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[Updated 2022-02-01] (Very) Limited Comissions
3 years ago
Hey, all. The last almost-year off has done wonders for my psyche. New job, new lease on life, so to speak. It's amazing how much a job you hate can get you down. Anyway, it's taken quite a while since I started the new job to get back to having any interest in writing, but I've noticed a pretty substantial uptick in interest level lately; I even published a new Jack's Blacks.
I had started a really long post to describe how I arrived at the decision to offer limited commissions, but the more I wrote, the more brevity I craved. That wall of text will get posted to my blog at some point (or not), but the key points are as follows:
* No more queue. If someone reaches out and wants a commission, it will be a "yes", "not now", or "not interested".
* "Yes" means I'm ready and able to do the commission right now and have enough inspiration to think that I can actually knock it out.
* "Not now" means I'm already working on a commission, am on hiatus, or don't have time/energy/motivation/inspiration to work on it right now. Generally take this as a "no" and feel free to reach out to someone else to do the commission. If I'm interested enough, I might reach out when I'm able to work on it, but don't count on this!
* "Not interested" means this isn't a commission I want to do and am unlikely to change my mind on that in the future. Definitely reach out to someone else to do it for you. Note that this isn't meant to be an attack on you or your commission; it's just not something I think I'd enjoy writing, and since the theme of commissions this go-around is "have fun", that's got to be part of it.
* There will likely be a lot of the "not interested" responses. This isn't about money for me but for fun, and I want to write stories that are fun to write and leave me feeling pumped and ready for the next one.
* Send inquiries via a note on here or via my usual social media channels; since I'm doing these commissions one-at-a-time, I want to get away from using the form (though I might bring it back or modify it to only capture the logistical stuff; we'll see) in favor of a more dynamic, back-and-forth experience.
As a bit of guidance on likes / dislikes (to help decide whether to submit an idea or not):
Likes (these improve the chances of but don't guarantee getting selected):
* Stories focusing on more than just the kink: writing a vivid story with some kink means that even if I'm not into the kink itself, the story as a whole is fun to write.
* Flexible word count: a hard minimum makes it hard to add filler; a hard maximum can mean loss of interesting / fun details and increases stress trying to decide what to remove. Flexibility with a general ballpark sets expectations while letting me see where the story goes.
* Kinks I enjoy writing (this does not mean I like them in real life; know the difference!): kinks that dehumanize, humiliate, take away control, or result from loss of control, e.g., babyfur, bestiality, watersports/omorashi, castration, forced orgasms / impregnation / milking, transformation, loss of control due to musk / pheromones, etc. Incorporating ritual or punishment into any of those is icing on the cake.
Dislikes (these aren't inherent disqualifiers but do reduce the likelihood of getting selected):
* Character aggrandizement / "Mary Sue": I'm happy to follow a character through a sequence of events, but talking about how exceptional a particular character is without that somehow tying into the plot just feels icky.
* Very long stories (20k+ words): I can do these, but they require a lot more care to maintain consistency and avoid plot holes. They'll be met with skepticism but considered on a case-by-case basis.
* Picky, rigid or very detailed outlines: I enjoy the creativity of writing more than playing plot-point-Tetris. If you have a very specific story in mind with lots of specific plot points that must happen in a certain order under specific circumstances, I'm probably not going to enjoy writing it. Having lots of kinks / activities is fine as long as I'm free to fit them in where they work. Essentially acting as a tech writer to squeeze a bunch of information together into a story, though, is not fun for me; I got plenty of that at my last day job to last me a lifetime and don't want to do it anymore. If your outline and character notes are as long as the commission itself, that's probably an indication that I'm not going to have fun (yes, this has happened).
* Kinks I have trouble understanding: writing is very psychological for me, and to be able to write a compelling story, I have to be able to understand both the commissioner's interest in a kink and how the characters would plausibly think and act to cause that kink to happen. When something happens to a character, it's a lot more lenient than when a character actively seeks a kink that might be counterintuitive (e.g., death happening is one thing; actively seeking death without any particular physical/mental ailment to explain it is hard to make plausible). A commissioner who can help me understand the interest in the kink and how the characters could end up engaging in it (if I can't figure it out on my own) can be the difference between a hard commission and a fun one.
* Stories requiring a lot of research or in-depth knowledge: I've got a wide breadth of interests, but if I have to research something I otherwise wouldn't be interested in, that's not fun for me.
* Kinks I don't enjoy: Not kink-shaming; these kinks are just such turn-offs that they distract me when I try to write them: farting, breasts in general (big breasts, breast insertion, breast vore, etc.).
* Unclear / rude / no communication: If I'm having trouble understanding you and and ask for clarification, it's because I'm trying to make sure we have the same idea of what the story will look like. Failing to clarify or acting as if I'm stupid for asking is not a recipe for success (fortunately, this hasn't happened much). Also, I know we'll often be in different time zones, but getting back to me within a day or so is helpful so I don't lose whatever momentum I've built up.
