What do you look for in a fic?

[kingofwildthings]

I consider smut fic and any other kind of fic two entirely different things.

I'll basically read any kind of smut as long as the mechanics of the acts make sense, the characterization is somewhat intact, and the spelling/grammar checks out. (Also secret g!p kink. Oops.)

For non-smut, it really depends on my mood. I generally prefer epic novel size fic. Solid characterization is must UNLESS the plot is phenomenal. And dialogue. Very important.

I'm a sucker for well written FTL AU's. And Daniel-as-Emma's-reincarnation fic. (hides)

Abstract, prosey, ultra romantic, stream of consciousness writing has been known to send me into feely spirals.

[J.]

Dec 10, 2012 17:08:21 GMT -6 fictorium said:

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.
(...)
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.

I think I skipped over this post last time for some reason! It's really nice to get some "behind-the-scenes" commentary from writers and the way you think while writing fic

No, I don't think size matters in defining which fic is most memorable to me, but I do think that I get more invested in the long ones. I guess it's just because if you're sticking with something that takes that much time to read, it's probably because it's good. Otherwise I'll just stop reading halfway through. When it's a short one, I might push through to the end even if I don't like it that much.

[beatthe0dds]

What do I look for in a fic?

let's start first with what captures the attention.

With so many fics out there, titles and summaries are the first ones to capture my attention. I think one of the reasons I have skipped on quite a lot is because of terrible summaries. My point is, you have invested all this time writing your fic, I'm sure you want it read, you need to invest enough time on getting that summary catchy enough for your reader. One can wing a fly by summary, I think, if the author has already developed a fanbase/readership that knows whatever that author has penned will really just be good. Which is rare.

Second, grammar/sentence construction. This tends to be subjective for me. It does suck sometimes when a good story is stringed with terrible spelling, or grammar. It helps to have a disclaimer, but learn from your mistakes. It helps if the reader messages the writer privately, esp if the writer doesn't have a beta. Now, why is it subjective? One can have the most impeccable SVA but if the plot is just predictable, or interaction between characters is just too plain and well, in a word, boring, well, i need not say that the entire story just becomes an utter failure. i have read works that need help in sentence construction and grammar but I was able to move past it, simply because the story is fresh, original, characterization is spot on, dialogue is entertaining.. you get my drift.

I'm not going to go further into the technicals because I have seen that most people have already covered it.

Right now, I think there has been too many PWP and the lack of slow build and UST stories are just glaring. Don't get me wrong. I like smut like any other person, but sometimes, it can just be too much, you know? It will be great to read on something with a slow build between the two.

And really, nothing overly sweet. It's not just them. Not now, not ever.

And with the angst side, like with any good pain, make it hurt just enough but know when to draw the blade away and keep it away for a time. we are after all designed to reach a certain level of numbness.

bottomline. too much - bad. too little - bad. increments - you're in the right track. give us a taste, make us want it just enough than when you draw back, we will be left with wanting 'MORE'.

[Deleted]

I've read the postswith interest, both as areader and a writer. I wish I could add to what has been said regarding the technical, but I can't. It matters for the simple reason that if I can't figure out what you're trying to say, the story is only going to frustrate not relax, whichis what I want from my leisure reading.

The more original the plot idea the better. This doesn't mean it can't be a common prompt but I gravitate to and stick with stories a nd authors who find the psych-illuminating turn .

[swanqueen4reel]

hmm.. good question.. let's hope this is a good answer..

i love long fics because the build up is slower, characterization is (most commonly) spot on and writers tend to pay more attention to grammar and spelling.. not always, but this is a generalization.. i mean, writers who spend a lot of time writing a long fic don't want readers to call it quits before getting to the end of the story.. so maybe they pay more attention to detail?? i rarely forget the contents of longer fics, while shorter fics don't have that effect on me.. (another reason why i prefer long fics).. unless the writer starts a new universe with interlinked one shots.. i love those a lot too.. but i guess that's because they all form a longer story together??

