Random Fanfic Poll and Comments post

[icedteainthebag]

I'm incredibly interested in the state of the fandom/fanfic environment right now, so I devised this poll. My primary fandom is BSG, but you may answer these questions for your primary fandom

Comments

[longlivelaura]

It's so weird that you've put up this poll today, as only yesterday I was attempting to analyze my lack of interest in fandom-y stuff. I'm still not sure what the cause is for my personal apathy - I was never really that active to begin with, but these last several months I've just been all "Eh." Not only am I not writing, I'm not inspired to write anything (which sucks for me 'cuz I haven't given any thought to the bsg_kink Kink Off, and it's due, like, in two weeks?)

I will still read new stuff that I think might be interesting, but I'm not desperate for fic and I don't log onto LJ or SI with any regularity.

Now this isn't saying much since I've always been a background kinda gal and don't chat or meet up with other LJ users and myself haven't contributed much to fandom.

So, yeah. lol.

[somadanne]

I just want you to know that I've noticed you haven't been around and I've missed you and your stories very much.

I'm thrilled to know that you're going to write something for the bsg_kink Kink Off!

[aka_plynn]

Big fat ditto.

[tjonesy]

Joins the puppy pile.

Me too!

[cartography]

I love these kinds of posts, so fascinating!

Also, FANFIC FOR NANO '10 HELL YEAH.

[icedteainthebag]

They are!!

And you go with your nano self!! :D

[zinke]

As you know, I am all about analyzing fandom and fanfic trends so I am all sorts of excited about this post

[icedteainthebag]

I'm going to sound like a spoiled bitch here (admittedly! so!) but I've noticed a decline in feedback too when I write and it is disheartening. I know everybody can judge their feedback based on the level that they expect or have experienced, but when I began writing I probably got three times more feedback on those stories than I got on one of the last stories I wrote. It does matter.

Writers - even those who "write for themselves" - want to know what they create is being appreciated.

You're right. Anyone who says they write and don't give a damn about feedback is lying. It'd be the same if you published a book and nobody bought it. A bit of that joy would be taken away.

Lots of people read and don't comment. (LJ stats are so interesting!) We found a lot of good reasons for that last year... that sometimes people comment and get intimidated by the author's response or they don't comment because they're afraid they're not saying enough or what they're saying is wrong. That probably hasn't changed.

[theastolat]

I've noticed a decline in feedback too when I write and it is disheartening

Do you want a lot of people to leave comments like, "OMFGS I loved it!! JHDFIUSDHCH!!"

Or would you rather get feedback several paragraphs long from me.

You write me some femslash involving two or more of the following characters and I'll show you some frakking feedback:

Kara, Laura, Ellen, Helena, Seelix, Racetrack, Jean

If you have written any fics that meet my perfectly reasonable criteria, and I did not leave feedback, I may have missed it over the past year, so kindly direct me to them.

Yours faithfully,

Asto

[icedteainthebag]

Dear Asto,

You know I love your several paragraphs long feedback. That is, in fact, what made us become such quick and easy friends.

However, I'll tell you my frakking problem with your suggestion: I can't write good fic about pairings or characters that I don't feel passionate about. I just can't do it. I could write generic porn and drop names into it and that would be that. But I don't think that's what anybody wants. If it is, I could definitely write you a "Kara looked at Seelix, licking up the inside of her thigh and digging her fingernails into the curves of her hips" fic that would be emotionally devoid but at least it would be hot.

That's my problem... I have no problem against femslash but I'm just not feeling the characters. :(

Oh woe,
A

[medland]

I tend to go through phases with fic. It's linked a lot to my watching habits. I'll get in the mood to watch one of my shows and then go and read a bunch of fic related to that show until I forget about it again for a while.

[icedteainthebag]

I think I do that too. Sometimes I'm in the mood to read and sometimes I'm not. But I've never been a huge reader. Mostly, lately, I am not reading at all.

[medland]

My reading of books is in phases too. Basically my entire life is in phases of one kind of another lol.

[medland]

I should also add that I think I am generally more apathetic about everythingfandom as a whole over the past year which then means that my fic reading goes down.