What do you look for in a fic?

[fictorium]

I swear this isn't just market research on a day when I'm writing

But I got into an interesting conversation yesterday about what makes people excited about a story - elements they like but don't need, the essentials that they can't enjoy a story without, that sort of thing.

For example, I'm usually sucked in by the style first and foremost. I like economy of language, fancy flicks of prose, emotional impact that doesn't feel heavy handed... but I'm kind of easy when it comes to angst vs fluff, smut vs implied, etc.

So when your author alerts drop into your inbox, or beatthe0dds has a new post on your dash - what do you hope for? Does it vary depending on the author? Is it affected by what's been happening on the show (e.g. wanting fluff more when the show is particularly unkind to SQ?)

[marieyotz]

Length and characterization are big for me. The length thing is funny, since I myself struggle to write anything more than 2000 words.

The characterization -- eventually, it can just feel too far adrift from the characters I like.

I avoid super AUs.

GRAMMAR/SPELLING. It can have the greatest plot in the world, and if the quality of the writing isn't backing it, I won't be able to get through it!

[awomanontheverge]

Characterization, for me, is key. I find it really difficult to read fics where Regina is extremely cuddly and fluffy with Emma, because that just doesn't seem to be within the canon characterization of Regina. Yes, these are fics and we are taking liberties just by writing them, but if it's too far off the character spectrum, I just can't get into it. There's nothing wrong with showing moments of vulnerability with our girls, but I just don't see them being flufftastic with one another (yes, that's a word )

Also, I agree with the super AU thing. I really do enjoy AU stories, but it has to make SENSE to have our girls in that setting. Simply plopping a woman named Regina and another named Emma into a different setting and not tying it back to how their characters actually are (this goes back to the characterization thing) will really turn me off from a particular AU.

[killerelephants]

^ Ditto on characterisation.

I like reading something new, too, so I'm actually all for AUs. Sometimes (ahem, Season Two, I'm lookin' at you), I prefer AUs to canon. Take Dreamscape, for example; I'd much rather this be canon than what Once is. (But I'm looking at this through Lana/Swan Queen-tinted goggles, so...)

I also really like a fic that either makes me think, or where I can pick out certain techniques a writer has used. First one that comes to mind with this is Scribes' Christmas Fic Message Received. The style, while limiting in some areas (but not really, because it also breaks out of it towards the end), allowed for a subtle exploration of the time it took for each message to be received, which said a lot more than if it would have just been written like 'two hours after first hearing the message...' By that little technique alone, I was able to pick out certain instances when it'd take Regina/Emma longer than usual to respond to the message, which said (without actually saying anything) an incredible amount on their state of mind at the time/how they received the news/what type of mood they're in, and even allowed me to add my own little bits to it, such as what they would have done in that time they took to brood (or whatever) before the replied.

I'm also a sucker for a big, complex, confusing plot. Again, using Dreamscape as an example here. BofEricaland has added a lot of new things to it - her own creature (which I remember but don't remember the name of, eek), fleshed-out characters, locations - which completely make up the story-world. I love that. ><

And, just in general, I love those moments in fics where I can feel my heart speed up, or my throat close up, my heart in my mouth, etc, however it has been achieved. Gotta love connecting with a piece of writing like that.

[marieyotz]

To clarify, I do like AUs where it's still sort of tied into the show - like Somewhere, Someone Must Know the Ending. Or stories where it was Emma and Regina who landed in FTL.

It's the ones where Regina is a pilot and Emma is a flight attendant, and their plane gets abducted by aliens where I'm like... Ummm, too far afield for me! Although that actually sounds like an awesome story. Maybe I'll write it

[lysachan]

Dec 10, 2012 10:27:35 GMT -6 marieyotz said:

Length and characterization are big for me. The length thing is funny, since I myself struggle to write anything more than 2000 words.

The characterization -- eventually, it can just feel too far adrift from the characters I like.

I avoid super AUs.

GRAMMAR/SPELLING. It can have the greatest plot in the world, and if the quality of the writing isn't backing it, I won't be able to get through it!

I couldn't agree more on what you said. I've read so much fic over the years that, somehow, my preferences have shifted and I usually don't bother with shorter fics anymore (unless someone recs one). So the longer the better.

