Make the Yuletide Gay - the popslash Secret Santa

That MTYG meme, part 3

2019-01-20T16:56:17Z

Posted by: pensnest

Now that all the January memes have come to a close (I haven't actually finished the Snowflake Challenge, but at least the daily demand has ceased) it's probably a good time to get back to our reminiscences.

This is for readers of MTYG, so all the writers are eligible and a few more people besides.

Of all the MTYG stories you've read:

Which delighted you the most, and why? (I'm not going to try to restrict this to The One, I'm sure there are many candidates - and feel free to make your own categories, if you wish.)

Which one(s) made you OMGWTF the most?

Which did you think were *perfect* for the recipient?

Which made you glad, as a writer, that you hadn't caught that request/prompt?

Did you ever guess the author and get it right? What clued you in?

And a bonus section for the writers:

Feedback:

- did you always get feedback from your recipients? Feel free to ...expand on this!

- whose feedback (recipient or not) gave you the most joy?

Anything else?

Oh, I know - titles. SeSa seems to bring out the title mojo in a lot of people. What are some of your favourites?

comments

That MTYG meme

2019-01-05T11:17:50Z

Posted by: pensnest

Right, the next round of MTYG reminiscence questions. These are a bit more specific, so may actually be easier to answer. (Although I'm beginning to wish I'd left this until February—there are so many memes around at the moment!)

First questions are here, and are definitely still up for your comments.

Of all the stories you wrote for MTYG:

(a) Which did you most enjoy writing?

(b) Which caused you the most anguish/SeSa angst/wailing and gnashing of teeth or just plain struggling to produce?

(c) What was the best request/prompt you got?

(d) what was the most terrifying/startling/difficult prompt you got, and how did you cope with the story?

(e) more generally, do you have any funny or sad stories about the writing process?

comments

That MTYG meme

2018-12-31T10:02:42Z

Posted by: pensnest

It's High Time I got to posting this, but before I do, I must ensure that you have all seen the Glitter And Be Gay Popslash Swap that happened, in a quiet but adorable way, this Christmas, here on LiveJournal. I have not, to my shame, managed to read all the stories yet, but brandywine28 has produced her customary comic masterpiece in That's What Makes Christmas Bright. There are more in store!

Anyway. MTYG. Time for a self-indulgent retrospective on stories we have loved, etc, and I think it's probably best to start with the easy* ones.

For the Writers: Of all the stories you've written for MTYG, which is your favourite?

For the Recipients: Of all the stories written for you for MTYG, which is your favourite?

* On reflection, I'm not sure that the answers will be at all easy to find.

You're welcome to answer in comments here, or to post to your own journal and link in comments. Let's talk about this entirely awesome challenge!

If you want to check through the probable questions-to-come, the post is here. And subject to change, so do suggest questions if any occur to you.

comments

Glitter and Be Gay Swap Stories!

2018-12-25T01:17:12Z

Posted by: musicboxgirl

Just a heads up that our popslash swap stories will be live at gabgswap Glitter and Be Gay Swap 2018 on Livejournal at 12:01 EST on 12/25/2018. Hope to see you there!

comments

Can't Stop the Gaiety

2018-11-10T00:10:44Z

Posted by: musicboxgirl

I know this is super late to the game but brandywine28 and I are still going to swap fic for the holidays. If anyone else wanted to write something for the yuletide, please let me know and I can work you in. I'm happy to manage the assignments and stuff, given there aren't going to be a whole lot of us. It likely won't be secret because the group is so small but we still want to rejoice in the gaiety with you if you are so inclined! I can throw a community together if we get more than the two of us wanting to write. IDK I'm not ready to let go yet. . .

If this year isn't for you, please check back with me next October!

comments

MTYG memorial time!

2018-11-04T17:05:46Z

Posted by: pensnest

(reposted from my personal journal)

I am, it is true, somewhat relieved that I won't have to add the mad dash to finish at least one story by Christmas Eve to the complexity that is my-life-in-the-run-up-to-Christmas this year, but things should be calmed down afterwards.

