Apparently there’s this Internet Scavenger Hunt thingy run by Misha Collins — the handsomely smirksome gent from Supernatural. I’ve seen it in years past and always thought it had something to do with a convention, but that’s totally wrong, as I have learned this year.
I have learned this year because one of the items on the scavenger hunt list is to get a sci-fi writer to write a 140-word or less short story featuring various elements (Misha Collins, Queen of England, an Elopus, whatever the fuck that is).
I’ve been asked about a dozen times for a story.
I have said yes to one person.
I will say no to everyone else.
(You have to give the story directly to the people asking, as I understand it — can’t just post it publicly and have it work for the scavenger hunt. Or so I’m told — I honestly have no idea what’s happening, which is par for the course for me. Ignorance is not only bliss, but frankly, it’s just plain easier. YAY FOR IGNORAMUSES LIKE ME WOOOOO.)
There has been some kerfuffles and fracas over this, though.
Because writers are being asked to work for free.
Further, some folks have been more than a little abusive about the asking.
(Link here.)
To those asking, I say:
Be polite, please. Writers are not obligated to interrupt their work to provide you with a free story, regardless of how short. It’s like asking a comedian to tell you a joke — it’s very difficult to always be “on.” So, greet us with kindness and you will likely be met with kindness in return.
To those authors being asked, I say:
Be polite, please. Also: fucking relax a little. I know, maybe you’re a bit overwhelmed by the attention — but, really, is this the worst thing that’s ever happened to you? First, it’s for charity. Second, there’s basically a bunch of horrible things happening all around the world right now, and you have the privilege of being a published sci-fi author, which is actually kind of rad. Third, nobody’s devaluing the price of literature by asking for this free story from you — this isn’t like, some publisher snootily saying, YEAH WE’RE GONNA PUBLISH THIS AND PAY YOU NOTHING, STUPID WRITER, HA HA HA. This ain’t cause to raise Harlan Ellison from the dead (okay, he’s not dead, but he’s always been quite spectral) to yell at you about ‘paying the writer.’ I’ll admit a moment of sympathy for someone like Neil Gaiman who is probably so inundated with this request he’s almost certainly actually on fire, but then it’s also vital to remember that he’s Neil Motherfucking Gaiman, married to Amanda Fucking Palmer, and he writes from a magical gazebo in the woods and is handsome with or without a beard and so he’s probably going to be just fine. My suggestion, then? Take the requests as an honor rather than an irritation.
I mean, unless someone’s an asshole about it, then hell with ’em.
Everyone be polite.
Nobody be a bully or a jerk.
Go forth and be rad. As always:
Be the best version of yourself that you can be. In this, and in all things.
njnelson says:
Maybe the organizers can mod the rules for next year so they don’t cause so much chaos.
August 5, 2014 — 12:56 PM
terribleminds says:
I would think their commandments already cover it, mostly:
https://www.gishwhes.com/g_blog/commandments/
— c.
August 5, 2014 — 12:57 PM
Jacey Bedford says:
Thing is – I got a request for this from someone whose email I didn’t recognise and since I’d never heard of Gishwishes and not watched Supernatural since somewhere way back in season 2 so have never heard of Misha Collins, or an Elopus, so I just figured it was some kind of weird spam. I apologise to the requestor but it was consigned to trash can with very little consideration and without a reply. Since I’m in the middle of writing a first draft and chunking out words so hard my fingers are sore, I don’t have a spare brain to start writing anything that’s not in my (entirely fictional) universe.
August 5, 2014 — 1:06 PM
Samantha Warren says:
With so many people involved, it’s impossible to keep everyone from being a jerk, but they do s pretty good job of moderating things. And it’s a buttload if fun. So far this year, I’ve dressed my goat up ss Dean Winchester and we’re going to make a car do a backspin. Plus you get to meet new people and do good things for others.
August 5, 2014 — 1:07 PM
Samantha Warren says:
Stupid phone typos…
August 5, 2014 — 1:09 PM
Maggie says:
I offered to help a friend out. Thankfully, it doesn’t say, “well-paid, renowned sci-fi author”.
