FKFicFest '24 drawing toward its close

[brightknightie]

All of this year's fkficfest stories are now released! Tomorrow, Sunday, we'll have our "closing ceremonies" post for 2024. Of course there's no deadline to read! Please continue enjoying the stories at your own pace. I hope that every FK fan finds at least one that clicks. ♥

I've posted about the fest to ForKni-L four times (once after each four stories, with links to every story) and also to four DW communities (Fandom Calendar, Fandom on DW, Last Writes, and FK Squee), and I'm pondering how to phrase a post to one more (Femme_fic). I've seen exactly one (1) person besides me mention/link the fest this year; maybe I missed some, or perhaps folks have been waiting to read all the way through and share specific recommendations? (Mmmmmm, recommendations!) Where appropriate, if you're comfortable doing so, please consider telling your friends and followers about the fest. They won't know until you tell them!

I'm a bit worried that spacing out the multiple submissions by so many authors this year -- multiples became the norm rather than the exception -- may have made some writers who submitted "only" (!!!) one story feel pushed out or overshadowed, and may intimidate future writers. I'm trying to think of solutions for that, like perhaps having one posting day featuring each author with all the stories that author writes, instead of spacing multiples as far apart as possible on their own days. Or perhaps that's not an issue at all. If you have thoughts, please let me know. (We have a whole year to ponder! That, and prompt election methods again...)

Comments

[switchbladeeyes]

Maybe when next year rolls around, poll people on their thoughts on multiples to determine if there actually is an issue. If it is an issue, the most straightforward solution, imo, is to cap the number of submissions permitted.

Polls

[brightknightie]

Yes, this year was the first in a many years that I didn't really kick off the fest with a poll in January or February, asking about timing, length, and other gameplay elements. I just took what we'd done recently and jumped forward.

For its first decade or so, the fest was an exchange, and single stories in exchanges are of course typical. Perhaps transitioning to multiple stories is part of the ongoing transition to being a challenge instead of an exchange.

[senmut]

It's really not an issue. Other than a list of authors I choose not to interact with, and having a small (very small) set of authors I will read anything from, I do NOT actually pay much attention to who writes what for my reading. FK is a fandom I will try most stories I see.

[brightknightie]

Thank you for sharing your experience, preference, and insight!

[pj1228]

We are a small fandom with few writers. If people manage to write multiple stories, the more stories we get. I don't see this as an issue at all, but something to be thrilled about. I would have strived for a second story myself if my time had allowed it.

[brightknightie]

Thank you for sharing your personal perspective and experience!

[thefruitbat]

I see it the same way as the previous posters. There are so few of us, that I'm happy about every single new story (and writer). But yes, if you think it might be an issue, a poll would be a good idea.

[brightknightie]

Thank you.

Yes, I usually kick off the fest with a poll in January or February about gameplay elements like minimum length, number of prompts, whether to play at all or skip a year, etc. I'll likely include questions about pacing multiples -- that is, when authors have more than one story, whether to space them out as far as possible, as I've done this year and in the past, or whether to bundle them up by author on single days -- in next year's poll.