So, now that MTYG is officially done, I'm thinking it might be nice to do some kind of MTYG Retrospective to while away the few spare hours there may be between Christmas and the New Year, when we won't be reading and sending feedback. (Of course, there's Yuletide, but that is So Damn Big I tend to sit back and wait for recs.)

So I started to think up a few questions, which will remind us of the good times and perhaps the scary times—we've all had them—which we can think about then. Here are my suggestions; do you have any questions you think would be fun to add? I'll re-present them at Christmas so we can have a bit of discussion in MTYG_discuss or in my journal(s), whatever people prefer.

So, the questions so far (sans question marks because eh):

Of all the stories you've written for MTYG
- which is your favourite
- which one are you most proud of
- which did you most enjoy writing
- which caused you the most anguish/SeSa angst/wailing and gnashing of teeth to produce
- which was the best received
- what was the best request/prompt you got
- what was the most terrifying/worst request/prompt (and how did you manage with the story)
- do you have any funny or sad stories about the writing process
- have you ever rewritten any of your MTYG stories, or written a prequel or sequel or any other kind of spinoff?

Of the stories you've received
- which is your favourite, and why

Of the MTYG stories you've read
- which is the funniest
- which is the one that made you OMGWTF the most
- which did you think was the most perfect for the recipient
- which made you think that you were glad you hadn't had that prompt
- did you ever guess the author and get it right? What clued you in?

One more:
- whose feedback gave you the most joy?

*

I'd kinda like to do a re-read, maybe a year's worth per month for next year? But I don't know if people will be with me on that. Your opinion? Do the words Flogging a Dead Horse come to mind, or might it be fun?

comments

So Long, And Thanks For All The Trickyfish

2018-11-01T12:02:52Z

Posted by: nopseud

Due to a combination of low sign-ups and some technical problems with the MtYG back end, Pen and I have made the (hard) decision that we won't be running MtYG this year, or in the future. The MtYG site will be staying up and will be maintained indefinitely.

We'd like to thank everyone for the amazing run we've had since we first took over the challenge in 2007. First of all, of course, we owe a massive debt to Pet and Georgina, who made Don We Now Our Gay Apparel so great, and so generously allowed us to take over the running of their SeSa. Then to everyone who pitched in to help get MtYG up and running on such short notice that first time, we absolutely couldn't have done it without you. Popslashers are the best.

We'd also like to thank the past mods who helped run MtYG, and everyone over the years who sent feedback for the stories. And finally, from the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all the magical, wonderful, amazing Santas who have signed up over the years to Make the Yuletide Gay. You are all ~~rock~~ popstars. It's been a blast.

Love to all of you, and have a fantastic holiday season.

NopSeud & Pen

comments

Make the Yuletide Gay signups open!

2018-10-17T21:10:24Z

Posted by: nopseud

Slightly late, we have opened signups for Make the Yuletide Gay 2018. As usual, signups will run until October 31st. (Due to some ongoing technical issues we haven't been able to change the year on the front page or on the age restriction in the rules, yet. Hopefully this will be fixed at the weekend.)

As well as LJ and DW, you can get your MtYG updates and reminders delivered via Tumblr, should you so wish.

comments

MtYG Reveal is coming soon!

2018-01-04T01:27:36Z

Posted by: nopseud

Don't forget that there's just a couple of days left before the reveal to get your feedback in for Make the Yuletide Gay. Author names will be revealed on the 6th January.

comments

Guess The Author, and other matters

2017-12-29T14:33:47Z

Posted by: pensnest

Now that most of you have had a chance to read at least some of the MTYG 2017 stories, let's see if any of us can actually identify the authors. One year, I was identified by my choice of section spacers… For myself, I generally find that even though I have been reading these authors for *years*, I can hardly ever tell who wrote what. So don't be afraid to make a wrong guess—we all do it! Also, bear in mind that there may or may not have been pinch-hits, so if you can't decide which of two stories was written by a particular person, it's *possible* that both were! *cackles evilly* I realise this doesn't actually help.

