation in a fandom exchange. :P That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t request Molly/Moriarty: I’ve done so before and received awesome fic from people who’d never written the pairing before the exchange! But I should have back-up options just in case.

Once you’ve given a good general description of the kind of fic you’d like to receive, provide a few prompts for stories you might enjoy. They should be no more than a sentence or two: you want to inspire your author, not tie their hands! (All right, all right: leave a ridiculously long and detailed prompt if you like! But if you don’t want to send your author into a panic, provide shorter alternate prompts and specify you would be OK with one of those as well!)

Prompts could be things like:

• “I’d like a smutty story where X surprises Y with a new toy!”
  
• “What happened to B between the events of season 2 and 3?”
  
• “M visits V in the hospital.”
  
• “A dark story where F confronts issues from his past.”
  
• “C/D: leather boots.”
  
• “C and D go on a road trip, but everything that can go wrong does.”
  
• “L: flowers, soap bubbles, the smell of rain.”
  

Three to five prompts is a good guideline! Giving your author options and a good general picture of what sort of fic you might enjoy is the best way to receive a fic you actually will enjoy!

Tip: Go back through your bookmarks, and look over your favorite fics from the fandom. If you were requesting that particular story be written for you, what would you say? Not the same storyline, obviously, but what were the elements you liked? Was it B comforting A for once, instead of the other way around? Was it the way the author provided an alternate explanation for something that happened in canon? Was it the dark tone and the graphic descriptions? Pick out the elements you liked, and put them into your request.

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Write the Fic!

Once you’ve gotten your assignment, it’s time to decide what you’re going to write.

...or it may be time to sit on the assignment and procrastinate for a month or so, but hey: who am I to judge?

Whenever you get around to thinking about your assignment, several scenarios are likely to crop up:

• The prompt is too detailed! If they had such a clear picture of what they wanted, why didn’t they write it themselves?!
  
• The prompt is too vague! I have nothing to go on!
  
• They hate all my favorite characters and ship a pairing I can’t stand!
  
• It’s someone whose fic I love, and I’m afraid I’ll let them down!
  
• It’s someone whose fic I hate, and I don’t know how I’m going to come up with an idea they’ll like!
  
• I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS PERSON! They are a mystery to me! How can I possibly write a story tailor-made to their interests?
  

BREATHE! Here are some Tips and Things To Consider When Writing For an Exchange:

Your recipient is in the same boat you are. They, too, just received an assignment and are being asked to write for someone they may know nothing about. We’ve all heard horror stories of people who are rude or ill-mannered about receiving a “bad gift”, but the fact is 95% of exchange participants are sympathetic: they’ve been in your shoes before, and they’re going to be thrilled you made the effort to write a story they’ll enjoy!

Re-read the request you’ve been given from time to time. I don’t know if other people have this problem, but my brain just flat-out changes thing around on me! Only a couple months ago, I wrote a story for a kink meme prompt that I was sure had specifically requested a blindfold. After I’d finished the story and was ready to post it, I found the prompt to post under and: it was a gag. Oops! Go back to your information from time-to-time to make sure you aren’t mistaking the details, or adding in something they’ve mentioned they won’t like.

Get to know your recipient! This is going above and beyond, but if you’re nervous about writing for someone you don’t know, you can make a bit of an effort to familiarize yourself with their likes and dislikes. Check out their profile, read their public entries--take a look at the fic they’ve written. People tend to write what they like to read about!

Triggers and Squicks are sacred. The biggest complaint about gift fics? They included triggers and squicks specifically mentioned in the sign-up. After that? Wrong characters or pairings. If it’s mentioned that they don’t like it, don’t include it. It doesn’t matter if Character B is only a minor part of your fic: if they mentioned they don’t like him, don’t put him in! Including something listed as a DNW tells the giftee you weren’t paying attention, or worse, that you’re deliberately disregarding their wishes, whether that’s true or not.