Pricing and terms remain the same as they used to be:
* $0.02 / word
* No payment upfront
* 90% payment due upon draft completion (prior to delivery)
* One round of revisions
* I reserve the right to reject changes (and forfeit the final 10%) or to charge a change fee (beyond the change in word count), depending on how onerous the changes are. We'll discuss those changes and any applicable fees before changes are made.
* I'm not going to slap a bunch of fees on just for the heck of it, but do bear in mind that the initial discussion should identify all important plot points, character traits, kinks, etc. so that changes after the draft is complete are minimal.
* Final pricing is based on the final word count and any change fees incurred, so the final payment will vary somewhat depending on what changes are made. This is due before the final version is delivered.
We'll give this a try and see how it goes. Feel free to note me with questions or reach out via my other social media handles, and I'll clarify as best I can. As always, I don't bite, so if you want to run an idea by me, feel free; worst thing is I'll say I'm not interested.
Update 2022-02-01:
Welp, within an hour of me posting this journal, someone broke the "no queue" model. I thought I'd resolved it, but then it got broken again today. So... it appears I can't escape the queue. But, rather than give up, I'm gonna call it a "pile" instead in that there's gonna be a pile of commission ideas, and I'm going to pick the one that sounds interesting at the time when I'm ready to start something new. What this means is that delivery times will be even more unpredictable because I'm deliberately avoiding the first-in-first-out (FIFO) mentality (unless interesting stories just happen to show up in that order). What I said above regarding "yes", "not now", and "not interested" still stands: if I say "not now", it means that I have interest in it and will add it to the pile, but it could be weeks or months before I get to it, depending not only on what I'm currently working on and whether my outside life is busy but also on whether there are other stories in the pile that look like more fun. So, if you're wanting the story soon, definitely go to another writer. If there's no real urgency and you're willing to be happily surprised (well, hopefully happily) at some indeterminate time in the future, then feel free to hold out; it's totally up to you.
I really want to stress that favoring one commission over another is not meant to be a personal attack or anything like that; I'm just picking what sounds like fun and I feel inspired to do, kind of like I do projects around the property when I feel like doing them. I've struggled with this a lot over the years because I wanted to be fair to everybody, but reflecting on it over the last year, I think it's better to do the ones I enjoy and can knock out and move on to the next one rather than holding everybody up (sometimes for weeks or months) because I'm stuck on a particular commission...especially if getting stuck on several stories back-to-back burns me out and makes me need to disappear for the better part of a year again. In any case, I hope nobody takes it personally. It's not meant that way.
-Jack
I had started a really long post to describe how I arrived at the decision to offer limited commissions, but the more I wrote, the more brevity I craved. That wall of text will get posted to my blog at some point (or not), but the key points are as follows:
* No more queue. If someone reaches out and wants a commission, it will be a "yes", "not now", or "not interested".
* "Yes" means I'm ready and able to do the commission right now and have enough inspiration to think that I can actually knock it out.
* "Not now" means I'm already working on a commission, am on hiatus, or don't have time/energy/motivation/inspiration to work on it right now. Generally take this as a "no" and feel free to reach out to someone else to do the commission. If I'm interested enough, I might reach out when I'm able to work on it, but don't count on this!
* "Not interested" means this isn't a commission I want to do and am unlikely to change my mind on that in the future. Definitely reach out to someone else to do it for you. Note that this isn't meant to be an attack on you or your commission; it's just not something I think I'd enjoy writing, and since the theme of commissions this go-around is "have fun", that's got to be part of it.
* There will likely be a lot of the "not interested" responses. This isn't about money for me but for fun, and I want to write stories that are fun to write and leave me feeling pumped and ready for the next one.
* Send inquiries via a note on here or via my usual social media channels; since I'm doing these commissions one-at-a-time, I want to get away from using the form (though I might bring it back or modify it to only capture the logistical stuff; we'll see) in favor of a more dynamic, back-and-forth experience.
As a bit of guidance on likes / dislikes (to help decide whether to submit an idea or not):
Likes (these improve the chances of but don't guarantee getting selected):
* Stories focusing on more than just the kink: writing a vivid story with some kink means that even if I'm not into the kink itself, the story as a whole is fun to write.
* Flexible word count: a hard minimum makes it hard to add filler; a hard maximum can mean loss of interesting / fun details and increases stress trying to decide what to remove. Flexibility with a general ballpark sets expectations while letting me see where the story goes.
* Kinks I enjoy writing (this does not mean I like them in real life; know the difference!): kinks that dehumanize, humiliate, take away control, or result from loss of control, e.g., babyfur, bestiality, watersports/omorashi, castration, forced orgasms / impregnation / milking, transformation, loss of control due to musk / pheromones, etc. Incorporating ritual or punishment into any of those is icing on the cake.
