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wook77First - thanks for the comments on my mopey post. Peche went to sleep at 3:15pm CST yesterday. It was very peaceful.
Second - I've changed my layout again. I don't like it but I didn't like the other one either. Anyone good at coding and be willing to help me out? I'll pay with fic or really shitty art. Honest. I'll write any pairing for a layout that I like for more than a month.
Moving on... I've recently noticed a lot of things that annoy me when people are advertising their stories and/or art. So - a mild but long rant about what makes me read or not read a story.
1.) I admit it. I judge by the icons. If the icon is childish and/or annoying, unless it's a name I already know, I won't read the story. When the icon doesn't make a good first impression, I don't go further. Am I mean and bitchy when it comes to this? Nope. I simply ignore the post other than making a mental note of the lj user so that I don't peruse it later.
2.) If there is no summary, there won't be any reading from me. It's as simple as that. I'm not going to get suckered into reading a story I don't want to. Even an excerpt of the story would be wonderful. Give your reader a few thoughts about what you do. (I've learned this one the hard way. I don't read dark!harry very often and I've been sucker punched into it a few times. This wookiee can learn a new trick or two.)
3.) If you don't tell me who you're writing about, I won't read. It's another simple fact. I detest Snarry or, in fact, any teacher/student pairing with very rare exceptions, likewise for anything involving a romantic or sexual Filch, Dumbledore or Hagrid. Sorry, it's just a personal preference. I'm not going to get suckered into reading a Filch/Dumbledore simply because the writer decided not to clarify who the pairing was.
4.) If there is self-deprecation in the A/N or intro (other than a "I'm new to this pairing/comm/fandom" or the like type comment), I won't read it. If you don't like it, why the hell should I? If there isn't a chance in hell of me liking it, why should I waste my time reading it when there are plenty of things out there that I will like?
5.) Continuing #4 - I will read new authors. I will give everyone a chance when it comes to my chosen ships. I will offer concrit, advice, commentary, etc. Why? Because I was new once (and still am in many circles) and I know how much I appreciated all of that. However, if you think I'm flaming you when I request that your story go through a spellchecker before being posted, I will mark you down on the "wook will never read again list". If you can't use a lj cut, I won't read you. If you are argumentative, arrogant or condescending, I won't read you. (I realize that by me saying this, it is arrogant and condescending.)
6.) Continuing #5 - If there are blatant misspellings and/or grammar mistakes in the "advert", I will avoid you like the plague. Why? Because I can't be pantsed to read your stuff if you can't be pantsed to spell check/grammar check. English not your native language? Get a beta. There are plenty of them out there. Hell, I've been known to beta a couple of times.
7.) #6 holds true for netspeak and that annoying tYpnLYkDiS as well.
8.) If your username annoys the shit out of me, I won't read you. Example? If you have a username of dracoisawhingingbitchthatdeservestodie, I won't read you. Insulting people, places, things that I like doesn't float my boat. UsEAusRNMlKDs and I won't read you either. Why? It annoys the shit out of me and goes back to the first impression.
9.) Continuing in the vein of #8 - If your summary, a/n, etc. are insulting to characters or people, I won't read. (I recently saw a story with "Hermione is a dumbass know it all and I'm happy to kill her off in this story. I'm sure you all will agree." as a summary. Err, no thanks.)
That being said for why I won't read you - here's why I will read you.
1.) If your advert is cleanly laid out and you're writing a ship I adore or want to try, I will give it a try. Cleanly laid out means summary, pairing, title and any a/n's in a clear concise order. Most communities have requested advert formats. People who adhere to these are beautiful.
2.) Irregardless of your pairing (other than my squick ships), if your summary sounds interesting, I will give it a try. I read a wonderful Seamus/Draco story that had a very intriguing summary. Am I a Seamus/Draco shipper? Err, no, not at all. I still enjoyed it because it was well written and the summary intrigued me. I made sure to also tell the writer this because comments are golden.
3.) If you give me a teaser and you don't violate #6 above, I will probably give it a try. Why? Because your teaser gives me a taste and I'm one of those "once you pop, you can't stop" kind of girls. I have to know the ending. If it is a WiP, I will eagerly watch the comms for updates.
5.) If you comment on one of my offerings, I will normally pop over to your journal and peruse all fandom related things and comment as well. Why? Because it's polite to return the favor. More than that, I'm always curious about what other people can offer to fandom as well. Comments are gold. They let the person making the offering know that people are reading and appreciating. More than that, concrit is platinum. Concrit lets the person know what they're doing wrong in a polite manner that will insure that they're not going to be part of some big cosmic joke. (ie, did you see how![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wook77 always mispells Madam Pince? What a tool.)
6.) I'm alright with crossposting when done over a matter of hours (not seconds). Why? Because sometimes I don't catch the first post. Sometimes I don't catch the second or even third posts. I belong to a lot of groups so that I can have the exposure to new offerings for a reason. If I minded cross-posting, then I would defriend a bunch of the groups.