now, before everyone starts crying wolf (and i don't mean in the ruby kind of way).. i didn't state or imply that writers of short stories don't pay attention to characterization and grammar or spelling.. most of them do and quite a few of them are members of this board.. i do wish to say that i have read a lot of short(er) stories where either the grammar and spelling were atrocious, or where the characters don't have any resemblance to our sq pair.. those writers i try to avoid if they have multiple fics posted..

when it comes to plot.. strangely enough that isn't very important to me.. i love for an author to surprise me by being unpredictable.. but even when i know where the author is going after the first alinea and the story is well written, i will keep reading.. just for the joy of reading a well written story with good grammar and spelling, excellent characterization and awesome dialogue..

i don't have a genre preference.. i will read any genre that is out there.. i love angsty, fluffy, humoristic, romantic, hurt/comfort, smutty stories.. but if there is humor in a story, it always gets an extra point from me.. and when a writer makes me feel things while reading, it makes the story precious to me..

i haven't read any g!p stories yet.. (at least not in this fandom).. nor any where sq has broken up because one of them has a new love interest.. i never read the ones with love triangles either.. those three have the lesser appeal to me..

i generally prefer a story to take place in sb (i just love our madam mayor), but i will read ftl and au stories with the same gusto..

[awomanontheverge]

Dec 11, 2012 3:29:26 GMT -6 beatthe0dds said:

With so many fics out there, titles and summaries are the first ones to capture my attention. I think one of the reasons I have skipped on quite a lot is because of terrible summaries. My point is, you have invested all this time writing your fic, I'm sure you want it read, you need to invest enough time on getting that summary catchy enough for your reader. One can wing a fly by summary, I think, if the author has already developed a fanbase/readership that knows whatever that author has penned will really just be good. Which is rare.

SO much this for me. There are a few authors where I see they've written a new fic and BAM, I'm there, I'm gonna read it regardless of what the summary says it is about.

But the majority of the time, I'm basing whether I am going to read off of the summary. For me, I usually prefer summaries to have a small sneak peek of the writing. Even before I have sat down and begun to get knee deep in the story, I have a quick glimpse of the writer's style, tone, use of words, etc. Simply having, "Regina has a bad day. Emma tries to cheer her up" just doesn't appeal to me. There needs to be something unique that just says KELSEY READ THIS.

</endmytwocents>

[fictorium]

Oh man, I love this fandom.

Kelsey, that's a really great point about summaries - I am terrible at them and sometimes forget altogether in the OMG-finally-finished rush to edit and post.

Really interested to read thoughts I agree with about technical vs content - although I am spelling and grammar snob, I find I won't care that much how correctly you use a semi-colon if it just rambles on and doesn't really tell any kind of story. I'll wade through interesting spelling attempts for a genuinely original idea, you know?

Oh, here's a thing - I write in American English for American shows - it means I never have Emma or Regina saying 'bloody hell' or 'arse', even though the FTL scenes sometimes go for that 'ye olde english' feel that fantasy so often gets wrong. Does that jar anyone else out of a fic? Like, if Emma suddenly calls someone 'mate' does your brain just do that record scratch noise? I know mine does.

One piece of advice I was given (and give out in turn) is to never rewrite something unless you're adding something new. That's why I'm not a big fan of fics that are actually a scene we've already seen, and I get kind of impatient when big chunks of show dialogue are recycled, just to 'tell' us what the characters are thinking in between - the actors have already told us, you know?

[Exquisiteliltart]

I'm amazed that some of the top swan queen fic authors are not native English speakers. Sometimes English is their third language and they write 'more good' than I do!

Swan queen knows no bounds!

Non American slang only throws me when I don't understand the reference. Or if Regina and Emma are suddenly talking like Patsy and Edina- yeah that's jarring because I want to 'hear' the character voices as I read. I find Emma easier to write because I write her more how I speak and think, but with Regina I meditate on certain bits of dialogue and ask 'would she say it like this?' 'Is this Regina's thought process or is it mine?' She's difficult to write well.

