fic preferences

Ok, I'll bite.

But it's tough.

If you'd asked me this back in my X-Files fandom days, it would have been easy. I want well-written MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance). Easy answer. Well, actually, when I first started reading fanfic, I didn't even care if it was well written; I just wanted MSR. Read everything with that heading. Didn't care about the bad formating (SMART Quotes sprinkled throughout), bad grammar, bad plots, bad characterizations. Just MSR. Then, I started seeing how could fanfic could be and got picky. Definately wanted well-written MSR.

In Alias, it's strange. I'm not a big shipper. Yeah, I love Wancie and love writing it, but I wouldn't be upset if Will and Francie both started dating other people on the show. Sydney and Vaughn don't interest me (although I have enjoyed the idea more this season).

However, I do love the UPT. I'm all about Jack and his relationship with Sydney. And if someone can do Irina as well as JJ and crew, I'd love to see some fic about that relationship, too.

What's the first thing I look for in a fic? It has to be well written. No, I'm not going to scream and say it's bad if there is a one word misspelled in it, but the author needs to show me that they know how to use their word processor's spell check and a dictionary. The plot needs to make some sense. The characters need to act like they do on the show. Original fic is great; don't put Alias' Character names on original characters. I want to read about the people on the show when I read fanfiction.

I admit that I generally go to stories written by authors I know or is rec'd by people I trust. Makes me sound like a horrible snob, but I just don't have the time or patience anymore to go through a lot of stories that I'm not going to read to find one good one. I do, on occassion, try out some stories over at FF.net when I have the time.

I love Jack-centered stories, Will-centered stories, like strong Francie stories, but I admit in this fandom I'll read anything, any pairing, if it is well-written. I've even read some slash. So, I guess my main requirement is quality.

I guess that was easier to answer than I thought it would be. Certain plot ideas or characters--like Jack--may get me to open a fic up quicker, but basically it has to be well written to keep my attention.