Make writing a story you’re proud of a priority. Do your best with what you’re given, but don’t get bogged down in the details. If your recipient really, really wants smut (or slash, or het, or apocafic, or a specific characterization...) and you just don’t feel you can do it justice: try something else. (This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stretch yourself or try something new, but if you feel like you’re writing a crappy story...) Ideally, you’ll have been given multiple options, so even if it’s not their first choice, you can still pick something they said they’d like. If you haven’t, ask the mod if they can ask for more prompts from your recipient. If they say no...incorporate as much of their preferences as you can, and let the rest go. See point #1: most people are sympathetic and appreciate the effort! As long as you are making an effort, and you’re writing a story you’re proud of: you’re doing a good job.

Find a beta! Speaking of effort: a story riddled with mistakes doesn’t show it! Find someone to at least give your story a cursory once-over.

TURN IN YOUR FIC ON TIME! As a mod, this one might seem selfish...but it’s a good tip for writers, too! If you’re counting on getting an extension: don’t! It will show in your writing. Leave yourself time to finish, with a day or two to look it over and have it beta’ed. (I know, I know...but a mod can dream, can’t she? :P)

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Getting Your Gift / Wrapping Up the Fest

I once took a poll of what people enjoyed most about fandom exchanges: overwhelmingly, people preferred writing for someone else over receiving a fic tailored to their requests! (Remember that when you’re worried about letting your recipient down. :D) Receiving positive feedback on what they wrote was much more important to people than the fic they themselves received.

What does this have to do with you? Well, keep it in mind when you’re leaving feedback on your gift! Remember these tips:

• Authors go nuts waiting for recipients to respond to their story! Try to leave feedback within a day or two of receiving your gift. If there’s a reason why you can’t get to it that quickly, drop your author a note of explanation. “I can’t wait to read my fic! I’m very impressed by (pairing/length/summary/other cursory detail). I just need to finish exams/wait for the weekend/finish a project at work, and then I’ll be able to respond fully in a few days!”
  
• When it comes to feedback: more is more! Be as enthusiastic as you reasonably can: fandom exchanges are not the time to give concrit. If you loved your story, post about it on your journal and rec it to others. Are you not the sort to squee? That’s fine. You can make up for it by being more detailed: picking out parts you liked and quoting lines you loved. If you hated it, find something nice to say! After all, they did try. (Have a feeling they didn’t try? I’ve heard this accusation levelled before, but I don’t know if I’ve seen it. If you really think you have a legitimate complaint about the gift you received, go to the mod first. But do try to be charitable: writers of all skill levels take part in fandom fests, and not every match is made in heaven!)
  
  If you received a gift fic despite defaulting on or dropping out of the exchange, do please leave feedback on the fic that was written for you anyway! It might be embarrassing to do so when you weren't able to fulfill your obligation, but the person who wrote for you is still counting on your feedback! (Thanks to alt_universe_me for this addition!)
  
• Read and comment on other gifts. You don’t have to read them all, but do make a conscious effort! Remember, these authors also spent weeks (or months!) anticipating this event, and getting comments on the story you wrote is the big payoff.

When it comes to a fest, the participants are the driving force! It’s only as much fun as the people taking part, so try to project the kind of fandom experience you want. Your contribution doesn’t end with your fic!

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Want to read more about fandom exchange fests or (that fest of fests) Yuletide in particular? Here’s a couple of articles by thefourthvine.

• Random Blithering and a Poll on Prompts


• Meta: the Yuletide Prompt Poll Results

Would you like to share your opinions about fandom exchanges? I've included the link to the original poll I took. The comments contain a lot of insight into what people love and hate about these kind of fandom exchanges! Go ahead and fill out the poll (only I can see your responses) and do contribute to the discussion in the comments.

• What do YOU think? Fanworks exchange edition.

Do you have ideas for how I can improve this article? In the comments, please share your own tips for surviving and thriving in fandom exchanges! Give me your successes and horror stories, your glories and tragedies...

Also, do you have a resource I should link to this article? Let me know!

ETA: And if you have recommendations for fests or exchanges that you've participated in the past, send them along! If I get enough, I'll do a "fest rec post". :D