Football (Real Football ™ Not Eggball) Fic Suggestion Box

A place where readers and writers can talk about fic and the process of reading/writing beyond specific ships or teams; a chaotic neutral zone for people to fling their thoughts and angsts about writing that will hopefully be curated in a meaningful way for all parties.

[footyficsuggestionbox]

Anyone interested in taking over?

Hi all, if anyone is still following! I’ve been pretty bad about keeping this active, and thought I’d put feelers out to see if anyone may be interested in taking over. This was meant to bridge the gaps between readers and writers, start conversations about the writing process specifically within the footie fandom. While it’s been fun hearing from writers and readers, starting conversations, etc, I’ve fallen out of that world for a while now. If anyone is interested in keeping this alive, just send me a message and I’ll figure it out from there!

[fozmeadows]

on fanfic & emotional continuity

Writing and reading fanfic is a masterclass in characterisation. 

Consider: in order to successfully write two different “versions” of the same character - let alone ten, or fifty, or a hundred - you have to make an informed judgement about their core personality traits, distinguishing between the results of nature and nurture, and decide how best to replicate those conditions in a new narrative context. The character you produce has to be recognisably congruent with the canonical version, yet distinct enough to fit within a different - perhaps wildly so - story. And you physically can’t accomplish this if the character in question is poorly understood, or viewed as a stereotype, or one-dimensional. Yes, you can still produce the fic, but chances are, if your interest in or knowledge of the character(s) is that shallow, you’re not going to bother in the first place. 

Because ficwriters care about nuance, and they especially care about continuity - not just literal continuity, in the sense of corroborating established facts, but the far more important (and yet more frequently neglected) emotional continuity. Too often in film and TV canons in particular, emotional continuity is mistakenly viewed as a synonym for static characterisation, and therefore held anathema: if the character(s) don’t change, then where’s the story? But emotional continuity isn’t anti-change; it’s pro-context. It means showing how the character gets from Point A to Point B as an actual journey, not just dumping them in a new location and yelling Because Reasons! while moving on to the next development. Emotional continuity requires a close reading, not just of the letter of the canon, but its spirit - the beats between the dialogue; the implications never overtly stated, but which must logically occur off-screen. As such, emotional continuity is often the first casualty of canonical forward momentum: when each new TV season demands the creation of a new challenge for the protagonists, regardless of where and how we left them last, then dealing with the consequences of what’s already happened is automatically put on the backburner.

Fanfic does not do this. 

Fanfic embraces the gaps in the narrative, the gracenotes in characterisation that the original story glosses, forgets or simply doesn’t find time for. That’s not all it does, of course, but in the context of learning how to write characters, it’s vital, because it teaches ficwriters - and fic readers - the difference between rich and cardboard characters. A rich character is one whose original incarnation is detailed enough that, in order to put them in fanfic, the writer has to consider which elements of their personality are integral to their existence, which clash irreparably with the new setting, and which can be modified to fit, to say nothing of how this adapted version works with other similarly adapted characters. A cardboard character, by contrast, boasts so few original or distinct attributes that the ficwriter has to invent them almost out of whole cloth. Note, please, that attributes are not necessarily synonymous with details in this context: we might know a character’s favourite song and their number of siblings, but if this information gives us no actual insight into them as a person, then it’s only window-dressing. By the same token, we might know very few concrete facts about a character, but still have an incredibly well-developed sense of their personhood on the basis of their actions. 

The fact that ficwriters en masse - or even the same ficwriter in different AUs - can produce multiple contradictory yet still fundamentally believable incarnations of the same person is a testament to their understanding of characterisation, emotional continuity and narrative. 

[earlgreytea68]

So I was reading this rumination on fanfic and I was thinking about something @involuntaryorange once talked to me about, about fanfic being its own genre, and something about this way of thinking really rocked my world? Because for a long time I have thought like a lawyer, and I have defined fanfiction as “fiction using characters that originated elsewhere,” or something like that. And now I feel like…fanfiction has nothing to do with using other people’s characters, it’s just a character-driven *genre* that is so character-driven that it can be more effective to use other people’s characters because then we can really get the impact of the storyteller’s message but I feel like it could also be not using other people’s characters, just a more character-driven story. Like, I feel like my original stuff–the novellas I have up on AO3, the draft I just finished–are probably really fanfiction, even though they’re original, because they’re hitting fanfic beats. And my frustration with getting original stuff published has been, all along, that I’m calling it a genre it really isn’t. 