I agree, too much recycled canon puts me off. I think I've read too many stories where Emma is just coming to Storybrooke and it mirrors the show far too much...we already 'know' that story, no need to repeat, tell me a new story.

I sometimes write long introductions to stories, but then delete it or play with the structure to get straight to the action. I want to read a page turner, you know? I think it was Bradbury who reccommended that approach. 'Kill the filler' is often on my markups during editing.

Some people love long winded author notes, but again I usually delete mine and go with the PJ Harvey song writer approach: she will no longer speak on what her songs are about because 1) if you have to explain it then your story is not standing on its own. 2) everyone brings their own personal filter, interpretation, and perspective when reading a fic. I love reviews where people have pointed out connections in my stories that I definitely wasn't thinking of while writing. In short, I wouldn't want to compromise or force a reader's view on a story by telling them my specific view before they read it.

Sent from my EVO using proboards

[phoenix521]

A huge thanks to fictorium for posting this! Wow, so much has been said already and I've taken away a lot, both as a reader and as a writer.

Speaking as a reader, I also stop if there's some sort of slang that isn't American just because I don't understand it. I have had to use google to figure out what was being said :-) About the only thing that turns me away is character death. That tends to be a little too angst for me. However, I will read just about anything so long as there's not a huge amount of spelling/grammar issues.

As for multiple and non-SQ pairings, I will read most anything with Regina/Evil Queen. That is, if I am in the mood because, quite honestly, those stories are usually smut. I will say that I do enjoy a fair amount of smut during the week. ;-) *ahem* Such as, fictorium's.

Now, coming from a writer's POV, this topic is simply amazing. I struggle with the summary. As someone already said, by the time you finally finish writing it you run to post it and then you sometimes have a doh! moment. Or, I just don't know what to put as a summary. Hell, I sometimes struggle with the title alone.

And while I do enjoy reading smut, and would love to write it well, I have been stuck on a story because I didn't know how to convey it correctly. I suppose "correctly" is subjective but I want it to be read and liked and enjoyed by the reader.

A quick side note, I also have a hard time with writing anything over 2000 words. Though, that is an aspiration for me.

[fangirlinit]

I have really enjoyed what readers and writers have to say on this topic. So many good points have been made already so I will put forth some fresh recommendations.

I'm sure I am not alone in admitting that my brain cannot take on several in-progress fics at the same time. If I invest myself in four different fics over a period of weeks and months my mind would just explode. Usually this is because they are not original enough and I cannot tell them apart after a while. Events and dialogue will seem to blend together and one day I will be asking myself, "Did that particular scene happen in this fic or that fic?" So in remedying this I would encourage your long fics to start out original and continue to evolve in new ways that would set your story apart from others. Make me remember your story and what happened so that by the next update I won't have to reread the previous chapter in refreshing my memory. Personally, epic cliffhangers always have me coming back for more and labeling chapters with titles helps me distinguish between updates. Also, not having huge gaps/hiatuses between updates is a plus (it happens though and I understand that writers need to take a breather every once and a while). And do some reading. Check out new fics and old fics. Know what has been written and, more importantly, what hasn't been written.

Secondly, as much as I adore reading about Emma and Regina I find that including secondary characters gives great depth to a fic and reminds the reader that there is a world around your primary characters. The occasional scenes with Emma and Mary Margaret or Regina and Gold are a nice reprieve or intermission from extensive SQ angst and prevent a long fic from growing dull or repetitive. If you're only good at writing Emma and Regina that's okay. If Ruby isn't your cup of tea and you're not confident in getting her voice down then don't write her because a lot of readers are astute enough to notice your lack of comfort in understanding their mannerisms and dialogue quirks. Emma and Regina have very unique characteristics that all us SQ fans are familiar with: awkward Emma slouches and drags her feet while Regina has proper lexical stress and pronunciation. Put this same effort in understanding humor and habits with other characters. When you put as much care into secondary characters as you do for central ones it creates a layered world to your story and most importantly it is appreciated by your audience.

[J.]