The characterisation is really important, because if the characters are totally OOC, it's really difficult to ge into the story. The writer should at least provide a reason for the OOC-ness, explain it through the fic.

And yes, grammar/spelling is a huge deal for me as well. I don't care how brilliant the plot is, if the story is laden with obvious spelling and grammar errors, I can't read it.

The only thing I slightly disagree on is the matter of AUs. I've always enjoyed AUs of all kind (every ship should have a Wild West AU for example), and in some cases, I actually prefer them over entirely canon-based fics. But that's probably because my first real fandom was Bad Girls and 99% of the fics in that fandom were AUs; I got used to them.

[killerelephants]

Dec 10, 2012 12:14:21 GMT -6 marieyotz said:

It's the ones where Regina is a pilot and Emma is a flight attendant, and their plane gets abducted by aliens...

Ahah, see, it's these ones that I love the most, actually. I love throwing characters into different situations - and reading that, if the characterisation is spot on, then it doesn't feel like that much of an AU for me.

(I will be looking out for this fic being written now... )

[J.]

Hmm, great question... I'm not sure I can pinpoint what exactly gets me to love a fic, but I can name a few deal breakers. The biggest ones are grammar mistakes or repetition of words, characters that are too different from what they originally were on the show (so yeah, cuddly or sweet Regina and Emma are a definite no for me), and predictable or boring plots. Of course I want them to be together and live happily ever after, because I ship them so hard, but the story needs to have interesting elements, and realistic obstacles with believable solutions. That's what makes it interesting for me, so I guess I really don't mind (and actually prefer) a little / a lot of angst

I'm more flexible with the AU thing. With SQ specifically I actually prefer Emma and Regina in Storybrooke rather than FTL, so if a fic takes place completely in FTL, I'll think twice before starting it. But I could grow to love it all the same

The other side of that, which is AUs that ignore magic completely, can go either VERY right or VERY wrong for me. It might be like "somewhere, someone must know the ending", which is my favorite SQ fic to date, closely followed by Fragments of a Life Less Lived; but I think Regina's character is so tied up with everything that happened to her in FTL and being the queen and having to hide that in SB, that if other explanations are not provided for why she is the way she is, it turns into bad characterization, which is a deal breaker for me.

So far I haven't read any AU fics where Regina and Emma are something completely different, but I wouldn't rule it out based on that exclusively (any recs?). In terms of fic in general, I'm pretty used to AU because my first fandom ever was Xena and there are some AU stories from that time that I still read today, like "Madam President" or "The Bluest Eyes in Texas" or the Exposure Series. Good times *sigh*

The last thing is that I wanna know that the author plans on completing the fic, or sometimes, that it already is complete. I know sometimes life gets in the way, and people are obviously writing these novel-sized things in their own free time, but it's so sad when good fic goes unfinished So I try not to read it if I don't think it's gonna get finished.

[fictorium]

Wow, these are such interesting responses, particularly from a writing POV. I certainly need to spank some order into my 'in progress' folder because I haaaaate leaving fics unfinished and making people wait. It does happen every so often, alas.

I think the trick to a strong AU is the ability to write a good parallel structure. If you remove magic/the backstory then you have to replace it with one that makes the characters still make sense. That's why in excellent ones like maleficently's 'someone, somewhere' the characters are true to how we understand them (Regina's repression, Emma's instinct to run, Cora's twistedness) but they have a new explanation that still leads to people turning out that way.

It's interesting to hear what lots of you said about length, too. I'm a short story writer by 'day', as it were, so I tend to write a lot of self-contained one-shots. The epics take a lot more time and commitment, but I do have those planned out over the next few months. Do you all think a story is more memorable when there's lots of it? i.e. we get more invested? I think that sometimes but then I consider 'Carried in a Swarm of Bees' or anything by broken-social-contract or adventurepants and those are the ones I can quote and will go back to reading and re-reading.

[giftofamber]

Characterization, grammar/spelling, no men (or G!P-which I just learned the meaning of. Ick), and a happy ending are my primary concerns when I read a fic. I tend to LOVE the AU fics, especially Enchanted, Heart's Lonely Shelter, Mirrors, All We Seem etc.