August 5, 2014 — 1:15 PM
swithering says:
I’m glad to see this as a response. I could see how frustrating it would be if you were just inundated with requests, but it’s worth noting that other items on this scavenger hunt are volunteering at a foodbank, helping a senior citizen cross something off a bucket list, visiting a retirement center, etc. It’s sort of trying to combine ridiculous, embarrassing, fun, and kind all into one giant week of madness.
August 5, 2014 — 1:32 PM
mangacat201 says:
OH MY GOD, the universe is doing such a weird crossover thing right now (kind of like when William Shatner started a twitter war with Misha) where I find fandom stuff suddenly sticking out a part of my life that previously had nothing to do with fandom LOL. I think it’s great that you’re such a good sport about it and agreed to join the fun and you are right, it shouldn’t be taken so seriously as to have *implications*, it’s just supposed to be a buttload of conveniently charitable fun. I hope you share what an Elopus is once you find out (or define, maybe?) *g*
August 5, 2014 — 1:44 PM
iriel says:
I’m very happy you said yes to someone, even though it’s not me. That’s the spirit of the hunt, really. It’s amazing when you find out that people is actually willing to help with these crazy items. I love that you blogged about it. GISHWHES is a really special event that I look forward every year and I’m very sorry some people can’t handle themselves, it’s so sad and ruins everything for everyone.
August 5, 2014 — 1:52 PM
delilahsdawson says:
You know, I think what bothered me about it was the way that people clumsily attempted to be casual to downplay that it was an unpaid favor. The requests I received were like, YOU DON’T KNOW ME, I DON’T KNOW YOU, EVERYBODY ELSE SAID NO, THIS IS NOTHING, IT’S ONLY 140 WORDS, IT’S NO BIG DEAL, IT’LL BARELY TAKE YOU ANY TIME, IT’S FOR A GOOD CAUSE, IT’S FOR ART, which basically made it feel that there was no value to my donation of time and skill. If you want something from an artist, you’re better off making a personal connection, telling them you love their work and are a big fan, and this would mean a lot to you. Not saying, “You’re the 4th person I asked and I guess you’ll do and I haven’t read your books but it’s only a quick thing and it’s for a good cause.” Because… that’s pretty insulting.
So I think it’s less a problem of GISHWHES doing a bad thing as human beings awkward about asking for stuff and basically assuming that to get something, they must devalue it first.
August 5, 2014 — 2:04 PM
terribleminds says:
I had some folks who approached that way, and others who were very much like I KNOW THIS IS WEIRD BUT IT WOULD MEAN A LOT. Either way, I dunno, as long as they’re not calling me names or making me an asshole for not doing it, I can pretty much ignore or respond politely. I get asked to do lots of things all day long (HEY POST THIS BLOG HEY REVIEW MY BOOK HEY RETWEET THIS THING HEY WRITE ME A GUEST POST HEY RUB MY BACK HEY MAKE ME A PIZZA HEY KILL THE POPE).
“So I think it’s less a problem of GISHWHES doing a bad thing as human beings awkward about asking for stuff and basically assuming that to get something, they must devalue it first.”
Very much that.
— c.
August 5, 2014 — 3:22 PM
Marc Cabot says:
Has your calculus on pope-killing changed with the fact that there are now technically two of them? Would you have to do both to consider the request filled? If you just killed one, would you feel better about it since they had an emergency backup? Is there anyone on God’s Green Earth who wouldn’t prioritize that Emperor-Palpatine-looking one?
Theology is hard.
August 6, 2014 — 10:28 AM
Formica Dinette says:
I agree with you. GISHWHES attracts participants of all ages, but I suspect much of the awkwardness is coming from the less worldly of us. However, that isn’t an excuse for being rude, mean or abusive. I’m sorry you got such crummy requests. GISHWHES is meant to be about having fun, making friends and doing good.