Let's make this a Guess The Author post. Authors, please don't say yea or nay until The Reveal on 6th January.

Meanwhile, if you have recs or reviews, do post them to this community, or else drop in a link to your own journal. If you post here, please cut-tag for spoilers, and don't post flames or extremely negative comments. Thank you!

If you want to send feedback while the challenge is still anonymous, and have not yet got yourself a Reader Account, please see this post for details of how to go about it. Reader accounts allow anyone who didn't take part in the challenge as a writer to give the gift of feedback while the writers are still anonymous—speaking as a writer, I find this one of the most fun aspects of an anonymous challenge. (Challenge authors can send feedback by logging in with their usual name and password -- there's no need to sign up for a second account.)

comments

MTYG IS LIVE!

2017-12-24T20:55:15Z

Posted by: pensnest

I repeat, we are live....

A bit of last-minute Stuff had to be negotiated, but the stories are live at Make the Yuletide Gay.

Thank you so much to everyone who signed up and worked so hard to deliver stories for their recipients. Without Santas, there can be no SeSa. Enormous thanks to the pinch-hitters for volunteering. You guys are the safety net that make MtYG possible. And thanks to everyone else, too, the beta-readers, cheerleaders and senders of feedback, who all do their bit to help us Make the Yuletide Gay.

So read, enjoy, and don't forget to make some writer's Christmas by sending feedback!

Even if you aren't a Santa you can still sign up for a Reader account, which allows you to send feedback during the anonymous phase—and we all know it's more fun to get feedback while you're still anonymous. Details can be found in this post.

If you spot any problems with the story you posted or received, please contact us ASAP and we'll do our best to fix it.

Happy holidays from all of us to all of you, and enjoy the stories!

comments

Help wanted!

2017-12-15T09:06:09Z

Posted by: pensnest

It's looking as though this year may be one of the 'off' years in which we need the help of some wonderful pinch-hitters. Can you sign up for an extra piece of holiday writing this year? You'll need to be a popslasher with some free time next week (18 - 23 December) as that's when the crunch comes.

Perhaps you've already completed, or almost completed, your original assignment? If you are already a Santa this year but can volunteer to be a back-up author, please elfmail the Admins to let us know. Include the pairings you're willing to write, which gives us an idea of whether we have reasonable coverage for the situation.

Perhaps you didn't sign up this year for some reason, but are now missing your yearly fix of SeSa pressure? If you aren't signed up this year but have signed up for MtYG before, we can reactivate your old account. E-mail us at at santa@maketheyuletidegay.org.

If you haven't signed up before and wish you had, you can still participate as a pinch-hitter. We'll need to create an account for you, so e-mail us at at santa@maketheyuletidegay.org and include the following details:

Name
Website
E-mail
A password that you don't mind the Admins knowing (please do not use your LJ/DW password or other valuable password.)

Pass the word along! Make the Yuletide Gay!

comments

MtYG: Pinch-hit sign-ups

2017-11-24T12:52:37Z

Posted by: nopseud

Pinch-hitters are the back-up writers who step in when, for whatever reason, a Santa can't fulfil their assignment. They're the fabulous folks who help us ensure that everyone who takes part in MtYG receives a story.

Unlike regular MtYG authors, pitch-hitting authors will be able to see the request (and pairing) before they commit to writing it.

You don't need to be participating in the current challenge to be a pitch-hit author, but some experience writing popslash is required. You will also need to have some free time around December 18-23, as that's when we anticipate the most need for your help.

If you're already a Santa this year and would also like to volunteer to be a back-up author, please elfmail us to let us know. Please include the pairings you are willing to write (so we can get a rough idea if we've got reasonable coverage).