And this is why many people who discover fic stop reading other stuff. Once you find the genre you prefer, you tend to read a lot in that genre. Some people love mysteries, some people love high-fantasy. Saying you love “fic” really means you love this character-driven genre. 

So when I hear people be dismissive of fic I used to think, Are they just not reading the good fic? Maybe I need to put the good fic in front of them? But I think it turns out that fanfiction is a genre that is so entirely character-focused that it actually feels weird and different, because most of our fiction is not that character-focused. 

It turns out, when I think about it, I am simply a character-based consumer of pop culture. I will read and watch almost anything but the stuff that’s going to stick with me is because I fall for a particular character. This is why once a show falters and disagrees with my view of the character, I can’t just, like, push past it, because the show *was* the character for me. 

Right now my big thing is the Juno Steel stories, and I know that they’re doing all this genre stuff and they have mysteries and there’s sci-fi and meanwhile I’m just like, “Okay, whatever, I don’t care about that, JUNO STEEL IS THE BEST AND I WANT TO JUST ROLL AROUND IN HIS SARCASTIC, HILARIOUS, EMOTIONALLY PINING HEAD.” That is the fanfiction-genre fan in me coming out. Someone looking for sci-fi might not care about that, but I’m the type of consumer (and I think most fic-people are) who will spend a week focusing on what one throwaway line might reveal about a character’s state of mind. That’s why so many fics *focus* on those one throwaway lines. That’s what we’re thinking about. 

And this is what makes coffee shop AUs so amazing. Like, you take some characters and you stick them in a coffee shop. That’s it. And yet I love every single one of them. Because the focus is entirely on the characters. There is no plot. The plot is they get coffee every day and fall in love. That’s the entire plot. And that’s the perfect fanfic plot. Fanfic plots are almost always like that. Almost always references to other things that clue you in to where the story is going. Think of “friends to lovers” or “enemies to lovers” or “fake relationship,” and you’re like, “Yes. I love those. Give me those,” and you know it’s going to be the same plot, but that’s okay, you’re not reading for the plot. It’s like that Tumblr post that goes around that’s like, “Me starting a fake relationship fic: Ooooh, do you think they’ll fall in love for real????” But you’re not reading for the suspense. Fic frees you up from having to spend effort thinking about the plot. Fic gives your brain space to focus entirely on the characters. And, especially in an age of plot-twist-heavy pop culture, that almost feels like a luxury. “Come in. Spend a little time in this character’s head. SPEND HOURS OF YOUR LIFE READING SO MANY STORIES ABOUT THIS CHARACTER’S HEAD. Until you know them like a friend. Until you know them so well that you miss them when you’re not hanging out with them.” 

When that is your story, when the characters become like your friends, it makes sense that you’re freed from plot. It’s like how many people don’t really have a “plot” to hanging out with their friends. There’s this huge obsession with plot, but lives don’t have plots. Lives just happen. We try to shape them into plots later, but that’s just this organizational fiction we’re imposing. Plot doesn’t have to be the raison d’etre of all story-telling, and fic reminds us of that. 

Idk, this was a lot of random rambling but I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. 

[nianeyna]

“fanfiction has nothing to do with using other people’s characters, it’s just a character-driven *genre* that is so character-driven that it can be more effective to use other people’s characters”

yes!!!! I feel like I knew this on some level but I’ve never explicitly thought about it that way. this feels right, yep. Mainstream fiction often seems very dry to me and I think this is why - it tends to skip right over stuff that would be a huge plot arc in a fanfic, if not an entire fanfic in itself. And I’m like, “hey, wait, go back to that. Why are you skipping that? Where’s the story?” But now I think maybe people who don’t like fanfiction are going like, “why is there an entire fanfic about something that could have happened offscreen? Is anything interesting ever going to happen here? Where’s the story?”

[earlgreytea68]

Yes! Exactly! This!!!

This crystallized for me when I taught my first class of fanfiction to non-fic-readers and they just kept being like, “But nothing happens. What’s the plot?” and I was so confused, like, “What are you talking about? They fall in love. That’s the plot.” But we were, I think, talking past each other. They kept waiting for some big moment to happen, but for me the point was that the little moments were the big moments. 

[meanderings0ul]

This is such an awesome conversation, but I think there’s even another layer here that makes ‘fic’ its own genre. And it is the plot.

