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coalie ([personal profile] coalcube) wrote in [community profile] coaltide2021-10-13 07:35 pm
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C.R.E.A.M

Coal ruins exchanges around me - spitey spitey fic y'all. 


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....and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

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[community profile] yuletide | [community profile] yuletide_admin | Writing Post
2021 Collection | 2021 App (bonus) | Letter Post

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(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
What makes a good letter? What should its structure be? What should it contain? What shouldn't it contain? Where do DNWs go?

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 01:14 pm (UTC)(link)

Things I appreciate in a letter:

  1. Clear formatting, paragraph breaks, headings. Some people go super overboard with this, but still, aesthetically pleasing and easy to read, please.
  2. DNWs are clear and specific, as unambiguous as possible
  3. A list of general likes so I can see if overall our ids align
  4. A link to how to get to the canon in question. This applies to five minute fandoms, but also in general -- if I like your letter and vibe, I might want to pick up a canon for you, and making it easy for me to check out helps.
  5. What you like about the canon -- so I can see, again, if our overall tastes align and I'm likely to produce something you like.
  6. Prompts that inspire me

What turns me off in a letter: 1. A lengthy about me. I assume people do this because there are other people out there who like it, but it is off-putting to me. 2. A really lengthy section on how thrilled, totally thrilled, in love with you they are that you're writing for them, they just love you so much.

What I will actively game away from: 1. Ranting about current events/political issues in your letter 2. Way oversharing about your identity. I will assume you have poor boundaries and are wanky.

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)
ugh, sorry for the formatting fail (ironic) in the latter two lists.

I also dislike judgmental DNWs. As neutral as you can manage, please. But feel free to be OTT excited about your likes, that's fun.

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 02:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Enthusiasm. It's a bit of a know it when you see it, but the best letters are infectious, and even if there's an id-mismatch or I'm not confident in being able to write their prompts I'll want to write them something. I don't mean letters can't ever be critical (of canon decisions, characterizations, fanon, whatever), but when it's all this sucks, that sucks I'm left wondering one, why they're requesting the fandom in the first place and two, but what do you want?

Prompts, general likes, things you like in canon you want more of, give me something to work with. Why are you bothering to write a letter when all there is "write whatever you want." I can write whatever I want outside of Yuletide, a big part of what makes Yuletide fun for me is writing for someone. Letters aren't required, and if I see one that gives no more information than a blank sign up it's big someone told me I had to write a letter, but I didn't want to energy.

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm always unsure whether I should write a letter at all- I mean, I definitely do, I just put it all in the optional details box in the signup. I don't really understand why/if it's necessary to write all the same things in another place as well?

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Allowing people to game for you (or not game away from you) and/or getting treats!

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
+1 for yuletide, I always game for someone with a posted letter after bad experiences with matching with no letter requests.

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Things I appreciate in a letter:

-Actually posting the damn thing and not just leaving up a link to a placeholder the entire time :P

(Anonymous) 2021-10-15 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Personality and enthusiasm, like coalie above me said. I love the feeling that I'm writing for a person, not just a set of tropes. It's exciting to see excitement!
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