If you aren't signed up for MtYG this year, but still want to be a pinch-hitter, you can e-mail us at at santa@maketheyuletidegay.org. If you signed up to MtYG in previous years, we can reactivate your old account. If you didn't sign up in 2007-2015, we will need to create an account for you, so please also include the following:

Name
Website
E-mail
A password that you don't mind the Admins knowing (please do not use your LJ/DW password or other valuable password.)

Thank you!

comments

Beta Reading, and Helpful Suggestions

2017-11-02T11:27:20Z

Posted by: pensnest

If you are willing to beta someone else's story, please comment to say so. Do note any pairings or story requests that you cannot deal with!

If you are looking for a beta for your story, please comment - or, if someone has volunteered and will fit the bill, contact them.

*

If you don't know your recipient, it can be useful to check out their Reading and Subscribe (or Friends, on LJ) list to see whether you have anyone in common, or to see if anyone they know is also taking part in MTYG and may be willing to help you out. It can be handy to get an inside source on What The Recipient Likes!

Other ways to check out whether that story notion you're cradling is going to please your recipient are: read their journal, see if they ever rec stories or comment on what they've enjoyed, and read the stories they have written (not just the MTYG stories, either, because when we're writing for a specific person we don't always write what we'd love to read).

Anyone got any more hints on How To Please Your Recipient? Comment here!

comments

MtYG: Assignments out!

2017-11-01T23:58:02Z

Posted by: nopseud

MtYG assignments have gone out. If you haven't received yours yet, or you have a problem with it, please get in touch via Elfmail.

Good luck, Santas!

comments

Signups closing soon!

2017-10-31T02:59:03Z

Posted by: nopseud

Only 24 hours left to make the excellent decision to take part in MtYG 2017.

Signups close tomorrow!

comments

Make the Yuletide Gay signups open!

2017-10-17T14:55:02Z

Posted by: nopseud

When the sparkly sparkly challenge comes spark-spark-sparkling along...no, wait, that doesn't scan at all.

ANYWAY. We have opened signups for Make the Yuletide Gay 2017. As usual, signup will run until October 31st. Amazingly, we actually got the front page updated in advance this year.

As well as LJ and DW, you can get your MtYG updates and reminders delivered via Tumblr, should you so wish. (RIP Imzy.)

comments

Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 - Reveal!

2017-01-07T15:11:25Z

Posted by: nopseud

Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 Santas' names have now been revealed!

pensnest and I would like to say a great big sparkly thank you to all the Santas, to the beta-readers, to our awesome pinch-hitters and to everyone who sent feedback for the stories. Hopefully we'll see you all back again later in the year for Make the Yuletide Gay 2017.

comments

MtYG Reveal is coming soon!

2017-01-04T23:07:28Z

Posted by: nopseud

There are just two days left in which you can send feedback to the Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 Santas before their names are revealed. Please do take the time to feedback stories if you possibly can.

Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 Stories

Remember that even if you weren't a Santa this year, you can still give the gift of feedback by signing up for a reader account.

comments

Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 is live!

2016-12-24T14:49:02Z

Posted by: nopseud

Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 stories are now live!

Thank you so much to everyone who signed up and worked hard to deliver stories for their recipients. Without Santas, there can be no SeSa. While no one, eventually, dropped out this year, we'd still like to give enormous thanks to the pinch-hitters for volunteering. You guys are the safety net that make MtYG possible. And thanks to everyone else, too, the beta-readers, cheerleaders and senders of feedback, who all do their bit to help us Make the Yuletide Gay.

Remember that even if you aren't a Santa you can still sign up for a reader account, allowing you to send feedback during the anonymous phase. Details can be found in the previous post in the comm.

If you spot any problems with the story you posted or received, please contact us ASAP and we'll do our best to fix it.

Happy holidays from all of us to all of you, and enjoy the stories!

comments

MtYG - Reader Accounts etc

2016-12-24T14:42:08Z

Posted by: nopseud

The Make the Yuletide Gay 2016 will be going live very, very soon! Before it does, here is the annual overview of the feedback system and other general reminders.

