Fic Curiousity

[thescarletwoman]

There have been a lot of posts going around lately about the prevalence het vs slash in fandom and entitlement and I've found all the discussions to be very interesting. It's made me start thinking though... how many of us simply write (or read for that matter) only ONE kind of fic; be it the long chaptered fic or the PWP... or stay away from het

Comments

[tarie]

I am not really a fan of WIPs. My first fanfic experience in the HP fandom was a WIP that is pretty famous in its ship, but I was so angry at the way the author warped characters and morals and even angrier that I'd wasted so much time reading something that turned out to be not to my liking at all. Ever since then, I RARELY read WIPs/novel lenght things. If it looks interesting, I wait until the author has finished it to read it AND I decide whether or not I actually ought to read it based on what people I know have to say about it. I just don't want to get burned again, because my time to read IS limited, and I would much rather read a one-shot and be done with it than get invested in a WIP only to have something happen that makes me want to tear out my hair and regret spending so much time reading it.

However, there are a few WIPs that I have read prior to completion because I know/trust the author.

[thescarletwoman]

I'm not a fan of them either. Usually it's a time thing for me (in regards to the novel length ones) but for WIPs, I'm usally afraid that the author will just stop half way in the middle of the fic and that's the end of it. If I want something long to read and the WIP looks good, I do what you do: wait until the end to read it. If it still looks good when they've finished, I'll sit down to read.

The bad thing with a... well... bad WIP is that if it starts out bad, you keep reading in the vain hope that it'll get better. Sometimes it does, but usually, it doesn't.

*nods* I too would read the WIP if I knew/trusted the author. Because then you know they'll a, finish it and b, won't do anything wretched to the characters.

[millieweasley]

I'm the same way. It's so annoying to read a fic you like and then just realise that oops there is not next chapter comming...I seriously don't understand why Authors don't take their stories off if that is the case.

What surprises me though is that while almost everyone I know say the same thing, the one long story I wrote had a lot more new readers when it was a WIP. On some sites that is explainable, you only see the fic when it's updating. But on other's that doesn't use that system I don't understand why at all. I have this one posted on a sight that put completed fiction in a category of it's own, and people just don't go there to read it. Why is beyond me.

[thescarletwoman]

*nods* It is... I'm guilty of it (as I have a very old WIP that I swear I'm going to go back to and revise if my muses will ever cooperate). I think they don't because they a, think they'll go back to them or b, forget about them.

That is really interesting actually. Especially if completed fiction has a category all its own in the one case. You'd think people would flock there just like everywhere else. Perhaps it's maybe a time issue and they want the shorter things rather than taking the time to read something longer?

[thescarletwoman]

I'm the same way. I won't read them unless I REALLY trust the author and usually that keeps me from reading WIPs...

[tentaino_konton]

Am a slash queen. No pun intended. LOL

[thescarletwoman]

*snorts* Can I still be amused at the pun though?

[dark_branwen]

Bah, I forgot to click threesomes for reading, but I've only written the one. :P Anyway, yeah.

[thescarletwoman]

I WILL get you to write more. I swear.

[dark_branwen]

Why torture the public?

[thescarletwoman]

*SMIRK* I'll get it out of you.

[brightest_blue]

I'll just about read anything, although I'm a bit less interested in femmeslash. I like reading WIPs and and I'm writing one that will most likely take the rest of my life. I'm writing it mostly for me, because I have about five dedicated readers, and it seems that I'm the only writer in the fandom (Memphis Belle)

[thescarletwoman]

I used to shy away from a LOT of things but now I'm finding myself in the "I'll try anything once" category. Of slash though, I too find myself less interested in femmeslash, though I have read a couple decent ones.

WIPs for me... they scare me because I'm always afraid I'll fall in love with the fic and then be upset if the author abandons it. And there's nothing wrong with writing in small fandoms. :)