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Mindless rambling...
Just taking a little break from my rewrites, and I was thinking about Forest, and I looked over at the ten stories I have over at ff.net. So strange. Forest is one of my personal favorites, along with the Randy set, but that doesn't seem to be the case over there. The hands down favorite is Neverness. Forest comes in at number 8; Changeling is dead last (and by a *huge* margin), and Mon Bell Ami is 6th. Covenant, thank goodness, has been coming in 2nd for some time now; I'm almost having a competition in my head between that and Neverness :D
It's just odd, I guess. Thinking about what my favorites are, versus what readers (at least on ff.net) seem to prefer. And why they prefer the ones they do.
Makes one have a little more sympathy for publishers. ;-)
It's just odd, I guess. Thinking about what my favorites are, versus what readers (at least on ff.net) seem to prefer. And why they prefer the ones they do.
Makes one have a little more sympathy for publishers. ;-)
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This is probably going to sound very pompous, but I don't think, really, that good stories necessarily get read more than bad ones; it's more that there are more readers who want cheesy crap with their particular favorite "element" rather than a well-written story that doesn't have it. Like you said, JFM - the gratiutous torture, injury, "exposure" ;-) I don't want to pick on slash again, but it is a great example of that. WARNING - WILD GENERALIZATION: People don't care if the story is sloppily written or has no plot or the guys are OC - they just want the sloppy affection and graphic sex.
I think, over time, readers find their favorite authors, and authors gain their own base. If you continue to work at putting out an overall well-written story, your fan base will remain, and gradually grow. But I think too many writers do worry about being "commercial". I was reading an article the other day, and it stated, quite unequivocally, that the vast majority of "professional" writers cannot live solely on their earnings from writing. Unless you're a Rowlings or Kellerman, you'd best keep your day job ;-) So if even good, professional writers can't make a living at it, why should we worry *that much* about pleasing the readers? If we can give a few readers the "classics", should we worry about the (possible) majority of readers who are looking for "comic books"?
There - I said it would sound pompous. :D
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That's a good point. I'm not keen on romantic fics, and like a bit of hurt/comfort. So if faced with a really well written romance and a not so well written hurt/comfort story, which would I read? Or read first at least! :D
It might depend on what kind of badly written it was. Bad characterisation and I wouldn't bother with it (it's Face I wanna see suffering, not what's effectively someone else played by the same actor. Well, unless it's Starbuck.) But if it's just some bad spelling and grammar I might get past it.
So if even good, professional writers can't make a living at it, why should we worry *that much* about pleasing the readers?
That's at least one fun thing about doing fanfic, or indeed original that you just post up online, you can write whatever you like! If you were writing for an actual show and turned in a script where the male leads suddenly discover they fancy the pants off each other, you'd be out on your ear. If nobody is paying you, you can do what you like and write anything. (Actually pulling it off and making it work is another thing!)
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Ah, the double-edged sword of the internet. We can write what we want, good or bad - but the haters of fanfic in general will always pull the bad stuff out as examples of why we're not "legit" :p
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But thats TAT. I know from reading other fandoms that we're lucky. There's a lot of shit out there. That sounds rude, and I don't mean for a second to imply that my own work is brilliant, not for a second. Just that, as an avid reader, I can distinguish between whats good and what isn't. A lot of it is writers with some particular fixation, be it gay sex, torture, whatever, which they then hang a very thin plot onto. Torture, particularly in reference to the POW camp, seems to be a favourite with readers and writers. Somehow people have it in their head that if you put the characters in this horrible situation, well, that's it. What more story do you need? That's what is so wonderful about Reunion. It's not a torture fic. If that had been written by a typical fanficer, Murdock would have been a weeping wreck by the end of the third chapter. As it is, he is strong enough to get through horrible humiliations, and to help Hannibal face up to his own suffering.
My point (I think I have one... ) is that in a fandom where the quality is below par, readers will except what they're offered. And for the most part they will enjoy it. We're all a little spoilt too because we're used to reading fics on the ATSB, a place which by it's very nature inspires people to improve their work and strive to be better writers. Fanfiction.net doesn't share that culture, it's all about throwing it all out there.
I think I lost the plot with that rambling nonsense after the second sentence. Ignore me, I'm talking rubbish again. :)
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Newer fandoms are still in that "Oh, wow, new stories!" period - readers are just happy to have stories out there. Eventually, if the fandom survives at all, it will also evolve more and better stories. I think they have to, because if they don't, after a while, people will get tired of the same-old, same-old, and go elsewhere. Or start writing themselves, striving for the quality they're looking for.
*Now* who's rambling? LOL
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I don't think I read enough fanfic to really comment. Mostly I read what's put on the ATSB, or as much as I can with time allows. (I always worry I'm choosing favourites, and I wanted to try and read everyone's on there..but it's not always possible) and JFM's...just because she had her own site, the writing and stories are great and she writes pretty much the kind of stories I like to read. But I've found a new website I need to work through ;o) (Finished Forest Primeval last night...will email you!) ...which is good, coz I've pretty much read all of JFM's work now lol!
I have read enough to know that there is some crap out there... even to the point I've thought, blimey, even I can write better than this. And I by no means think my writing is that good ;o) and constantly worry that my plots are weak!
I do tune out a bit on Slash.
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