7.) If you are recc'd by a friend of mine, I will give your stories a go. If they liked it, chances are, I'm going to like it.
8.) If you offer something new, I will read. That means a non-cliche, a cliche used in a new way, an AU that hasn't been done, a pairing that sounds intriguing, etc.
9.) I will normally give crack!fic a try, irregardless of the pairing. Why? Because the idea of Snape being caught in a tutu cracks me up. Dumbledore shagging Fawkes is like a trainwreck I can't look away from. New uses for Hagrid's pink umbrella make me go "ew but OMG hilarious" if done well. All these characters are normal squick for me but if the crack! is right, I'll be coming on down to your story.
10.) You're in a ship that I follow religiously and you don't violate any of the "no thanks" things above. Self-explanatory.
I'm interested to hear what makes any of you read or not read a story. Tell me all about it, people.
Please note that this is not to turn into a "I don't read soandso because they're horrible" type post. I'm honestly curious about what makes or breaks an offering for you. What draws you in? What pushes you away?
Anon is on and ip logging is off. Wank will be deleted with no explanations.
Second - I've changed my layout again. I don't like it but I didn't like the other one either. Anyone good at coding and be willing to help me out? I'll pay with fic or really shitty art. Honest. I'll write any pairing for a layout that I like for more than a month.
Moving on... I've recently noticed a lot of things that annoy me when people are advertising their stories and/or art. So - a mild but long rant about what makes me read or not read a story.
1.) I admit it. I judge by the icons. If the icon is childish and/or annoying, unless it's a name I already know, I won't read the story. When the icon doesn't make a good first impression, I don't go further. Am I mean and bitchy when it comes to this? Nope. I simply ignore the post other than making a mental note of the lj user so that I don't peruse it later.
2.) If there is no summary, there won't be any reading from me. It's as simple as that. I'm not going to get suckered into reading a story I don't want to. Even an excerpt of the story would be wonderful. Give your reader a few thoughts about what you do. (I've learned this one the hard way. I don't read dark!harry very often and I've been sucker punched into it a few times. This wookiee can learn a new trick or two.)
3.) If you don't tell me who you're writing about, I won't read. It's another simple fact. I detest Snarry or, in fact, any teacher/student pairing with very rare exceptions, likewise for anything involving a romantic or sexual Filch, Dumbledore or Hagrid. Sorry, it's just a personal preference. I'm not going to get suckered into reading a Filch/Dumbledore simply because the writer decided not to clarify who the pairing was.
4.) If there is self-deprecation in the A/N or intro (other than a "I'm new to this pairing/comm/fandom" or the like type comment), I won't read it. If you don't like it, why the hell should I? If there isn't a chance in hell of me liking it, why should I waste my time reading it when there are plenty of things out there that I will like?
5.) Continuing #4 - I will read new authors. I will give everyone a chance when it comes to my chosen ships. I will offer concrit, advice, commentary, etc. Why? Because I was new once (and still am in many circles) and I know how much I appreciated all of that. However, if you think I'm flaming you when I request that your story go through a spellchecker before being posted, I will mark you down on the "wook will never read again list". If you can't use a lj cut, I won't read you. If you are argumentative, arrogant or condescending, I won't read you. (I realize that by me saying this, it is arrogant and condescending.)
6.) Continuing #5 - If there are blatant misspellings and/or grammar mistakes in the "advert", I will avoid you like the plague. Why? Because I can't be pantsed to read your stuff if you can't be pantsed to spell check/grammar check. English not your native language? Get a beta. There are plenty of them out there. Hell, I've been known to beta a couple of times.
7.) #6 holds true for netspeak and that annoying tYpnLYkDiS as well.
8.) If your username annoys the shit out of me, I won't read you. Example? If you have a username of dracoisawhingingbitchthatdeservestodie, I won't read you. Insulting people, places, things that I like doesn't float my boat. UsEAusRNMlKDs and I won't read you either. Why? It annoys the shit out of me and goes back to the first impression.
9.) Continuing in the vein of #8 - If your summary, a/n, etc. are insulting to characters or people, I won't read. (I recently saw a story with "Hermione is a dumbass know it all and I'm happy to kill her off in this story. I'm sure you all will agree." as a summary. Err, no thanks.)
That being said for why I won't read you - here's why I will read you.
1.) If your advert is cleanly laid out and you're writing a ship I adore or want to try, I will give it a try. Cleanly laid out means summary, pairing, title and any a/n's in a clear concise order. Most communities have requested advert formats. People who adhere to these are beautiful.
2.) Irregardless of your pairing (other than my squick ships), if your summary sounds interesting, I will give it a try. I read a wonderful Seamus/Draco story that had a very intriguing summary. Am I a Seamus/Draco shipper? Err, no, not at all. I still enjoyed it because it was well written and the summary intrigued me. I made sure to also tell the writer this because comments are golden.