Everyone who’s experienced in reading fic has their little ‘trope plots’ we are willing to read or even prefer in order to spend time with our favorite characters. We know how it’s gonna end and we genuinely don’t care, because the character is the whole point of why we’re reading. And that is unique. That’s just not how mainstream media publication does things.

But there are also hundreds of thousands of fics people might call ‘plot driven’ and they have wonderful, intricate plots that thrill their readers.

But they’re not at all ‘plot driven’ in the same way as other mainstream genres.

The thing about ‘plot’ in fic is that it tends to ebb and flow naturally. There’s not the same high speed, race to the finish you’d get from a good action movie. There’s no stop and start of side plots you get in TV genre shows. The best fic plot slides from big event to restful evening to frantic activity to shared meals and squabbles and back, and it gives equal time and attention and detail to each of these things.

Like @earlgreytea68 said, “There’s this huge obsession with plot, but lives don’t have plots. Lives just happen. We try to shape them into plots later, but that’s just this organizational fiction we’re imposing. Plot doesn’t have to be the raison d’etre of all story-telling, and fic reminds us of that.”

Fic plot moves at a pace similar to the life of whatever character it’s about. Not the other way around. There’s a fundamental difference in prioritization in fic.

I think this only adds to the case of ‘fic’ as its own, distinctive genre. Stylistic choices of writing that would never work in traditional, mainstream fiction novels work for novel-length fic. Fic adventures spend as much time fleshing out the little moments between romances and friendships as they do on that plot twist. The sleepy campground conversations are as important to the plot as the kidnapped princess, because that’s how the characters are going to grow together by the end of the story. It’s not a grace note, it’s not a side episode or an addition or a mention - it’s integral and equal.

That’s just accepted as fact by fic writers and readers. It’s expected without any particular mention. And it gives a very unique flavor and pace to fic that makes a lot of mainstream stories feel like stale, off-brand wonderbread. They are missing something regular fic readers take for granted (and it isn’t just the representational differences, because we all know that’s a whole different conversation). There’s a fundamental difference in how ‘fic’ is written, detailed, and paced that is built on its foundations as a ‘character driven’ genre.  

And it isn’t only action/adventure/mystery plots that have this difference in fic. Those ‘everybody’s human in today’s world’ AUs, those ‘friends to lovers’ slow burn stories have it too. They have a plot, but it’s the life - the grocery shopping, the dumb fights and sudden inescapable emotional blows, those moments of joy with that person you click with, managing work and family and seasons - that’s the whole plot on its own.

And that’s almost impossible to explain to someone who hasn’t really experienced fic as a genre, who’s used to traditional person A and person B work together/overcome differences/bond to accomplish X. In fic accomplishing X might be the beginning or the middle, not the end result of the story, and A & B continue to exist separate from X entirely. X is only relevant because of how it relates to A & B, not the other way around.

Fic is absolutely its own genre and it has a lot to do with plot. I’ve been calling this ‘organic plot’ in my head for months, because I knew something felt different about writing this way, how long fic plot ebbs and grows seemingly on its own sometimes. ‘Dual plot’ could be another option, maybe, though the character plot and life experience plots aren’t really separate. Inverted plot? Hm. I’m sure a good term will develop over time.

[earlgreytea68]

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS. 

I was always fond of saying, about my own fics, that my plots show up about two-thirds of the way through, because it takes me that long to figure out where I’m going, and then I would lol about it, because, ha, wouldn’t it be great if I organized it better. 

And now I read this and I’m like, WAIT. YES. THAT’S WHAT’S HAPPENING. IT’S BEEN HAPPENING ALL ALONG. I NEVER REALIZED IT. The idea that the primary importance is the throughline of the characters, and that’s what we’re following, and the plot is what’s dangling off the side of their story, that is SO IMPORTANT. You’re right, that usually we’re told as writers to construct stories from the plot outward. “Here are the beats your plot needs to hit, here’s the rising action to the climax to the falling action, now make sure your Character A makes this realization by Point X in order to get your plot into shape for Point Y to click in.” It’s *such* a plot-centric way to write and I am *terrible* at it. And I’ve always said, whenever I sit down to “outline” a story, like, How do you this? How do you know where the characters are going until they tell you where they’re going???