August 5, 2014 — 3:23 PM
Ann Lemay (@annlemay) says:
And here I’m thinking “I wonder if scifi video game writer means published scifi writer”. Hrm.
August 5, 2014 — 2:08 PM
Marcella says:
Pointers for GISHWHES participants:
Say up front – for charity
Include the URL for the GISHWHES website in your email
Include due date
Bonus points if you offer to Tweet, blog, or otherwise mention that the author who responds to you is the greatest. Not necessary – I’ll do a lot for charity I wouldn’t otherwise, but it is a kind gesture.
August 5, 2014 — 2:19 PM
Kristin says:
Wish we could like posts. I agree these are good rules to go by for a request.
August 6, 2014 — 12:36 AM
mikes75 says:
Also, and others have covered this, make it clear it’s totally fine for the author to say “no.” I’m not in this specific boat, but whenever someone asks me to donate time, money, etc… for charity, I appreciate it much more when they also make clear they understand I shouldn’t feel obliged. I’m much more likely to donate if the person requesting respects me and my time rather than behaving as if what’s important to them trumps everything.
August 6, 2014 — 8:40 AM
hccummings says:
I had two friends ask for this this weekend. I said yes to the first and gave the second a qualified yes (if I can find the time to write a second story). I got both of them done, but I won’t do a third. It was a fun bit of nonsense. Gen Con/ENnie Awards prep, and working on my most recent novel have to take center stage again.
August 5, 2014 — 2:46 PM
Michelle Moore says:
Well said. Thank you for your kindness. I hope people remember that no is also an acceptable answer to a question and to be gracious when they hear it. I also hope that there are more authors like you that say yes instead of no because I think the submissions which I believe can be made public after the hunt, will be outstanding.
August 5, 2014 — 3:24 PM
terribleminds says:
Oh, ha ha ha, my submission is probably going to be utter dog-pants, but I’M DOING IT ANYWAY.
August 5, 2014 — 3:28 PM
Emmie Mears says:
The one I wrote might very well be the most ridiculous nonsense I’ve ever put on paper, but it’s also kind of wondrous. LOL.
August 7, 2014 — 1:26 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Indeed. People need to accept ‘no’ with the same grace that they (hopefully) ask for the favour. I think a lot of people who don’t write (at least, creatively) don’t understand that writing stories isn’t about sitting in front of a typewriter and churning out a million ideas in a day. A single sentence can often be enough to stump you, and writing can be very draining (mentally, emotionally, fingerlerly) especially when you’re trying to write to a deadline, or a word count, or when you know somebody’s relying on it.
August 5, 2014 — 4:20 PM
Marc Cabot says:
Word.
A 140 word story? That’s some serious mojo. Anybody with a few functioning neurons can relate an at least mildly interesting anecdote of a few thousand words if they try hard. Long stories are much more difficult. Really short ones, in some ways, are worse.
August 6, 2014 — 10:32 AM
ProxyOne says:
I’ll be honest (and I’m so sorry for saying so) but I was not aware of you as an author. However, this post has got me pretty intrigued & I need new scifi to read, so I’m gonna go grab one of your books once this week is over!
August 5, 2014 — 3:24 PM
terribleminds says:
OH! Well, thanks. Enjoy, I hope!
August 5, 2014 — 3:27 PM
Marc Cabot says:
Can’t speak for the Blightborn books (yet) but if you like you some hard-rockin’ modern fantasy with loads of cussin,’ hie you forth and buy Blackbirds right now.
I SAID RIGHT NOW WHAT THE BLEEP ARE YOU WAITING FOR
August 6, 2014 — 10:30 AM
Formica Dinette says:
As a gisher, I appreciate you taking the time to write this.
August 5, 2014 — 3:32 PM
Melissa Olson says:
Ignorami?