3.) If you give me a teaser and you don't violate #6 above, I will probably give it a try. Why? Because your teaser gives me a taste and I'm one of those "once you pop, you can't stop" kind of girls. I have to know the ending. If it is a WiP, I will eagerly watch the comms for updates.
5.) If you comment on one of my offerings, I will normally pop over to your journal and peruse all fandom related things and comment as well. Why? Because it's polite to return the favor. More than that, I'm always curious about what other people can offer to fandom as well. Comments are gold. They let the person making the offering know that people are reading and appreciating. More than that, concrit is platinum. Concrit lets the person know what they're doing wrong in a polite manner that will insure that they're not going to be part of some big cosmic joke. (ie, did you see how
wook77 always mispells Madam Pince? What a tool.)6.) I'm alright with crossposting when done over a matter of hours (not seconds). Why? Because sometimes I don't catch the first post. Sometimes I don't catch the second or even third posts. I belong to a lot of groups so that I can have the exposure to new offerings for a reason. If I minded cross-posting, then I would defriend a bunch of the groups.
7.) If you are recc'd by a friend of mine, I will give your stories a go. If they liked it, chances are, I'm going to like it.
8.) If you offer something new, I will read. That means a non-cliche, a cliche used in a new way, an AU that hasn't been done, a pairing that sounds intriguing, etc.
9.) I will normally give crack!fic a try, irregardless of the pairing. Why? Because the idea of Snape being caught in a tutu cracks me up. Dumbledore shagging Fawkes is like a trainwreck I can't look away from. New uses for Hagrid's pink umbrella make me go "ew but OMG hilarious" if done well. All these characters are normal squick for me but if the crack! is right, I'll be coming on down to your story.
10.) You're in a ship that I follow religiously and you don't violate any of the "no thanks" things above. Self-explanatory.
I'm interested to hear what makes any of you read or not read a story. Tell me all about it, people.
Please note that this is not to turn into a "I don't read soandso because they're horrible" type post. I'm honestly curious about what makes or breaks an offering for you. What draws you in? What pushes you away?
Anon is on and ip logging is off. Wank will be deleted with no explanations.
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Character death warning
Date: 2006-01-15 08:51 am (UTC)I think it was a v. good move of Rowling to warn for character death for HBP, actually. Some small kids actually have nightmares over Dumbledore's death and parent have to form support groups and all :-/
And...if I pretend that the HP books are fanfics, I would post the character death warning only for OotP and HBP, because:
1. Both Sirius and Dumbledore play quite major roles in that specific book
2. Sirius is a constant character since CoS, Dumbledore since PS/SS
3. The deaths are watched by the main character and therefore have more emotional impact on the reader
I wouldn't post a character death warning for the first four books, because: 1. The characters that die are not that important (anonymous Muggles) or
2. Harry doesn't have any emotional ties to the character (Myrtle, Cedric)
3. The deaths were not witnessed by Harry (except Cedric)
So um, even if character death is not noted in the warnings (because it will be spoiler-y or whatever), it should at least has warning for "extreme angst" and/or "darkfic."
I mean, I love Cinnamon's Windfallen and Beautiful World and all (they're what sucked me into the HP fandom), but I haven't had the emotional climate/weather/whatever to read deathfics lately (read: more than half a year now).
Re: Character death warning
Date: 2006-01-16 11:58 pm (UTC)However, if I see "angst" as a warning, I'll be prepared for almost anything. Both the stories you mentioned, had there been a huge character death warning slapped all over the place, would not have made such an impact on me. I like fics that twist me unexpectedly. I really do enjoy it in a masochistic sort of way.
I'll agree with the Dumbledore warning simply because of the intended audience/age and the way the death happened. It allowed for parents to prepare their children, especially as there are very small children out there currently reading the books that have not experienced death firsthand like that.
However, in a fanfic, especially the ones I read, the intended audience is of age and should realize that "extreme angst" could mean character death.
Re: Character death warning
Date: 2006-01-17 01:22 am (UTC)*g* Now I know what that means when I see it connected to your name. lol.
Both the stories you mentioned, had there been a huge character death warning slapped all over the place, would not have made such an impact on me.
I agree. Which is why I appreciate that Cinnamon posts"very dark" for Windfallen. On the other hand, I'm not as disturbed with the character death in Beautiful World because the fic builds up to it, basically. Plus the H/D romance is still sweet even though it did end with death :-P
especially as there are very small children out there currently reading the books that have not experienced death firsthand like that.
I mean, some children get traumatized by Narnia, for goodness' sake (The Last Battle).
And I do agree that having character death warning where the death of the character is a vital plot twist (or a looming threat) takes the fun out of it :-/
Re: Character death warning
Date: 2006-01-17 04:48 pm (UTC)There are times and readers that require that visceral gut-wrenching pain of an unexpected character death.
It's still traumatic for some children to experience death firsthand. It's up to the parent to make that decision. Then again, I have multiple other rants about parents and parenting skills, so I'll leave it there *winks*.