[shawngf]

Sounding like a broken record here, but it's all about character for me. Regina has to be wounded and prickly. Even in love Regina has to be feisty and a bit of a pain in the ass. Emma has a bit more room- she can show a slight romantic streak but she has to also be stubborn and brave. And these traits need to remain even after the relationship begins.

I prefer longer stories but will read shorter pieces by good writers. Some writers are so talented that 15 words from them can feel like a novel.

I have a love for darker epics. My favorite of the AU type are the AUs that start with the curse breaking and go spastic afterwards, sometimes leading to a really dark world. The writer who did "someone somewhere must know the ending" has a WIP that explores SB gone mad because of magic and it's beyond fantastic. Tales that can show SQ standing together against the worst of days and odds will always win my heart.

And finally, while I enjoy a good PWP as well as anyone, the ones who really get it are the ones who can merge a great story /plot with an epic romance and fantastic in character love scenes(even in the bedroom these two should always be battling).

[gi021]

I love Fanfiction, and I'll like almost anything that you throw at me. I really like AU`s, and not just the ones that diverge from cannon. The ones that put the characters in completely different places and time are my favorites.
What makes me ditch a fic: Spelling and grammar will do that to me only if is too much and will make me stop at every paragraph to try and decipher the thing, that makes me crazy, same thing when I have to stop and re-read parts of the fic for more than 3 times because it's not clear what's happening, I'll probably stop reading. The fic has to be awesome for this to happen and I still read it.
Characterization will only throw me off when there's no explanation for them to act like that, for example; following cannon till the middle of the first season, Regina and Emma start a relationship and they say 'I love you' every time they look at each other. Now if they are in an AU and they know each other for years or are married for a long time I'll accept they doing that.
I don't deal well with character death, so if ther's a warning about that I most certainly won't read it. Love triangle too is something that I cringe every time I read so it's a no go for me.

[J.]

Good point, I don't (usually) do major character death, unless it's short and really good, and then I read something fluffy and happy over it

And I don't reeeeally enjoy fic where they have sex with people other than each other, but I'm fine with mentions to previous relationships. I think it adds layers to the characters

[gi021]

Dec 10, 2012 19:27:03 GMT -6 J. said:

And I don't reeeeally enjoy fic where they have sex with people other than each other, but I'm fine with mentions to previous relationships. I think it adds layers to the characters

I don't care much if it's from a previously relationship or something casual, but if it is at the same time that Emma and Regina are together or one of them needs to chose between them and someone else, it’s really annoying for me.

[agramontes]

Its awesome to read what everybody likes and doesn't like here!

I only read SwanQueen fic. Most of it seems really great. I have never published anything I've written yet but I read a lot. I'm taking my first stab at SwanQueen fic now and its really fun writing for me but I feel like such an amateur. It will be a while, after much editing, before I let anyone see it. But that's just me. I am awed by writers who post fics that they haven't even finished all the chapters to yet. I admire their confidence.

I am really open to reading any kind of story. I prefer the ones set in Storybrooke to strickly FTL ones, unless it makes sense how they got there. It also depends on the time of day, the mood I'm in and what happens in the show. I love the smutty and really smutty, kinky fics especially when they mix in some humor and the characterizations of Emma and Regina are really solid and believable. I've read a lot of fics where Regina is dominant sexually and that makes sense, but it also makes sense for her to be the exact opposite in bed from how she is outside. Recently I've read a few where Regina is dominating a younger Emma, which I didn't know I would like, but they appealed to my inner horny monster. And Emma doming Regina. For me, a lighter smutty fic can be somewhat sloppier than a heavy BDSM fic. The latter benefits from very clear characterizations, so you can understand the underlying psychology of whats going on...otherwise its just not hot. The recent G!P fics I didn't think I would like. I read a few, some I liked some I didn't. IMO its not clear if they are still 'Lesbian' fics all the time, because sometimes the phallus becomes the star of the show and I read it more like 'what's happening to my body, I enjoy having a pen1s.' They can be really masturbat0ry and not about Emma/Regina so much. Thats ok, but its not my cup of tea.
I also like the not-M rated fics, especially if there is good plot development and other characters and its really fleshed out.
If the text is hard to follow, its a real put off. Or if there are copious typos, it can get really distracting. Thats my two cents.
Thanks for posting this thread Fictorium.