But it’s not that I’m “bad” at this, which is what I’ve always thought, it’s just that I’m coming at it from the opposite angle. I can’t plan the plot before the characters because I’m sticking close to the characters, and the traditional “plot” is secondary to whatever’s going to happen to them. And that’s not a wrong way of writing, it’s just a different way of writing. And it’s wrong of me to be thinking that my stories don’t get a “point” until they’re almost over. THEY’VE HAD THE POINT ALL ALONG. What happens when they’re almost over is that the characters come to where they’ve been going, and then the traditional “plot” is what helps shape the ending. The traditional “plot” becomes, to me, like that epilogue scene after the biggest explosion in an action movie, where you’re told the characters are going to be okay. I spend the entire movie telling you the characters are going to be okay, and then my epilogue scene is tacked on “oh, p.s., also they saved the day.” 

[isparednoexpense]

Why Are People Obsessed With Proving That Celebrities Are Secretly In Love?

From Robsten to Larry Stylinson, these conspiracy theories reveal not only how much we care about celebrities, but how desperately we want them to care about us.

[yvesdot]

I’m going to grab the next person I see doing this one and forcibly shake them by the collar, so listen up, writeblr.

Stop calling your WIP bad. Stop saying you’re bad at (introductions, summaries, etc). Stop putting your work down before the reader has even gotten to it.

I understand why people do it, absolutely, but it’s a terrible, unhelpful habit. As a reader, I want to know what your book is about! I want to read your intro! If you tell me it’s bad, well, what reason do I have to keep reading?

Please make an effort. I’ve read poor summaries, and I’ve read summaries that made me giggle, and I’ve read summaries that were a quote and a deep thought about life. All of the above were fine, and oftentimes they got me to keep reading anyway. You know what makes me stop reading? “I’m bad at summaries”… or worse, blank summaries. Yes, really.

If I don’t know what your work is about, how can I read it? If all I know is that you’re allegedly bad at writing, why would I bother? Please, please show some self-confidence, even if you have to fake it. You don’t know how much it’ll help.

[softguts]

You know what? You’re right. Thank you.

[viudanegraaa]

Why are people still up in arms about AO3 needing donations to run? Their budget is publicly available. You can go onto the website, right now, and read it. If you donate more than a certain amount (pretty sure it’s more than $10), you can vote in their elections, because you’re considered a member, and that’s how memberships work.

It’s a free site to use, but not to run or to maintain, especially not with all these net neutrality battles.

[viudanegraaa]

Here’s a list of the OTW’s projects.

Here’s its Terms of Service.

Y’all gotta understand that it’s not just fanworks, there’s a lot more that goes into archiving.

[gitwrecked]

Signal boosting this because it’s important af. OTW is a nonprofit organization, specifically a public charity as classified by the US tax code. That means they file a 990 tax report each year that lets you see all of their finances – what they’re spending money on, where their money comes from, etc. You can see their 2016 990 here if you’re so inclined.

And if you’re not sure about how OTW is using their donations? Ask questions. Get involved. Even if you’re not comfortable with or not in a position to donate, there are lots of opportunities to give your time; it’s an all-volunteer organization that recruits regularly. I know for a fact that I get more value out of what OTW provides than most, if not all, my other paid services combined, so $10 to be a member is more than worth it.

[propinquitous]

ao3 is routinely used as an example of an excellent digital archive in library and information schools - they’re not just a fansite; they’re held in high regard by people across the industry. they run initiatives to preserve old fansites and groups, in addition to the day to day work of hosting all of our work ad-free to ensure maximum creative freedom. ao3 is not just a place to post your fic; it catalogues and preserves our history and culture.

[alwaysunnyonmtv]

Looking at this makes me so tired.

[synclaires-deactivated20181208]

Every year, multiple times a year, they convince ppl to fork out thousands of dollars and….literally nothing changes. There’s no doubt in my mind they’re pocketing most of this money lol

[nutheadgee-deactivated20190314]

Yep

[bihet-dragonize]

That’s what’s so wild to me. They’ve made exactly 0 changes other than adding the ‘Exclude’ tags and that def doesn’t take 130k.

[emmagineif]

Actually you can see their budget right here, and, yeah, it cost about 100k. (For reference an entry-level, full time web developer makes about 40k a year, not including benefits). 

Here’s where they talk about all the changes they actually made. 

To understand why any of this matters, here’s what you have to understand: 

In computers, time is expensive. 

“Putting a strain on the Archive’s servers” basically means slowing down the website, which potentially means paying for and maintaining more servers, which is more expensive. 