August 5, 2014 — 4:11 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
GISHWHES is awesome. I wish I were a sci-fi writer 🙁
August 5, 2014 — 4:14 PM
Thom Marrion says:
I only heard of this last year, when my wife was asked by a friend to help her make a dress out of watermelons and then photograph said friend in said watermelon dress
August 5, 2014 — 4:43 PM
underastarlitsky says:
I vaguely heard about this last year, cuz an internet friend was taking part, I think. Still have no idea what it is all about….but I follow FANTASY author (I feel, not sci-fi) Lauren DeStefano on Facebook, as i’ve read and enjoy her books. And she had a bit of a freak out/rant on her Facebook page 2 days ago about this GISHWHES thing, and being approached/emailed tons. I think she should’ve read this post, somehow in the future and the part about chillaxing a little bit… I think she may have irked a lot of fans with how she reacted… so glad you haven’t done that, Chuck, and accepted this thing gracefully. You level-up in my book…
August 5, 2014 — 7:41 PM
Samantha says:
Yea….her rant was not the best way to hear about her and it really did make an impression. Her impolite response has regretfully been shared enough that I can now recognize her name (and not in a good way). yes the last “fan” email that she quoted was completely out of line, but her responses before that were not particularly kind either.
On the other hand…..at least she didn’t tell the GISHWHES folks to politely burn in hell like another author……
August 6, 2014 — 5:48 AM
j. adkins says:
Well said.
August 5, 2014 — 7:54 PM
Marshall Ryan Maresca says:
I got a request, and said yes, because I could use the good karma. But I probably have the privilege to be chill about it because, you know, one request.
August 5, 2014 — 9:06 PM
Josin says:
I got one of those requests, too. Since I hadn’t heard of the event, I googled it to make sure it wasn’t some weird auto-created spam bot phishing thing. (They weren’t asking for personal info, but who knows how scammers operate these days.) I obliged, and think the idea’s actually kind of cool, but it would definitely become less cool if the numbers of requests became too large. 140 words quickly becomes 1400 words, and that’s nearly a day’s word count for a novel. I can see why you’ve had to put a lock on the “yes” button.
I’d love to read all of the submissions. With the parameters, there’s bound to be a maximum of odd out there.
August 5, 2014 — 9:56 PM
Susan Spann says:
I sincerely hope your 140 word story was designed to raise another sci fi author from the dead. BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. And also, somewhat on point for the challenge…
August 5, 2014 — 11:00 PM
BillScott says:
Google images has some good elopus pics — G-rated, nothing to do with elephant genitals.
August 6, 2014 — 12:58 AM
Lane says:
I’m not participating this year (I did once) but this particular item is a bit strange to me. Especially considering that the one time I saw Misha in a panel at a con, someone asked him to recite a particular line from the show and he said, “No, because I’m not a dancing monkey.” He was well within his rights to do that, of course, but you’d think he’d have learned from his own experiences how irritating unsolicited requests to perform can be.
August 6, 2014 — 1:12 AM
Samantha says:
Thank you for taking the time to help some out & being polite while declining the others. Most of us do realize that for assorted reasons we will have to be turned down, but we still appreciate a nicely worded response like yours 🙂
August 6, 2014 — 5:56 AM
Brandy says:
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. As a GISHer who has only been seeing writers bash us, this has been extremely uplifting. I realize that we’ve been rather annoying, but I think that’s part of the point. It gains awareness for both the hunt and Random Acts. The people who are just lashing back at us aren’t solving again and are instead making it worse. I’ve seen one rather polite email that was sent to a writer making the request that received the reply “I hope you and everyone else participating in GISHWHES dies nicely in a fire”. This was exactly what I need after reading that. My team didn’t even try to contact a sci-fi writer because we didn’t know one.
In short: If we’re being annoying, politely tell us to stop. We don’t mean to be seen as harassing. If it is harassment, don’t take the time to reply, but report them instead. If the hunt means enough to them that they’ll email some random person, you getting them kicked off for breaking the rules will be more power against them than some nasty email.
August 6, 2014 — 6:00 AM
Samantha Warren says:
Brandy, if you still need your story, shoot me an email. I’ll get it done.
