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.

--xoxoxo on November 08, 2009 06:30 am 0 Comments

I've added three new classification tags that were suggested by the archive moderators: Pregnancy/Babies, Kids/Family, and Drama.  You can now use those to label your stories.


--Morning Angel on October 09, 2009 08:51 pm 1 Comments

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.

--xoxoxo on September 17, 2009 08:20 am 2 Comments

School's starting here this week, and so I'm just gonna mention this challenge. And pray I can survive this first week.

Those School Days (Shannon) -
We already know Pam was an art nerd and Roy was the football star. Jim played basketball and was "sooo dorky!" but is there more that we don't know? Did Jim have a "Pam" before Pam? How did the jock end up with the art freak? And why in the world is Michael the way that he is?

--EmilyHalpert on August 09, 2009 03:19 pm 0 Comments

It's been brought to my attention by some archive admins that many authors forget to label their stories properly lately, not tagging for characters, type of stories,... Labelling is important since it allows to make stories searchable or allow readers to find stories about topics or characters they enjoy.  At the moment, it is generating additional work for our lovely administrators having to fix this and email reminders to authors.  We would sincerely appreciate if MTT members could be careful about this.  

If you are not sure how to label your stories, please feel free to ask on the message boards or send a message to a MTT administrator or archivist of your choice.   

Thank you!

--Morning Angel on July 29, 2009 05:56 pm 0 Comments

Summer is in full swing now, and its sweltering outside. I praise the gods of AC this time of year.

Anyways, onto the challenges. Both challenges are prompts - a list of word, and use as many of the words as you can.
Simple right?

Word I (sharky) -
Table. Pineapple. Force. Court. Lost. Rescue. Sky. Entourage. Giant. Vote. Night. Party. Light. End

Word II (PamPongChamp) -
Running. Song. Death. Leaving. Reunion. Sports. Musical. What if. Wish. First Date. Let me tell you a story. Late. Friends. Something more. Dying to know. Secret. Lie to me. Why. Distration. Knight. Perfect. Shy. Smile. Promise. Brilliant. Shine. Moonlight. Homework. Color. Books. Time. Do I know you. Beach. Sunshine.

And as a reminder, if you have challenge ideas, you can submit them in the challenges thread on the forum, or email them to us at morethanthat1@gmail.com. Thanks!

--EmilyHalpert on June 21, 2009 01:55 pm 0 Comments

Steam (samsmom) -
I could be something as simple as steam from a green teapot or an overheated radiator...or it could be exactly what you are thinking.

A Day At The Beach -
Anything involving the beach - could be Lake Scranton, or the ocean or even Jim taking Pam to see the Pacific for the first time.

And as a reminder, if you have challenge ideas, you can submit them in the challenges thread on the forum, or email them to us at morethanthat1@gmail.com. Thanks!

--EmilyHalpert on May 31, 2009 05:20 pm 0 Comments

For some reason ;) I think this challenge may become popular again soon...

Pam's Pregnancy

Plus, here are a bunch of other challenges that can be related to the past two episodes - at least vaguely. Come on, I'm begging you to write here.

2036
Bubble Bath
Daddy Jim
DIY Jim
DM Tennis Tournament
Empty Nest
First Time For Everything
Pam's Mom
Dancing
Dancing Pam
Going To The Chapel


--EmilyHalpert on May 16, 2009 06:32 am 0 Comments

He Was Mine (Strider) -
Write a strory based upon the following quotation: He was mine first. Any characters, any time period.

Hands Down (yanana) -
I've been listening to "Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional a lot lately, and there's a part of the song that reminds me so much of Jim and Pam. I'd love to see a story based around it.

Lover Mourns (AngryHaiku)-
There's a Yeats poem that Karen/Jim/Pam always makes me think of; I'd love to see what the giant brains around here make of it:
The Lover Mourns For The Loss of Love:
Pale brows, still hands and dim hair,
I had a beautiful friend
And dreamed that the old despair
Would end in love in the end:
She looked in my heart one day
And saw your image was there;
She has gone weeping away.

And as a reminder, if you have challenge ideas, you can submit them in the challenges thread on the forum, or email them to us at morethanthat1@gmail.com. Thanks!


--EmilyHalpert on April 21, 2009 06:04 pm 0 Comments

Kind of a random collection of challenges today.

Andy Before Stamford (lisahoo) -
This isn't totally Jim/Pam-centric, but how about how some of the things in S1 or S2 might have happened differently if Andy were around?  I'm thinking "Booze Cruise"/"The Secret", but also Christmas & Valentine's Day. Either with or without the relationship with Angela.  Whatever works for you.

Bubble Bath (Sally_Halpert) -
I’d love to read a Jim and Pam bubble bath fic. Make of that what you want, it doesn’t have to be smutty - it could be cute. Hell it doesn’t even have to be Jim AND Pam, it could be Jim giving their baby their first bath or Jim running Pam a bubble bath after a crappy day… see, I’m not fussy.

Murder Mystery -
There has been a murder in the office. It's up to you to decide who is expendable and what chaos will ensue.

Empty Nest (Jenn) -
We've all read our share of babyfic's. Write a story about Jim and Pam's son/daughter's leaving for college and/or their experiences while there, as well as how Mom and Dad are doing back home.

And as a reminder, if you have challenge ideas, you can submit them in the challenges thread on the forum, or email them to us at morethanthat1@gmail.com. Thanks!

--EmilyHalpert on March 22, 2009 06:06 pm 0 Comments

It totally snowed last night. It was a-maz-ing /Kelly.

Anyways, here are some challenges that take place either in the past or future. Something to get us through these last few days before the next episode.

Star Crossed Lovers (rdhp12) -
The children of Dwangela and Jam meet and fall in love. Could Jim really stand it if his little girl married Dwight K. Schrute the 4th? Could Angela live with bridemaids wearing green dresses at the wedding? Pure chaos ensues in the houses of Schrute and Halpert.

2036 (sicokitty) -
It's 2036, and our intrepid duo are nearing retirement age (give or take five years). Where are they thirty years in the future? Where have they been? Did they get together? Or, are they reflecting on loves lost?

Prior Meeting (McGigi) -
Two employees met before landing their job at Dunder-Mifflin, but they don't remember ever crossing paths.


And as a reminder, if you have challenge ideas, you can submit them in the challenges thread on the forum, or email them to us at morethanthat1@gmail.com. Thanks!

--EmilyHalpert on March 02, 2009 07:15 am 0 Comments

I wanted some challenges about Jim and Pam's relationship, and how their parents' are involved. So, here they are:

Pam's Mom (Emily) -
Any stories with Pam's mom? Especially after Stress Relief?

Meet The Parents (iciebloo) -
The first time Jim met Pam's parents, or vise versa.

Excuse Me, Mr. Beesly? (Eers02) -
Jim asking Pam's dad (or mom and dad together) for Pam's hand in marriage. I think it was mentioned in a few of the post-WL stories, but I want to read about the event itself. You know Jim is the romantic type of guy who would do such a thing. Did he pop the question to her folks on the sly when Pam was around, or while she was away at Pratt? Via phone call or visit in person? How would they react after their daughter's first never-ending engagement?

Remember, Pam's folks supposedly live a few hours away from Scranton, so it would be extra effort for Jim to drive all the way to wherever-it-is to ask.


And as a reminder, if you have challenge ideas, you can submit them in the challenges thread on the forum, or email them to us at morethanthat1@gmail.com. Thanks!

--EmilyHalpert on February 07, 2009 05:41 am 0 Comments