And that’s just bookmarks. Because everything on ao3 is interconnected, any changes made to the tagging system could completely break the functionality of the entire website. This means if you didn’t notice any changes somebody did their job really well. Somebody tested that code extensively, pushed it to it’s limits, fixed all the problems, and then tested it all over again.

And that’s just the things they’ve actively made changes to; every year there’s more fics added, which means more data they’ve got to store and maintain. They’ve got to back everything up that when they lose data (not if), they’ve got a backup so you don’t lose the 500,000 word fic you spent 2 years working on and isn’t stored anywhere else. 

And that’s just what they’re storing. Every time you load a fic, every time you make a search, you’re communicating with a server, which can only send information out to so many computers at once. More and more people use ao3 each year, meaning they have to buy more servers (which cost money). 

Now, I’m not an expert. And I haven’t thoroughly looked through their budget to see if they actually have spent their money wisely, or if there are cheaper contracting services they could have used, but I’m pretty sure the people working there have a better idea of how much something costs than a random person looking at a number and saying “that looks like a lot.” 

Do you have to donate? No. Obviously not (although it is tax deductible). But I personally don’t consider paying somebody for a service they’ve provided to be them “pocketing my money,” especially when they’re a nonprofit, unlike, say, twitter, facebook, or… TUMBLR. 

Maybe it isn’t worth anything to you to keep ao3 up and running, and that’s fine! But I use their service every single day, and it’s worth something to me. 

[ziparumpazoo]

I keep hearing “servers are expensive”, but I don’t think anybody realizes how expensive, so I’m gonna break it down for the people who are actually curious.

*disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with AO3 or the OTW in any way. I don’t have an overview of what their hardware spend is like - these numbers are based on quotes you can find online for off-the-shelf hardware (dell.com), co-location (data center) calculators (https://www.expedient.com/cloud-build-vs-buy-calculator/ ), and my own experience from running infrastructure projects. This shopping list is strictly for the getting and taking care of your hardware and doesn’t include the cost of software licenses, backups, or internet access so people can actually get to your archive.

**yes, you can probably negotiate better prices, but these are all easily verifiable quotes.

So what do you need to set up your own archive?

1.Hardware - let’s say 2 web servers to handle the traffic, and 2 database/application servers to run the actual archive. Why two of each? Are we planning for a flood? Well, yes, we’re planning for redundancy. What happens one of your servers up and barfs all over? At the very least, you need to be able to do maintenance on your physical hardware and your applications without taking down your whole website. You also need a big-ass array of disks to store all your archive content so it can be quickly searched and retrieved.

2.Somewhere to put your hardware. Unless you’ve got a spare bedroom and unlimited power and ways to keep your equipment from overheating, you’re going to want to rent space in a data center (aka co-location). Now, there’s different levels of co-location packages based on guaranteed up-time, that is, levels of service interruption caused by anything outside of your own hardware such as power failures, floods, cooling faults, etc., and a common option for a web service that’s used by people all over the world, at all times of the day, and run by admins who don’t like waking up to their inboxes flooded with complaints because somebody couldn’t download the next chapter of that 10K slow-burn  would be a Tier 3 package (https://www.colocationamerica.com/data-center/tier-standards-overview.htm)

3.Hardware service contracts - Some sort of guarantee that if your hardware fails - a network card dies or some hard drives go belly-up, you are not left with a dead archive and a steaming pile of server hardware you can’t use.

So, assuming the industry standard of a 5-year lifespan for your hardware (you can use it longer, but you reach a point where the hardware becomes outdated and can’t handle the work you’re throwing at it, runs out of space, or runs out of support from the vendor, at which point it starts to cost you more to own), let’s break down the cost of ownership for a basic archive for 1 year (where hardware costs are broken down over their 5 year lifespan):

1 Storage array (4TB) approx. $45,000 - $9,000/year

2 Web servers @ approx. $9,500/each, or $19,000 total - $3,800/year

2 Database/application servers @ approx. 20,650/each, or $41,300 total - $8,260/year

Extended service contract on all hardware for 5 years (ie. your server throws a disk, a new one shows up the next day with a tech to replace it for you) approx. $4,500/server, or $22,500 total - $4,500/year

Data center co-location (includes power, cooling, network, battery backups/generator power, and no more than 1.6 hours of downtime per year)  - $117,609/year

Total for the hardware to run highly available fanfic archive for ONE YEAR? $143,169

Rest assured that if you are still able to click that AO3 link to a fic and land there, your fundraising dollars are getting spent where they claim they are.

