Looking for tips on request-writing?

[desireearmfeldt]

For folks who haven’t participated in many exchanges before, here are some ideas to help you write requests that will improve the experience for both you and your giftmaker:

Remember that your request serves two purposes:

1) To let AO3 (and the mods) match givers with recipients. 

We will match you on ONE FORMAT (fic, art, etc.) and ONE CHARACTER.  If possible, we'll also match you on one or more relationships, and/or on other details.  But the auto-matching only looks at what you listed in the "Character" and "Additional Tags" (format) fields, so make the best use of those fields!

2) To give your giftmaker a sense of your taste and perhaps some specific inspiration about what to make.

 

Make multiple requests.

You can make as many as 3 separate requests in your AO3 sign-up, and this year, you are required to make at least 2.  Multiple requests make it easier for us to match giftmakers to recipients, and they also give your giftmaker options!

For example:

Request 1: Benton Fraser, Ray Vecchio, Fraser&Vecchio, Fraser/Vecchio
Request 2: Benton Fraser, Margaret Thatcher, Renfield Turnbull
Request 3: Ray Kowalski, Damien Kowalski
 

Ask for what you want…but don’t make it too narrow.

Additional details/Dear Santa letter give you an opportunity to explain your want/don’t want boundaries.

For example:

Request: Benton Fraser, Ray Vecchio, Fraser/Vecchio, Kowalski/Vecchio, Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio

Details: I would like a story about a romantic relationship between Fraser and Vecchio. It could be a threesome, either with Kowalski or with some other character (male or female), but I’d like Fraser/Vecchio to be the focus. The one threesome I wouldn’t want to see is Fraser/Vecchio/Frannie (incest squick).

 

If you include optional details, be specific…but not too specific.
 

Your request is a description of what kind of thing you would like.  It is not a prompt for a specific story/artwork.

Good:

I love AUs! I’d love to see a steampunk AU (Fraser as mad scientist?).  Or a historical setting – here are some I thought of: Canadian and US soldiers meet in WW2, Fraser and the Rays as 18th century Arctic explorers (maybe members of the Franklin expedition), the Rays as Romans and Fraser as a Celt during the Roman occupation of England.

Not so good:

Kowalski is a serial killer and Fraser has been hunting him for years.  When Fraser finally arrests Kowalski, they end up snowed-in in a cabin in the wilderness.  Fraser falls ill and Kowalski has to nurse him back to health, which leads to them falling in love.
 

Go ahead and ask for something unusual…but include a “safety request” so we can be sure to find you a match!

We love to see variety and we encourage you to request minor characters and unusual pairings. However, we are a small exchange, so matching makers to recipients can be tricky.
 

So, please do request that Gardino/Bob Fraser fic, but make your second (or third) request something easier to fulfill. A good rule of thumb is that at least one request should focus on at least one of the three primary characters (Fraser, Vecchio, and/or Kowalski).

 

If there are things you really don’t want, say so. But please do so respectfully (no character bashing/kink shaming/complaining). And try not to restrict your giftmaker too much!


In general: be honest but flexible.  Give your giftmaker something to work with, while leaving them room to exercise their creativity.

Finally, remember that optional details are optional, for both you and your giftmaker.  Your giftmaker is required to make a giftwork in a format you requested, with at least one character you requested, and that’s it.  Many people do use the extra information you provide as inspiration, but no one is required to do so.

Sign-ups: the Character field and Margaret Thatcher

[desireearmfeldt]

Hello all!  Two quick announcements about sign-up details:

1) Please remember to use the "Character" field as well as the "Relationship" field.  The auto-matching algorithm, looks at the "Character" field, so you need to name at least one character in each request and each offer.


2) Looking at the sign-ups submitted so far, it looks like we have requests for both "Margaret Thatcher" and "Margaret Thatcher (due South)."

To make the matching algorithm run more smoothly, it would be great if all sign-ups used the same name for the same character.  Let's go with "Margaret Thatcher."

If you are requesting Thatcher, please make sure your sign-up uses the "Margaret Thatcher" tag.

You are all free to tag your actual giftwork with whatever tags you like.  This is just for sign-ups.

Thank you kindly!