Recs, reviews and author guesses

We very much encourage people to share their recs, comments and discussions about the stories via this community. You can either post directly here, or link to posts in your own journal, blog, rec site, etc. If you post here, please cut-tag for spoilers, and don't post flames or extremely negative comments. Thank you!

Author guessing is always encouraged! But please, would authors and betas be careful not to give writer identities away before the reveal.

Reader Accounts

Reader accounts allow anyone who didn't take part in the challenge as a writer to give the gift of feedback while the writers are still anonymous. (Challenge authors can send feedback by logging in with their usual name and password -- there's no need to sign up for a second account.)

Once the stories are live, anyone can get a reader account by going to the Make the Yuletide Gay site and following the link on the front page. There's also a link on each story page.

Please note: in order to use the feedback system, you must provide a valid e-mail address, to allow the authors to reply to feedback after the reveal. Until you have validated your e-mail address by clicking on the link in the sign-up confirmation mail, you will not be able to log in and send feedback.

If you had a reader account last year, or were previously signed up as a Santa, you'll be able to use that account again. You'll need to go through the sign-up process again (using the same username and password), and click on the confirmation link in the sign-up mail to reactivate the account.

Reveal

Reveal will once again be on the 6th of January.

comments

MtYG: Pinch hitters

2016-12-16T19:30:51Z

Posted by: nopseud

Hello all!

We find ourselves very short of potential pinch-hitters this year. If you think that you might have some time available between now and the 24th to help us ensure there will be gifts for all under the metaphorical tree, we would be enormously grateful.

If you're already signed up for MtYG this year, please volunteer via Elfmail. If you aren't signed up, please send an email to santa@maketheyuletidegay.org instead.

Thank you!

comments

MtYG: Pinch-hit sign-ups

2016-12-06T11:37:18Z

Posted by: nopseud

For those of you who are new to SeSas, pinch-hitters are the back-up writers who step in when, for whatever reason, a Santa can't fulfil their assignment. They're the fabulous folks who help us ensure that everyone who takes part in MtYG receives a story.

Unlike regular MtYG authors, pitch-hitting authors will be able to see the request (and pairing) before they commit to writing it.

You don't need to be participating in the current challenge to be a pitch-hit author, but some experience writing popslash is required. You will also need to have some free time around December 18-23, as that's when we anticipate the most need for your help.

If you're already a Santa this year and would also like to volunteer to be a back-up author, please elfmail us to let us know. Please include the pairings you are willing to write (so we can get a rough idea if we've got reasonable coverage).

If you aren't signed up for MtYG this year, but still want to be a pinch-hitter, you can e-mail us at at santa@maketheyuletidegay.org. If you signed up to MtYG in previous years, we can reactivate your old account. If you didn't sign up in 2007-2016, we will need to create an account for you, so please also include the following:

Name
Website
E-mail
A password that you don't mind the Admins knowing (please do not use your LJ/DW password or other valuable password.)

Thank you!

comments

MtYG - Submissions Open

2016-12-06T11:34:59Z

Posted by: nopseud

Submissions are now open for Make the Yuletide Gay 2016. You can submit your story by going to the MtYG site and clicking the submissions link on the front page. Please make sure you read the instructions carefully, especially the parts about HTML tags, which are the most common reason for failed submissions.

If you have any trouble submitting, please contact us via Elfmail.

Remember that stories must be submitted by 11:59pm PST December 20th. If you think that you won't be able to make the deadline, please contact the admins as soon as possible.

Good luck, Santas!

comments

Make the Yuletide Gay assignments out!

2016-11-02T20:32:52Z

Posted by: nopseud

MtYG assignments have gone out! If you haven't received your assignment, or there's a problem with it, please get in touch with the admins via Elfmail as soon as possible.

comments