[serardweek]

Please vote for your top seven themes for Serard Week 2k19. We'll announce the winning themes on 1st September.

It’s time, everyone! Please vote for your top seven themes for Serard Week 2k19. We’ll post the winners on our tumblr on 1st September. The themes are entirely optional, and we’ve tried to make them very broad so that they can be interpreted in many ways. We hope you’ll like them. Serard Week 2k19 will run from Friday 15th March - Thursday 21st March 2019. We can’t wait to see your fanworks. As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your mods @guessmysoul and @piquegerard if there’s anything we can help with, and huge thanks to everyone who keeps helping to make Serard remain so popular.

[wit-witch]

what men call “logic” is really just a lack of empathy

[sheholdsyoucaptivated]

and what they call “objectivity” is really just subjectivity lacking in self awareness

[paci-fisticuffs]

And what they call “common sense” is usually just a series of social biases that they’ve never bothered to analyze or question.

[wellhalesbells]

Fanfiction isn’t written for you, it’s shared with you.

[captainarwenpond221b-deactivate]

BLESS THIS POST

[theguineapig3]

As a fanfiction writer, it’s taken me a long time to come to this realization, and ever since I have, I’ve been so much happier with my views of my work and my self-esteem. The person my fanfiction is written for is ME. When other people enjoy it, that’s wonderful and it makes me happy, but I shouldn’t beat myself up if people don’t. It’s not for them. It’s for me.

[jennytrout]

YES! Every once in a while, I’ll be like, “Ugh, this is such wish fulfillment garbage for MYSELF, what worthless trash.” And then I’m like, “Wait, no, that’s why I’m writing it.” If other people don’t like it? meh.

[roachpatrol]

also a great reason not to hassle fic writers over not making content to your exact specifications. 

[drtanner]

Additionally, it can help a lot to remember that you don’t have to post everything you make. It’s a weird culture that the internet and social media have created where it feels like you have to share everything, which leads into the creeping worry that everything you make has to be Marketable™ enough to share, and the next thing you know, you’re quietly shoveling all of your good, fun stuff that you’d otherwise be making for yourself under the rug in favour of things that you think other people will like more.

Like, if you’re that worried that other people won’t like what you’re making, all you have to do is not post it. It’s literally that simple. Don’t avoid making things because you’re worried about what The Internet will think of them; just fucking go ahead and make them and then don’t post them. You’re allowed to not post things! You’re allowed to have ~secret works~ that are just for you!

Having things that you keep to yourself can and will help you learn to enjoy art and writing for its own sake again, if you’re finding that social media has made it difficult for you. A+ technique, can definitely recommend. ( b ._.)b

[prokopetz]

PSA for the writer types: if you’re feeling down because you posted a creative pitch and the first comment was all “this is just [insert existing media here]”, bear in mind that at least 90% of the time what you’re actually looking at is one or more of the following:

a. They’ve wildly misconstrued your pitch, the existing media they’re comparing it to, or both;

b. They’re seizing on a small or superficial similarity as a self-serving excuse to plug their favourite media on your post;

c. The cited points of similarity are ubiquitous to the genre, or nearly so, and thus of no especial interest as far as comparison goes; or

d. The existing media they’re citing is literally the only piece of media in its genre they’ve ever consumed, and they think everything in that genre is ripping it off it because they have no frame of reference.

Even leaving aside the fact that originality ain’t all that, most of the time the issue isn’t that you’re an unwitting plagiarist, it’s that the commenter is a dick, albeit perhaps unwittingly so.

[belovedyuuri]

August 21st is Fanfic Writer’s Appreciation Day  💕

Let’s be honest - we all forget to leave a comment sometimes. We don’t always go out of our way to click the “come talk to me on tumblr” link on AO3 to scream about the fic in the author’s inbox. On August 21st I encourage you to take a moment and show fanfic writers that you appreciate them!