Robin
Hoping she made sense

Author	Comment
labyrinthine Will's whore Posts: 344 (10/13/02 2:35 pm) Reply	fic preferences hi everyone, I think it's great that a bunch of you have started up the board again - figured I wasn't doing a damn bit of good lurking around and not contributing. So: What does everyone look for in a fic? What makes you see something posted on the mailing list or ff.net or wherever and think, I want to read this. Do you go for big elaborate plots, strictly character studies, certain pairings? Do you pay attention to the author, the summary, or the rating? What qualities do your favorite fics have in common, if any? It's something I've wondered about for a while, just thought I'd offer it up as a discussion if anyone wanted to bite. Jess - who is hiding her nose back in the Barrons GRE book, for real...
wideyed Jack's AU Lover Posts: 387 (10/13/02 10:30 pm) Reply	Re: fic preferences Ok, I'll bite. But it's tough. If you'd asked me this back in my X-Files fandom days, it would have been easy. I want well-written MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance). Easy answer. Well, actually, when I first started reading fanfic, I didn't even care if it was well written; I just wanted MSR. Read everything with that heading. Didn't care about the bad formating (SMART Quotes sprinkled throughout), bad grammar, bad plots, bad characterizations. Just MSR. Then, I started seeing how could fanfic could be and got picky. Definately wanted well-written MSR. In Alias, it's strange. I'm not a big shipper. Yeah, I love Wancie and love writing it, but I wouldn't be upset if Will and Francie both started dating other people on the show. Sydney and Vaughn don't interest me (although I have enjoyed the idea more this season). However, I do love the UPT. I'm all about Jack and his relationship with Sydney. And if someone can do Irina as well as JJ and crew, I'd love to see some fic about that relationship, too. What's the first thing I look for in a fic? It has to be well written. No, I'm not going to scream and say it's bad if there is a one word misspelled in it, but the author needs to show me that they know how to use their word processor's spell check and a dictionary. The plot needs to make some sense. The characters need to act like they do on the show. Original fic is great; don't put Alias' Character names on original characters. I want to read about the people on the show when I read fanfiction. I admit that I generally go to stories written by authors I know or is rec'd by people I trust. Makes me sound like a horrible snob, but I just don't have the time or patience anymore to go through a lot of stories that I'm not going to read to find one good one. I do, on occassion, try out some stories over at FF.net when I have the time. I love Jack-centered stories, Will-centered stories, like strong Francie stories, but I admit in this fandom I'll read anything, any pairing, if it is well-written. I've even read some slash. So, I guess my main requirement is quality. I guess that was easier to answer than I thought it would be. Certain plot ideas or characters--like Jack--may get me to open a fic up quicker, but basically it has to be well written to keep my attention. Robin Hoping she made sense
poohmusings Grad Student Posts: 2 (10/14/02 6:01 pm) Reply	Re: fic preferences Ooh, did someone mention UPT? Heehee. Well, yeah, as you can see, I'm all about the UPT, but that's not all. What do I want to see in a fic? What makes me read it? Well, if I'm really pressed for time, then I make a beeline for fics by authors I'm familiar with, whether these authors are people I have a personal relationship with or authors whose fics I've read and liked in the past. If I'm mildly pressed for time, then I'll click on fics whose summaries are 1) well written (yeah, I'm pissy enough that if a summary has a typo then I'm less likely to click on it) and 2) sound interesting. This, of course, does not necessarily mean I'll read the entire fic. If I start to read and find out that the formatting's all screwy or the characters are out of character or the plot's boring, then I move on. If I'm not pressed for time and/or am feeling adventurous, then I go to ff.net and start reading all stories from the most recent downward. What type of stories suck me in as a reader? Simply put, ones that are complex. I'm not much of a S/V shipper, so if a fic's nothing but a straight-up Syd and Vaughn live happily ever after story with nothing of substance in the middle, then odds are I'll never read the whole fic. But if the fic's got well written angst in there are at least something that makes me pause and go "huh," then I'm much more likely to read the whole thing through at least one. Quite frankly, none of us are the same despite our love for Alias, so I definitely want to read stories that are different (in their own special way) from things I've already read and/or can come up with on my own. Oh, and any story that begins with the author's note of "I know this plot is underdeveloped and kind of boring, but since this is fanfic, I figure that's okay, right?" will almost always get an immediate thumbs down from me. Lastly, fics that have been researched, developed, spell checked, and grammar checked (i.e., essentially, beta'd) make me squeal with glee. See, aren't I easy to please? -Karen
larasdice There is no suck. Posts: 73 (12/29/02 7:09 pm) Reply	Re: fic preferences Well, like I think pretty much everyone else, I will beeline toward fics that are written by authors whose works I've liked in the past. But if the summary is well-written and intriguing, I'll probably get there eventually. Which sort of cracks me up, because I myself and other writers I know often struggle with summaries, and often end up with the "@#%$ it, I'll just put _________" summaries. But usually they're still grammatically correct, so oh well. I prefer stories with big elaborate plots. That doesn't necessarily equate with long...I like things that are paced properly, so I don't have to wade through some 5 graf diatribe on how hot Vaughn is. Like, hello, I watch the show. I know. Anyway. I'll also go for fics that are well-written character studies. But there seem to be a lot more of those in this fandom than big-plot. So when I can sink my teeth into something long and good like "House of Lies," or "Recoil," or "Running," that's what really makes me wriggle with glee. Sadly, I do pay a bit of attention to rating, although probably more in the opposite direction of most people. Things that are rated G or PG at ff.net seem to tend more towards karaoke fic and what not. Although if someone wants to write NC-17 karaoke fic, well, that would be interesting, to say the least. That said, there have been some PG (not so sure about G) fics that I've liked. But usually if I don't know the author and the summary looks like it's been written by someone 10 or more years younger than me, I'll pass. What qualities do my favorite fics have in common? For the most part, they're well characterized. And I'll admit that I tend more towards the S/V (duh, Lara). But I'll read just about any pairing, and that extends to slash. But in any fic, I have to feel that the characters are acting out of canon, responding to whatever has happened in the fic. So I need a reason for people to get together, or to do what they do, if it's not on canon characterization. Sometimes, like with S/V or even, I think, J/I, there's an obvious attraction there and it doesn't take much. With others, it's going to take some serious events and/or backstory explanations for me to buy into it. I read fanfic because I love the show, and I want more of what I get there. So I really like my fic to be an extension of the show, whether it's a little vignette, or a character study, or a missing scene, or an elaborate epic. -Lara
wideyed Jack's AU Lover Posts: 388 (1/6/03 10:54 pm) Reply	Re: fic preferences [quote]Although if someone wants to write NC-17 karaoke fic, well, that would be interesting, to say the least. [/quote] brings out whip Get back, EvilPlotBunny! crack Back, I say! Please, Lara, my muse has already been writing the weirdest things lately. She don't need any more odd ideas. I wonder if it's physically possible to sing while out of breath from exertion in the bedroom? Robin
larasdice There is no suck. Posts: 75 (1/7/03 12:23 am) Reply	Re: fic preferences Oh, Robin, you must! Think of the musical possibilities! "Oops, I Did It Again." Heeeee. -Lara

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