Dislikes (these aren't inherent disqualifiers but do reduce the likelihood of getting selected):
* Character aggrandizement / "Mary Sue": I'm happy to follow a character through a sequence of events, but talking about how exceptional a particular character is without that somehow tying into the plot just feels icky.
* Very long stories (20k+ words): I can do these, but they require a lot more care to maintain consistency and avoid plot holes. They'll be met with skepticism but considered on a case-by-case basis.
* Picky, rigid or very detailed outlines: I enjoy the creativity of writing more than playing plot-point-Tetris. If you have a very specific story in mind with lots of specific plot points that must happen in a certain order under specific circumstances, I'm probably not going to enjoy writing it. Having lots of kinks / activities is fine as long as I'm free to fit them in where they work. Essentially acting as a tech writer to squeeze a bunch of information together into a story, though, is not fun for me; I got plenty of that at my last day job to last me a lifetime and don't want to do it anymore. If your outline and character notes are as long as the commission itself, that's probably an indication that I'm not going to have fun (yes, this has happened).
* Kinks I have trouble understanding: writing is very psychological for me, and to be able to write a compelling story, I have to be able to understand both the commissioner's interest in a kink and how the characters would plausibly think and act to cause that kink to happen. When something happens to a character, it's a lot more lenient than when a character actively seeks a kink that might be counterintuitive (e.g., death happening is one thing; actively seeking death without any particular physical/mental ailment to explain it is hard to make plausible). A commissioner who can help me understand the interest in the kink and how the characters could end up engaging in it (if I can't figure it out on my own) can be the difference between a hard commission and a fun one.
* Stories requiring a lot of research or in-depth knowledge: I've got a wide breadth of interests, but if I have to research something I otherwise wouldn't be interested in, that's not fun for me.
* Kinks I don't enjoy: Not kink-shaming; these kinks are just such turn-offs that they distract me when I try to write them: farting, breasts in general (big breasts, breast insertion, breast vore, etc.).
* Unclear / rude / no communication: If I'm having trouble understanding you and and ask for clarification, it's because I'm trying to make sure we have the same idea of what the story will look like. Failing to clarify or acting as if I'm stupid for asking is not a recipe for success (fortunately, this hasn't happened much). Also, I know we'll often be in different time zones, but getting back to me within a day or so is helpful so I don't lose whatever momentum I've built up.
Pricing and terms remain the same as they used to be:
* $0.02 / word
* No payment upfront
* 90% payment due upon draft completion (prior to delivery)
* One round of revisions
* I reserve the right to reject changes (and forfeit the final 10%) or to charge a change fee (beyond the change in word count), depending on how onerous the changes are. We'll discuss those changes and any applicable fees before changes are made.
* I'm not going to slap a bunch of fees on just for the heck of it, but do bear in mind that the initial discussion should identify all important plot points, character traits, kinks, etc. so that changes after the draft is complete are minimal.
* Final pricing is based on the final word count and any change fees incurred, so the final payment will vary somewhat depending on what changes are made. This is due before the final version is delivered.
We'll give this a try and see how it goes. Feel free to note me with questions or reach out via my other social media handles, and I'll clarify as best I can. As always, I don't bite, so if you want to run an idea by me, feel free; worst thing is I'll say I'm not interested.
Update 2022-02-01:
Welp, within an hour of me posting this journal, someone broke the "no queue" model. I thought I'd resolved it, but then it got broken again today. So... it appears I can't escape the queue. But, rather than give up, I'm gonna call it a "pile" instead in that there's gonna be a pile of commission ideas, and I'm going to pick the one that sounds interesting at the time when I'm ready to start something new. What this means is that delivery times will be even more unpredictable because I'm deliberately avoiding the first-in-first-out (FIFO) mentality (unless interesting stories just happen to show up in that order). What I said above regarding "yes", "not now", and "not interested" still stands: if I say "not now", it means that I have interest in it and will add it to the pile, but it could be weeks or months before I get to it, depending not only on what I'm currently working on and whether my outside life is busy but also on whether there are other stories in the pile that look like more fun. So, if you're wanting the story soon, definitely go to another writer. If there's no real urgency and you're willing to be happily surprised (well, hopefully happily) at some indeterminate time in the future, then feel free to hold out; it's totally up to you.
I really want to stress that favoring one commission over another is not meant to be a personal attack or anything like that; I'm just picking what sounds like fun and I feel inspired to do, kind of like I do projects around the property when I feel like doing them. I've struggled with this a lot over the years because I wanted to be fair to everybody, but reflecting on it over the last year, I think it's better to do the ones I enjoy and can knock out and move on to the next one rather than holding everybody up (sometimes for weeks or months) because I'm stuck on a particular commission...especially if getting stuck on several stories back-to-back burns me out and makes me need to disappear for the better part of a year again. In any case, I hope nobody takes it personally. It's not meant that way.
-Jack
SexyDragon201
~sexydragon201
I'm glad to see ya again big hoss~ along with all what I've read here~
