Don't Let The Days Go By

Mar 04, 2011 12:32

Okay, so random question...Do you guys feel like this format is necessary any time any type of fic is posted?

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Summary:Like, does that little format help alert you that fic is being posted when you're scrolling by your f-list? I always feel like it's false advertising if I'm just posting a drabble (as I am about to ( Read more... )

tv discussion, tv: spartacus, writing discussion, fic: spartacus, fanfiction

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Comments 36

fromiftowhen March 4 2011, 17:46:54 UTC
I like to see that format anytime there's ANY kind of story posted, regardless of its length, as it makes me realize there IS a story, if I'm just skimming.

And I'd even say that, personally, 800 words is long to me, to be considered a drabble. So, definitely not 4000 words. To me, a drabble is anywhere in the 100-500 word range, probably.

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leobrat March 4 2011, 17:52:16 UTC
Gotcha....yeah, I'm going to have to start doing that with my drabbles. Not to sound like a whiner, I posted a couple of drabbles a little while ago and people who I was sure would comment didn't so I didn't know if it was just...lost in the shuffle. (Gosh, I'm such a whiner.)

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fromiftowhen March 4 2011, 17:54:38 UTC
I don't think that's whining! It's normal to want to hear what people think of something you put effort into (especially if they usually comment, and then just... don't!) But yeah, I think fic headers definitely help... or even a subject title like, "hey, there's fic here!" or something.

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leobrat March 4 2011, 17:56:34 UTC
Haha, and I just feel like I'm being all HEY EVERYONE COME READ MY FIC AND LOVE UP ON ME.

I just was looking through old entries on one of my friend's journals and found that she wrote me fic 2 years ago and I never even saw! I felt terrible!

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torigates March 4 2011, 17:58:16 UTC
I like to see that kind of formatting because it lets me know what fandom/pairing/length so I know what I'm getting into. For me, a drabble would be generally less than 500 words but anything under 1000 would be okay by me.

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leobrat March 4 2011, 18:08:39 UTC
Yeah, it seems I've been doing myself and my f-list a disservice by 'playing it down' so to speak...will start using that format going forward...

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zaftig_darling March 4 2011, 18:43:00 UTC
I think the format is useful, as you said, as an alert that fic is being posted, and a quick way to determine if the fic would be interesting to me.

I would define a drabble as less than 500 words.

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leobrat March 4 2011, 22:55:44 UTC
That seems to be the general consensus...

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coffeecommunity March 4 2011, 18:55:23 UTC
I tend to think of a drabble as being around 500 words as well. Maybe a little more would be alright, but the absolute limit I think would be 1000 words. At that point, it's not a drabble, it's a fic. I do like to see those headings when any type of fic is posted, just because sometimes in a hurry I'll gloss over it if it's not. I'm probably not making sense anymore, but anyway...

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leobrat March 4 2011, 22:56:37 UTC
You're making perfect sense, honey, and seem to be in the same boat as everyone else :)

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irishmizzy March 4 2011, 19:14:31 UTC
Like everyone else said, I like the format because it lets me know what I'm getting into. Also because it differentiates from the format of a normal post, so when I'm scrolling past my flist it doesn't look the same as like, someone's ranting about their day or TV round-ups or whatever. (My biggest pet peeve is when people don't put length in a header. I LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I NEED TO SET ASIDE, GUYS.) And for me, drabbles are 500 words or less, but I could understand people saying anything under 1000 is a drabble. No longer than that, though.

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leobrat March 4 2011, 22:58:29 UTC
Agreed, I think Word Count is a very integral part of the header, especially if, like, you've only got 15 minutes to spare or something.

Hey random question and total non-sequitor, but do you know anything about Miley and Billy Ray? Or am confusing you with someone else?

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irishmizzy March 4 2011, 23:22:13 UTC
Hee, you're probably not confusing me with someone else, but I don't know much about what's going on with them these days outside of that gem of an article in GQ (it was GQ right?) where Billy Ray was talking about how Miley's voice made a blind kid see and he wished he'd been a parent instead of a friend. I haven't been following Disney kids much lately.

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leobrat March 4 2011, 23:25:03 UTC
Yeah, at the grocery store, I saw at least three different rags that had some variation on the headline: MILEY CUTS BILLY RAY OFF. Just curious. Kind of the extent that I got into that fandom was beta-ing fic.

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