I think the American vs British English is more of a characterization issue for me. It's not even that I won't understand what they are saying if they don't say it in American, but that I won't be able to "hear" the characters, like Exquisite said, so that'll put me off a bit.

Wow, you guys really put a lot of work into the writing process! No wonder you come up with such good quality stuff!

[wherethewhiled]

fictorium, i'm a lot on the same page as you are.

style is the biggest hook for me as a reader. certainly, plot and characterization are required in the foundation of the story, but i actually care less about the what, and more about the how. familiar situations are okay, if how you are telling me the story is intriguing.

for me, a lot of it lies in the rhythm of the words, a surprising turn of phrase, an unexpected thought, or a loaded visual. and regarding writers, i am most ridiculously attracted to those who can flip my world, can knock my heart out with a single, well-encapsulated and attentively revealing sentence.

mostly, i prefer minimalistic work. writing with white spaces, with silences, with suspended moments of simply observing, where as a reader i can fill and make links and wonder at. i like fics that make me curious. but also know when and how to build an elaborate, fanciful line bursting with images where there is room. it's about restraint, and it's about balance. there needs to be quiet and complexity.

funnily enough, i'm actually the opposite when it comes to length. i certainly have enjoyed long 30 chapter fics, however really do adore and mostly look out for smaller stories. i find the journey oftentimes more palpable, my experience of it more concentrated. i am more invested because they are more manageable with the time i have. and generally more memorable because the course of it is imprinted to a specific moment in my life; whereas through the vastness of a long fic, my feelings for it tend to turn vague.

broken-social-contract is a wonderful example; i still remember that late night reading the end of "the coward i am" .. and of course writers like fictorium, adventurepants, icicleair, and others.

but mostly, it's about moments for me. i like a window into a moment, a period, a time where i get to witness a character being affected. (or fucked )

and perfect isn't necessary; even if i'm tripping a little, if the storytelling is organic, i will follow the current where it takes me, and hang on for the bigger picture.

[marieyotz]

Oh, I just thought of something else! This is a totally personal one, and absolutely no reflection on these sorts of stories or people who enjoy reading them --

I won't read kid fic. Like, no babies, no long lost kids, nothing. I can barely tolerate Henry half the time! I have always really disliked kids in fiction - I'm okay with the kids who are around at the outset of a show, but I never look forward to new ones being introduced. This general curmudgeonly disdain has translated into my fic reading. So while I will read character-death fic all day long, when it comes to baby stories, I'm like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

What a grouch, right?! You should see my face when I'm merrily toodling through a story, and then some little waif pops up - I'm like "AHHHHH!!!!!" *close close close close*

[awomanontheverge]

Dec 12, 2012 6:34:03 GMT -6 marieyotz said:

Oh, I just thought of something else! This is a totally personal one, and absolutely no reflection on these sorts of stories or people who enjoy reading them --

I won't read kid fic. Like, no babies, no long lost kids, nothing. I can barely tolerate Henry half the time! I have always really disliked kids in fiction - I'm okay with the kids who are around at the outset of a show, but I never look forward to new ones being introduced. This general curmudgeonly disdain has translated into my fic reading. So while I will read character-death fic all day long, when it comes to baby stories, I'm like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

What a grouch, right?! You should see my face when I'm merrily toodling through a story, and then some little waif pops up - I'm like "AHHHHH!!!!!" *close close close close*

Haha this is great.

It's funny, because I'm the complete opposite. I am ridiculously obsessed with Regina's 'mommy' side and eat baby fics up. Pregnant!Regina is even better ;D

[J.]

Hm, never thought about that. I guess I'm in between the two extremes. I won't stop reading fic just because there's a baby, but I much prefer the ones where Regina and Emma don't have any more babies. I don't see either of them as the motherly type, or being pregnant, even though I love well-written interaction between the two of them and Henry. I like that Henry is older, and I don't take well to any other, new kids in SwanQueen stories. But that does vary a lot from one ship to another for me, so it's not about the kids but more about the characters.