How can you do it?

leave a comment and kudos on every fic you finish reading. Doesn’t matter how short. Doesn’t matter if you’re just repeating what other people have already said. Just be kind! Keysmashing, Caps Lock, and live commenting appreciated! (Bonus points if you leave a comment on every chapter)

ideas for what to put in a comment: one | two

floaty review box for ao3 (super useful for commenting as you read + it has a ‘review tips’ button if you feel stuck)

reblog ficlets, drabbles, fics, fic rec posts, etc. Put a nice comment in the tags. Remember that likes, while appreciated, don’t give the writer any exposure, meaning the posts don’t reach more people

go to your local fanfic writer’s inbox and talk to them about their fic of your choice. Let them know how long ago you’ve read it and what story point/sentence/scene still makes you smile when you think about it

send thank you messages to fic writers. In a world where you have to pay for almost everything, they’re supplying you with countless hours of free entertainment. It can get quite lonely without getting messages acknowledging the hours they spend writing stories - let them know their time and effort is appreciated

make fic rec posts and @ the authors whose fics you’re recommending! (believe me, fic writers love to see their stories in these posts)

create something inspired by a fic! You can draw fanart, make a moodboard or aesthetic post, or even write a song for the fic you love. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro doesn’t matter - the thought alone is what counts more than anything <3

buy the writer a coffee if they have a ko-fi page and you have some change lying around c: Caffeine keeps most fic writers awake when they struggle with a particularly slow draft or a difficult scene. More coffee, more content.

These are only some ideas out of the sea of possible ways to appreciate fanfic writers. On August 21st show the writers in your fandom(s) some love <3

[maaarine]

Talks at Google: Alice Walker

[onceuponalany]

So now we will have dramaTM no matter what:

- If Brazil wins: 1998 World Cup

- If Belgium wins: H*nry

[icybluepenguin]

How to praise writers and influence fics

I’ve seen a lot of posts recently reminding readers to leave feedback on fics, which is great!!  Writers deserve all the love they can get.  Likes, reblogs, comments, messages, these are the lifeblood of writers.  They are proof that people are reading, that they’re enjoying, and that they want more.  

But maybe readers don’t know what to say.  Maybe you’re new to Tumblr, new to reading fan fiction, shy, or just not sure how to say what you want to say.

Let me start by saying, no matter how popular the blog or how cool you think they are, everyone loves a compliment.  If you’re worried about sounding silly or bothering people, let me assure you- a message will make your writer do a happy dance (depending on the writer, they may actually get up and dance.  I have.)

Here’s the basic ways of communicating with writers on Tumblr:

Likes and kudos- these are great, they’re the high-fives in this world.  They’re the “hey, nice” nod. Reblogs- even better, because they mean exposure.  More people see the story and that makes us really happy.  A reblog with a comment is amazing, especially one that entices others to read.  These make a writer’s day. Comments and messages- these are the thing that keeps us going.  Most of us have anon turned on- and if we don’t, just let us know you want a private reply.  (And, if your writer has anon off, it probably means they’ve been getting hate and deserve extra love.) Recommendations- recs are like coming in to work to find someone baked your favorite cake and left it on your desk.  Recommendations make your writer feel so loved and valued!

So, that’s all good, but what do you actually SAY to writers?  It doesn’t have to be much or take a lot of time.

A simple “This is great/funny/hot!” is wonderful.  "Best fic I’ve read this week!“  "Funny as hell and cute too.”  "You have to read this, it’s awesome!“  "I can’t wait for more of this.”  "I hope you keep going!“  These are great in reblogs and in messages.

Even better is specific feedback.  We love specific feedback, because it tells us what readers liked and what they didn’t.  Want to influence our next fic?  Tell us what you liked about this one and I bet you it will keep showing up!  Specific feedback is just telling the writer what you liked.  It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, either.  (But if you write a lot, we will love you so much.)

Was there a character you liked?  Talk about them:  "I love how you wrote X” “Y was so funny!”  "OMG I wanted to STRANGLE Q!“  "You can really feel X’s frustration.”  "Y has so much depth, they’re a really well-rounded character.“  "R says so much with so few words, it’s amazing.”

What about a part or line you enjoyed?  "That bit in the park- LOVE IT.“  "I have never read a better description of a cup of tea.”  "The way you wrote about his fear, that was heartbreaking.“

Was there a part that made you feel something?  Happy, sad, angry?  "That last sentence killed me, he’s so broken.”  "I wanted to jump around when they finally kissed!“  "This chapter was so tense, my heart was pounding by the end.”

Did the characters or plot or setting remind you of your life?  "I live in Brussels, that’s just how that street looks.“  "When Y talked about R, I knew exactly how he felt.”  "You captured that lost, aimless feeling perfectly; I’ve so been there.“

Are there unanswered questions?  Mention how much you want the answers.  "I can’t wait to find out what’s in the basket!”  "That was a cliffhanger ending, wow.“  "How is she going to explain THAT?”  (some writers are touchy about  predicting, though, so stay away from “I bet he’ll throw that letter out.” or “X is clearly coming back.”)