August 7, 2014 — 9:20 AM
Cat says:
I wish I had a magical gazebo in the woods. Damn.
August 6, 2014 — 6:38 AM
Israfael says:
I appreciate your response. After seeing authors tell some of my fellow hunters to “go die in a fire” for even daring to ask, I was a little discouraged about it all. I think as gishers we are all a little embarrassed by the jerks who have made this annoying for the writers…like those weird uncles you have to see at Christmas but are always drunk and disorderly.
August 6, 2014 — 7:24 AM
Sheryl says:
Thank you for this kind post. I am an author participating in the hunt. This whole thing has been blowing up on the GISHER FB page, and managed to get even worse last night after a teenage participant received an email from a prominent sci-fi writer instructing her to “kindly die in a fire.” I was horrified and ashamed something like that could happen, especially in a vibrant community of people who love and create art every day. Just for the record, several authors stepped up to help her after that happened. The people participating in GISHWHES are extremely grateful to the people who’ve gone along with their crazy requests.
August 6, 2014 — 7:33 AM
terribleminds says:
Do they know who said that — “die in a fire?” And is that confirmed?
August 6, 2014 — 8:13 AM
Sheryl says:
Yes. I have a screenshot of the email. It was posted last night to the FB group. The author was Charlie Stross.
August 6, 2014 — 8:24 AM
Marc Cabot says:
Charlie should be at least partially excused as he is in mourning. And by “mourning” I mean “perpetually outraged that the world does not work the way he wants it to when IF EVERYONE WOULD ONLY LISTEN TO HIM WE’D BE LIVING IN A PARADISE.”
August 6, 2014 — 10:35 AM
lostcheerio says:
I wrote one for someone on Twitter. Agree with the poster above — it was a fun bit of nonsense. Now that I know what the actual requirements are, I’m all happy I was counted as a scifi author.
August 6, 2014 — 8:02 AM
Kenja says:
I knew I adored you before this post, but thank you for being a rational head in all this. The author I approached has said that he will do it, and I am extremely grateful. I also offered to pay in the form of 1. Getting a bottle of his favorite libation delivered to his house or 2. Donating to his favorite charity because I don’t want to not pay someone for something they usually get paid for. I don’t know if he will take me up on it or not but that’s not the point. In any case, I think most of the Gishers and most of the authors were completely polite and reasonable. As always, there are the exceptions on both sides, which sucks.
August 6, 2014 — 9:26 AM
Marc Cabot says:
I am a sci-fi author. In honor of our gracious host not booting me for occasionally flirting with the edge of being a massive asshole on his blog, I will do this, once, for the first person who asks me and includes the phrase, “The power of Wendig compels you” in their request email.
August 6, 2014 — 10:37 AM
Marc Cabot says:
Oh, right. It doesn’t show our emails. Which is a good thing. But could make the request more troublesome than it should be.
My email is my first name at dreamsofcontrol dot com.
August 6, 2014 — 10:38 AM
Donald J. Bingle says:
I’ve done 17 or so thus far. It’s fun and fast and the Gishers are friendly and appreciative.
August 6, 2014 — 1:49 PM
Sarah says:
Thank you so much for being so understanding. I am doing the hunt this year and I am so sorry that people are being so rude when requesting an author’s assistance. I personally have not done the item, but when I saw the ‘kindly go die in a fire’ and ‘I will publicly mock you’ comments from a renowned author, I was very much upset. This was even in response to a kind request. I believe the negativity regarding this issue must be in the minority, because I’m reading good things in the comments below, and your post is wonderful. Even though I did not request your assistance, I want to say thanks for being a good sport 🙂 you handled this exactly like everyone else should have.
August 7, 2014 — 2:35 AM
The Darkfire Queen (@EliseValente) says:
There are a TON of indie authors would love to be asked. Also, don’t just search for scifi authors–we generally hate being pegged as only doing one genre. That’s similar to being typecast as an actor, or being told you can only paint realistic paintings and not abstracts. So ask around–especially those you see billed as fantasy authors–and you’re likely to find a helpful author who is more than willing to help you out.
