I'm writing this as a plea from our archive admins - even if they didn't exactly ask me to write it.  I still tend to glance at every story posted here and I wanted to take a moment to comment about a few things.

We're getting a little bit sloppy.

I'll admit - there are times I'm so excited about posting something that I don't take the time to send it to a beta - I just want to get it out there.  But even if you don't have a person who you go to for a second set of eyes there is something to be said for taking a deep breath, stepping away for a bit, taking another glance and THEN going back to post.

MTT was created as a place to archive quality Office fanfic.  I'd really like to keep it that way.

Running spell check is the absolute minimum you should do. Formatting of your story needs to be correct - run on sentences and paragraphs are not acceptable. Things like typos of things as important as character names can happen so that is why I strongly suggest authors find a trusty beta or two.  Not only can they catch things like that - they can help to polish and tighten up your work.  Ideally you want one who shares your view of the characters you're writing about and another who is completely brutal where the mechanics of writing are concerned. 

Sometimes you can find both in one person if you are lucky enough.

If you are questioning correct grammar usage there are a multitude of websites that can assist you.  Tricky things like its and it's and lie and lay happen all the time.  Not taking the time to find out if you're doing something right or wrong is really pure laziness.  This may sound harsh but when I - personally - see an author hasn't taken the time to polish their work I wonder why I'm wasting my time reading it.

If you look to the left of this note there are links to both our pool of betas and the Grammar Girl website.

The tools we all need are here.  There are really no excuses. 

I'm not saying I'm not guilty of rushing myself - the desire for feedback and to put something out there that you hope others will enjoy is very strong.  But these days I'm really forcing myself to slow down and take my time in order to be sure what I put out there is the best I can do.  

My greatest wish is that I could get more people on board with that.

 Many of you who have been long standing members remember a time when certain stories were awarded a featured place on our archive in the form of a ribbon.  This was, and always has been, a subjective preference of the archive admins - their perk for maintaining the site (a job that comes with very little reward.)   It is meant to be a nod to stories we particularly enjoy - much like a suggested reading shelf at your local library or bookstore.  

Nothing more.  Nothing less.

Our authors (and members) - we thought - enjoyed this part of the archive until we got many protests about why one story was chosen over the other.  It became a real headache and all the fun was sucked out of it.

In short:  Ribbons became our own personal Toby Flenderson.

After much deliberation the MTT Fanfic Archive Admins have collectively decided to reinstitute Featured Stories function.  Ribbons are back and are, again, merely a perk that admins get for helping to maintain the site.    

Here's the kicker:  Understand that we will not entertain any grumblings or discuss why one story was picked over another.  In our eyes it is akin to begging for reviews.  It's not cool and it becomes fun for no one.  Featured Stories are selected by personal preference.  PERIOD.    We believe our tastes are different enough to feature a number of different authors and types of stories, new, old, Jim, Pam and everything in between.  

The rules are few:  Admins cannot feature a story they have beta'd.  Admins cannot feature the same author 2 weeks in a row.  Admins will strive to continually feature different authors and genres - including newer authors, stories that feature the ensemble and other pairings besides Jim and Pam.


MTT Members can and should continue to promote their favorite authors and stories in the MTT Forum in the Recommendations and Looking for a Fic threads.  

We are thrilled to be able to highlight our favorites again.  We hope you are too.

We updated/upgraded some things this morning because some features like the memberlist were having trouble.  Thank you, sicokitty, for the update. 

This upgrade seems to have messed up with default layout.   To choose permanently what skin you prefer, go in "My Account" under "Edit Preferences" and skin is at the bottom there.

Welcome to MTT!  We are always happy to see an influx of new authors - after all - we were all new once ourselves.

One of the things I enjoy most about fanfic is eagerly anticipating the next chapter of a work in progress.  It's a great way for a new author to gain a following. 

However, in my years as an archive admin I can confidently say I have learned that quantity is not always quality.  It most certainly can be but more often than not - an author pulling his/herself in too many directions causes the overall work to suffer. 

Focusing on one story at a time helps to showcase your best work.

I completely understand that it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of posting a new fic.  As I said - I was there once myself.  But it is not only better for you as an author (in terms of getting feedback) - it is sort of unwritten protocol not to flood the archive by posting multiple fics at the same time.

It's important to remember that everyone is looking for their chance in the spotlight.  New authors AND those who have been at it awhile all thrive on feedback and exposure to the members of the archive.  It's important to give everyone a fair chance.

Just some food for thought.