yuletide_coal | Void in the Coal Cellar

I'm eyeing some upcoming exchanges and finding myself going, "I don't really care to get any of this stuff... but it'd be fun to write!" And I know some people who hang around _coal have done no-signup, treat-only approaches to Yuletide some years.

So, how did that work out for people who have? Do you end up having more fun (no obligation! don't care about what you're getting!) or does it end up feeling like no reward for the effort? Or do you not get anything done because there's no actual deadline? I've got a while yet to decide, so I might as well get the informed, measured opinion on exchange etiquette and strategy that _coal always provides.

It depends on who you treat, ime. If you treat someone who leaves squee, long comments, or a thoughtful poignant comment of any length, or the sweet trifecta of all three, it can be better than signing up.

If you treat someone who leaves "Thanks! This was great!" or is known not to comment at all, it definitely wears on you pretty quickly. I only treat those types of people if its for a prompt I'm really excited to write anyway and so posting it feels like the climax of my writing expirence rather than feedback, or if its for a fandom/pairing thats big enough that at least some other person will comment, although in those cases I consider it as 'treating the fandom' rather than that person.

Would not reccomend doing so for a small fandom or small pairing thay you are mostly writing on the shortlived high that OMG SOMEBODY ELSE CARES ABOUT XYZ! because that feeling fades real quick if you get a short comment or no comment and you get mad at yourself for not writing the other small fandom/pairing you like. Because the recip in that fandom will of course leave three comments and it will turn out that 9 other people also know it and leave nice comments. Writers remorse to the highest degree will become what haunts you at night.

Spread yourself around and write as many treats as possible if you're doing the treat only route. More than 3 as a minimum, but 4+ is the sweetspot. All your happiness when doing treat-only depends on other people being happy so to have the ultimate positive expirence, you will want to have your hands in as many baskets as possible. 5 really great reactions out of 8 fics total feels a lot more triumphant than 1 out of 4 even if at the end of the day they're basically the same ratio. The mind is annoying like that.

Oo, this is a good point. Most of the exchanges I'm looking at I'd happily write one or two treats for... but probably not 4+. So maybe I should stick to either signing up properly, or leaving it be.

I like treating, but paradoxically, I have more motivation for treating in exchanges I'm signed up for. Perhaps because I'm involved in more parts of the exchange process. I find that pretty annoying. I'd like to have my treat motor running hot all the time. (Or whatever. Metaphor.)

My best hope of getting anything written is to set aside some time before I skim the letters/requests, so that if I get a plot bunny, I can start writing it RIGHT AWAY. Some of my favourite exchange treats were written in one or two sessions right before deadline because I had a sudden plot bunny. Most other plot bunnies didn't get written.

I'd agree that it's good to write 2+ treats, because getting little to no response is frustrating. Put your eggs in more than one basket.

Void in the Coal Cellar

Treat Only, Treat Often

Re: Treat Only, Treat Often

Re: Treat Only, Treat Often

Re: Treat Only, Treat Often