DD Suggestion Guidelines Revamped

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Nichrysalis's avatar
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Revamped Christmas 2012

Why should I suggest literature to you?



Oh for any number of reasons, the most logical of them being that I (and all of us Lit ^CV's) cannot be everywhere on the site at any given time. There is literature going gravely unnoticed right now that deserves attention and you may be the only one aware of that writer and their work. You should suggest literature because it helps represent the literature community as a whole. It helps us understand what is impacting writers and what is capturing readers' interest when we receive suggestions-- of similar topics, genres, or forms. It helps keep our view of the community in perspective so we are able to make reasonable decisions regarding DD choices.


That Being Said...



I've been a Literature ^CV for a little while now and I'd like to clear up a few things surrounding lit DD suggestions as well as revisit my guidelines below. Starting January 1st, 2013, any suggestions not following these rules will not be considered until the problem is remedied (I will ask you to fix what is wrong). These guidelines are here to keep things organized so that nothing slips through the cracks, and are not here to restrict. When suggesting I ask that you:


Send only one suggestion per note.

I've had several notes with three or more suggestions. This makes it very hard for me to stay organized with my suggestions, and I've dealt with it enough over the past few weeks, as I have lost track of several promising suggestions that were coupled with others that were lacking.


Be aware that DD's can only be awarded to members once every 6 month period, not 3 months.

This is a common mistake, but a very easily preventable predicament to avoid. To determine if the user has had a DD within the last 6 months, add /dds to their deviantART profile url, like so:

username.deviantart.com/dds


Know that pieces for contests that have not yet finalized cannot be DD’d.

I've received a few suggestions that have still been part of ongoing contests, and while they may or may not be DD material, I've had to reject them outright upon finding out they are part of a contest.


Do not send me suggestions 'on behalf of a group.'

I will not put the suggester down as a group because, for one, it will always be an individual effort to suggest a DD, whether it is a collective front of individuals or one single deviant. I am also doing this to discourage groups from 'offering' DD suggestions for participating in events, features, or contests. There's no guarantee of consistent and varying quality through any one group and it will always be up to you as an individual to suggest work to be featured, but DD's are and will remain an individual experience.


Do not send me suggestions from your features, contests, or events.

This is more a request than a rule (feel free to make exceptions sparingly) and is similar to what I have described above, but it is the most common problem I have faced when receiving DD suggestions. If you host events and then suggest work from that event I am much less likely to feature it because of a variety of different reasons, the most common being that it just isn't stellar material; it was something that had the appearance of stellar work because of what it was accompanied with: a prompt, a contest, or a feature. A literature DD has to be tougher than any other DD out there and must be able to stand on its own in the footer; it must create its own context for those who will view it, as it will not be in the controlled environment of a journal feature or a contest or prompt.


Be aware that I may or may not select a different piece by the same writer and still list you as the suggester.

In the case of the above, or if an older work is suggested to me, I generally look for more profound and recent material from the person suggested. Depending on how much contrast there is between the switched pieces, I may note you back so you as the suggester are aware of the change.



Here are four things to ask yourself when you come across a piece of literature you'd like to suggest:

What am I reading? What is the idea behind it, the focus, the protagonist, the protagonist's goals, what is the writing describing?
What does it read like? Does it read like a tabloid article, a sci-fi epic, or a nostalgic letter?
How is the author having me read this? When and where is this set, how is it formatted, how is the pacing?
Does all of the above complement each other?


Send Me...



  • Originality - Whether it be unique thoughts, concepts, imagery, or characters.
  • Poetry - This is what I prefer, practice, and know best, but I will read everything you send my way!
  • Quality - Where the writer shows a firm grasp over what they are doing technically and emotionally.
  • Writing with Merit - A piece of literature can stand on its own with the help of a sound message.
  • Lastly, every piece of writing should resonate on an emotional level with somebody. Send me something I will want to keep reading!
  • Other Notes

    Self-suggestions are more than welcome. A little enthusiasm (optional) when suggesting will go a long way. If you have any questions please ask away! Your friendly neighborhood armadillo, Nichrysalis


© 2012 - 2024 Nichrysalis
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LadyBrookeCelebwen's avatar
Question - does the emotional connection mean that things in the non-fiction academic section and such cannot be suggested for DDs? I would think that being academic would mean that a great emotional level of connection in something like that would be strange...not that I really have something in mind to suggest, it just popped into mind as I was reading this.

(And I'll admit, I'm coming at these from an entirely different level. I can barely stand poetry, and don't write or read much of it...I much prefer novels, short stories, and nonfiction. So I'm probably not going to be sending much your way, I'm afraid.)