April 2021 Swap Info Post

[morbane]

Detailed Schedule

Sign-ups: April 6-14

• During sign-ups, people who want to take part post a (screened) reply to the sign-up post, filling out all the details requested in that post. These comments will stay screened. Mod will get in touch through the contact detail provided if mod needs more information.


• People who have chosen to get feedback by making a post to the comm can make that post at the same time as filling in the sign-up form. To post to the Concrit-X community, you need to join the community.


• People who want to get feedback on extracts and by email only must email them to the mod by end of April 14 latest.

Matching: April 15-17

• Mod will look through the sign-up information and tell people whom they are assigned to give constructive criticism to.


• Mod may also ask follow-up questions about content notes, ie, "Before I assign one of your concrit-givers, does your extract include any pregnancy topics?"


• Mod will post pinch hits.

Deadline: May 8

• Please post feedback, in a way that your recipient has opted into, between April 17 and May 8 (11:59pm EDT).


• If you think you may be unable to give feedback by the deadline (you've skimmed the works and they aren't your cup of tea at all; you haven't been provided with extracts; life events come up), please let the mod know so that mod can find new con-critters for your assigned recipients.


• If you have a post up at the comm and have screened comments, it's up to you to un-screen them or not, according to what you've said you'll do.


• If someone has a post up at the comm, you can give them feedback even if you aren't their assigned concrit-giver or aren't signed up to the exchange. Respect the kinds of feedback they have asked for (blunt, gentle, what their specific questions are).


• Mod willl check in with participants who have opted in to received concrit by email, to check if they have received feedback.


• Mod will post pinch hits.

Pinch hit deadline: May 15

• All feedback must be posted.


• Mod will make a feedback post, to improve this swap for the next round.


• Mod will make a Madness post, with requests open until May 31.

Expectations if signing up

Signing up to this swap means:

• You will provide at least one written work to the mod that is between 500 and 10,000 words, or link to published works in this range. You can ask for concrit on longer works as long as your concrit-giver also has shorter works to choose from. (If you want to ask for concrit on longer works only, you can submit a sign-up, but you aren't guaranteed any matches. You will not be required to submit concrit of your own unless there are also participants willing to give you concrit.)


• You are prepared to give content notes on your works - warnings, (optional) genres. (If they're already published, the tags may be enough.)


• You commit to giving feedback on two different works, ideally for two different authors - either line-by-line feedback or summary notes of at least 300 words each. These works might not be in canons you know, and may be up to 10,000 words long. This feedback should be designed to be useful to the author and should be written in the spirit of appreciating and acknowledging what the author may have been trying to do with a piece.


• You are prepared to give feedback either privately or publicly, according to the author's preference.


• You will let the mod know as promptly as possible if you can't give concrit on works you're matched to, or can't give concrit at all due to unexpected factors.

Although some concrit-givers may be willing to give feedback on drafts, please don't expect a full beta job or detailed grammatical corrections.

You are welcome to sign up (or lurk) to give constructive criticism only, rather than also receiving it.

Please post your concrit by the deadline; otherwise, the mod may not ensure you get two pieces of feedback as well.

Links

April 2021 event sign-up form
Guide to Giving Concrit
August 2020 feedback post
September 2020 madness post
Posts tagged open-for-concrit
Mod email: jukebox.mod@gmail.com

Differences from the last round

Last time, people signed up by posting full sign-up details, both offers and requests, to the sign-up post, and after reading each sign-up I gave people the okay to also post to the community. This time, if people want to make their own posts on the community for feedback (which most people did last time), you're welcome to make that post at the same time as giving your offer information on the screened sign-up post. No need to wait for me to tell you to. Posting is moderated, so I'll approve posts when available.

People also mentioned that the three options for requesting feedback, as follows:
1. "Direct criticism is fine; don't be afraid to be blunt"
3. "I'm in the middle; please practice your tact along with your insight."
5. "I prefer gentle feedback; don't lie to me, but please be kind."
... weren't entirely helpful. I will instead ask people to describe their own preferences briefly. You can take those as examples, but you don't have to pick one.

The schedule for overall feedback is slightly longer and the Madness round is shorter.