At the risk of being wankish

[ducks_in_a_row]

WIPs. I don't get it. Why are there so many of them? Is it a fandom-generational (old timers vs newbies) thing? Is it fandom (as in one fandom does, one doesn't) thing? Is it even possibly a lj thing vs a yahoo group/archive thing? I really want to understand because it's messing with my fic reading enjoyment. I don't read WIPs which means that in

Comments

[ducks_in_a_row]

I once posted a choose your own adventure style story with a poll at the end of each part for the readers to pick my direction

IMO, that's almost a type of fic all its own, and I can understand that it could be lot of fun. It's almost like a writing exercise, which has its own rewards.

...anything that messed with my VISION would destroy what I was trying to do.

Exactly! Call me pretentious but if I'm putting my time and effort and creativity into a story, I want it to be MINE, ALL MINE.

For me, a part is at least a thousand words--what might stand as a fic on its own, though a short one--and each part is complete in and of itself

That's exactly what I want. I don't know if I'd be more inclined to read WIPS in which each 'chapter' was more fully developed, but I do know I have no interest in being fed scraps.

[shutterbug_12]

I reread my earlier parts often, so that I can bring up earlier themes over again. I do that a lot, too, for the reasons you mention.

WIPs work as a motivational thing for me, too. Deadlines do the same thing in general. (My brain still boggles that it's normal for participants to back out of Big Bang challenges. I have a hard time backing out of any challenge. *glares at the RarePair challenge* I marked the damn deadline on my calender, made daily plans. That deadline was serious business, yo.)

[evila_elf]

I don't really do many WIPs...Hell, I've not been doing much of anything lately lol.
But I have done a few WIPs.

Advantages:
Get to find out of it is crap or not before you spend ages writing it.
More time to think on later parts.
Readers sometimes give you good ideas
Comments on every. single. part, begging you to write more.

Disadvantages:
Get bored with it and leave readers hanging.
Pressure to give readers more
Lower quality due to speed writing.

[ducks_in_a_row]

I can understand how some early fb might help decide if a story's worth pursuing...except that I have this tendency to suspect that for everyone who says it's crap, there's someone else who thinks it's good. Which is why I also don't like listening to the fb that says 'write more.' Again, I tend to think that for everyone who wants more, there's someone else wishing I'd shut up and go away.

Basically I tend to talk myself in circles no matter what so the less outside influence, the better LOL

[ducks_in_a_row]

People who post WiPs with no plan?

Oh, yeah, that's a serious pet peeve right there. And maybe that's part of my problem with WIPs--I'm never quite sure which authors have a plan and which don't.

And ITA that knowing when to stop is hugely important. Several years ago in another fandom, someone asked (on a fic posting list) if readers often asked for a story to be continued. My response was that no matter how much I might want to know more of the story, I never ever ask a writer for more. I feel like the fact that I was so taken by the story means the writer found the perfect point to stop and changing that might ruin it.

[lt_kitty]

I like longer stories that are posted in parts, and "WIPs" that are an AU paralleling the episodes* (like Intervals), but I get annoyed with the WIPs that seem to have no clear vision and no end in sight. I don't like TV shows that don't seem to have a vision for at least its next season, and I definitely have no patience for fic that's like that.

There's a WIP in one of my current fandoms that's now a 30+ chapter smutfic, with more on the way. I don't get it, as there's no other plot - just smut, which to me always seems to work better in shorter, standalone fics if that's the main point of the story.

ETA : I'm currently reading only one AU WIP - an AU of S2 TW - because I don't have the time to energy to follow any more than that. I mostly just wait for short fics that show up in my flist anymore.

[ducks_in_a_row]

I can live with finished stories that are posted in parts (altho being a truly greedy person I still prefer to have it all at once) but I need to know it's *finished* or I won't even start reading. Like some of the other commentors here, I've been burned more than once and I just don't trust a WIP.

30 chapters of smut? I love smut but I can't quite conceive a smut-wip. A smut- whip otoh....

And I'm not sure how I'd label "Intervals" but it wasn't exactly a WIP. It's sort of a hybrid--it was as much a series of one-shots as it was installments in a larger single story.

[lt_kitty]

I often wait for stories to be halfway done, or at least have a final number of chapters (3/7 instead of 3/?), or only start multichapters if I'm familiar with the author. Less likely to get burned or stranded.

Although, actually, I'm at a point in most of my fandoms where I'm reading mostly a few authors I like rather than the fandom or pairing fic comms, because even in the most interesting, compelling, and mature pairings there are whiny shippy fic writers that write sappy OOT fics that bore my socks and pants back on.

A smut- whip otoh....
Smut with whips is often a good thing. *g*

It's sort of a hybrid--it was as much a series of one-shots as it was installments in a larger single story.The "WIP" I'm reading is pretty much like that. Mostly a series of stories that are AU from S2 of TW, with a few porny vignettes taking place between episodes, but it has ontinuous character development that is very different from both TW and DW, and is now up to something like 48 chapters

[shutterbug_12]

Okay, I'll bite. This is a good discussion.

With the exception of the Big Bang story, I've posted all my multi-chapter stories as WIPs. However, I'm really reluctant to call it that, because the story is always very, very developed before I even set pen to paper. Erm, fingers to keyboard. I can't say they are fully developed, because there are always small, tiny bits from previous chapters that I will tie into future ones. For the most part, though, I don't start writing multi-chapter fics until I have 1.) a very detailed outline, going through each section, what is accomplished in each one, how it connects to future ones, issues with themes, images, symbols, etc. and 2.) rough drafts--sometimes very rough--of each section. I stick to these very much. That is, while I love the amount of feedback that a WIP usually provides and God knows I appreciate the support, reader feedback has never really influenced what I do with future chapters, because I have a very clear idea of what will happen, how it will happen, and when it

[ducks_in_a_row]

...the story is always very, very developed before I even set pen to paper

Unfortunately, I think you're among the minority. I could be wrong but I get the impression that many WIP writers have only a general idea of where the story is going, which may be why so many WIPs go off on tangents or never get finished.

Also, I have a masochistic tendency to put pressure on myself, and posting stories as a WIP helps me feel motivated. Deadlines help with this as well...

And right there is a big reason I don't want to write a WIP-- me and deadlines do not get along LOL I do occasionally sign up for short, one-shot challenges like the rarepair-athon. They do give me a little jump-start, especially when I'm in a writing slump, but normally I don't do well with pressure.

[nialla42]

I do think there's a bit of fandom generationalism at work for some. Younger folk tend to want instant gratification, so posting a WIP (even an unbetaed one ::shudder::) can give them an instant rush. The rush is intensified if they get comments, especially those asking for the next part.

Some might also write something as a WIP to get their mojo flowing. If they haven't written in a while, perhaps forcing themselves to write something and just get even one more piece posted is an excercise they need to get going again.

I don't mind those who post longer fics in pieces over a period of time, though I still won't read it until it's done. I've been burned too many times with an interesting idea and a promise it would be finished. If it's an author I know (and expect they'll eventually finish it), I might read the first part to get an idea what it's about, but I'll usually wait until it's done to read the whole thing.

[ducks_in_a_row]

I might read the first part to get an idea what it's about, but I'll usually wait until it's done to read the whole thing

I used to try and do that but I gave up after waiting for some WIPs that seemed to never end. And even some that did, I found that some authors didn't always link the parts so I'd end up trawling thru their lj trying to find the parts...and that's just too damn much work.