August 7, 2014 — 12:39 PM
ljcohen says:
I was asked politely. The asker was respectful of my time and explained what it was for (though I had heard of it from a few years ago when my eldest kiddo was part of a team). It was a fun little exercise.
August 8, 2014 — 10:41 AM
terribleminds says:
The one I did was actually sort of fun.
I know some writers are inundated, but for me, it was pretty easy to deal with.
— c.
August 8, 2014 — 10:42 AM
Bic says:
Immediately after the first request I posted on my social media that I couldn’t help, sorry, but enjoy yourselves. The requests continued, and when I said No the abuse started, and continued, and got very bad, not just toward myself but to friends who are authors. One received a *rape threat*. Over this stupid contest. So I figured, F it, the gloves are off.
August 8, 2014 — 5:51 PM
Aerin says:
whoa! That’s awful and as a Gisher I am horrified. If you know the names of the harassers you can report them to gishwhes.com There is a strict ” no harassment” policy and they could be disqualified.
August 9, 2014 — 4:59 PM
Katie Lynn Daniels says:
Amen, and amen. Neil Gaiman talks a little about the problems of success, and I think more writers need to learn to deal with it as graciously as he is. You’re famous enough to get this kind of attention? STOP COMPLAINING THAT YOU GET ATTENTION. That’s what the gig is about!
August 9, 2014 — 10:45 AM
Samantha says:
On a side note: there are now threads going where folks are sharing the names/sites of authors who helped them (or politely declined them) to try to help promote the authors.
We really did appreciate the authors that were nice & are very sorry about the hunters that were ass holes.
For example: I actually recognize Katies name now because I know I’ve passed it on one both facebook, my real twitter, and my folando twitter……
August 9, 2014 — 2:26 PM
Katie Lynn Daniels says:
Yay! Recognition is all I ask for! ^^
August 9, 2014 — 4:16 PM
Samantha says:
You’re defiantly recognized 🙂 I’m not sure how many you helped but I’m seeing your name pop up alot!
August 10, 2014 — 12:13 PM
Tara K. Harper says:
I received several volunteer requests at the same time. The nicest request came from a woman in AZ, acknowledged my professional schedule, and that it was ridiculous to expect me to even get to her email, let alone be willing, and then write a novel in 140 words in time to meet her deadline. Basically, she acknowledged that she was asking me to break my concentration, interrupt my work, and do something off the wall for no reason other than to help a stranger.
I said yes to her because she asked so nicely. I said yes in general because of the challenge. I don’t write short stories. A novel in 140 words? Is it even possible? How do you convey an entire plot line, express the characters, and provide an ending in a couple of lines? It’s not a blurb for the back of a book; it has to imply the whole story. It’s rather like a dare, and I’ve always had trouble turning down a good dare.
What I wrote was probably one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever conceived, but it was kind of fun. I’m sure that most of those who asked the authors have no idea what it takes to write anything, especially to write short — which is difficult. You have no room for anything. It’s like trying to shower in a small kitchen sink — it’s really hard to fit. And, since your name goes on it, you don’t want to be embarrassed (other than by the cheesy SF story factor, of course).
My two cents: Thanks for the blog; you’re a little crude, but you make the important points. And frankly, being an SF author is very fun. Far too much fun most of the time. (Ask me about cloning human DNA, going to homicide school, and learning primate communications…) The world gives to you every time a reader picks up your work, or you get a letter or email saying how you helped someone in their life. Giving back isn’t something you do because it’s convenient. It’s something you do to support those who support others. ‘Round about with karma, if you will.
I say, good luck to the ‘Gishers. I hope their community service was done with a good heart and made a difference in many lives.
Regards,
tkh
Tara K. Harper
Author
(Sorry that was long-winded. I believe I mentioned that I’m a novelist, not a short-story writer…)
August 9, 2014 — 4:28 PM