A few closing notes: be enthusiastic if that’s your style, go crazy with exclamation marks, smileys, caps!  Tell a writer if you’re rereading their work- very little makes us happier than knowing our writing has the staying power for a second, third, sixth, tenth read.  Did a reread give you a new insight or feeling about the fic?  Tell us!  We will be so excited to hear.  And remember, recommendations are wonderful- putting up a random post tagging your favorite writers or fics you’re enjoying will show the writers that they’re writing is more than a flash in the opan and they’ll get some new readers too!

We can’t do this writing thing without you guys.  So thank you so much!  Without readers, we’re just talking to ourselves.  We love and appreciate you for reading- but we need to know you’re doing it.  We need feedback like we need air.  Don’t let your favorite writers suffocate! :)

[footyficsuggestionbox]

Question of the Week #21

#21. How will you challenge yourself as a writer this year?

As always, responses in the notes/reblogs/comments are appreciated for archival reasons, but if you prefer to respond via ask, please start with QOTW 21.

[cantatrice1]

I would like to write more short pieces, outside of exchanges.

[footyficsuggestionbox]

Question of the Week #21

#21. How will you challenge yourself as a writer this year?

As always, responses in the notes/reblogs/comments are appreciated for archival reasons, but if you prefer to respond via ask, please start with QOTW 21.

[footyficsuggestionbox]

Questions for the Year

A little different QOTW since it’s so close to the end of the year. This time, it’s a small survey for writers (and next week readers) to look back on this past year of ficcing.

1. Did you follow any new ships this year? What are they and how did you start following them?

2. Did you drop any ships? If so, why?

3A. If you wrote fic this year, what (from your works in 2017) is your favorite…

fic?

scene?

dialogue?

setting description?

opening/closing lines?

description/characterization of a side character

Feel free to respond to any/all of the above.

3B. If you did not write fic this year, what’s keeping you from doing so?

4. Do you have any WIPs or ideas you’ll carry into the next year? What are they?

5. If you participated in challenges or exchanges, which was your favorite and why? If you haven’t participated – why not, and are you interested in doing so in the future?

6. What comment or experience made you feel accomplished as a writer?

7. Wildcard – share anything you’d like about your writing and/or writing experience!

[thespacetofall]

@weareunited @ericdier-and-chill @itsadrizzit 

[thespacetofall]

Yayyy, reblogging because I was supposed to answer no 6 but didn’t because I had to wait for the fic in question to be posted.  It is posted, so now I can talk about it.

Keep reading

[itsadrizzit]

It was a beautiful collaboration on all counts. I’m still never sure what a “fic written to be podficced” looks like and I’m a writer AND a podficcer. I love the story of this coming together and the compromises made. And TBH these little differences and details mean I can appreciate both the text and the podfic as different, yet equally fabulous, things. Win-win-EXTRA BIG WIN FOR ME.

[thespacetofall]

Hmm, okay. This is from my observations in terms of how I had to change my writing a bit because I knew the story was going to be podficc’d. A lot of it was written to suit the cadences of her voice, I think. 

Keep reading

[itsadrizzit]

Yes! This is great. I love this insight re: process. It’s interesting because I read my work aloud before I post it to make sure it works when read aloud, but I still feel like I’m SUPER GUILTY of putting dialogue tags and beats in between bits of dialogue even though I know most podficcers find it awkward. I also still have all these long sentences and asides, but, idk, I read it and I don’t find myself stumbling over it so I think “oh, this is fine.” 

But probably if anyone else recorded it (or even if I actually recorded it myself) I’d find myself saying “what were you thinking? Why is this sentence so long.” so it’s funny because my approach to writing and my approach to what I want to record are a bit different even though I am conscious of both sides.

But thanks for this. I have been working on cutting down the dialogue tags a lot as a start, but I think it’s useful to keep all this in mind. Not that I think anyone but me will ever want to record my fic, but you never know, right?

[thespacetofall]

Yeah, when it comes to reading and imagery in the ‘quiet voice’ of your mind, the dialogue tags do anchor the characters in conversation a bit. However,  having listened to your podfics over this year, it’s a thing that sticks out, and is superfluous, because the podficcer’s voice (if they are decent) will do a LOT of heavy lifting. 

Keep reading

[footyficsuggestionbox]

Very interesting discussion happening up there!!