fanfiction.net

[Transwarp]

As I've browsed through forums here, I've seen references to fanfiction.net. In the past, I pretty much skipped over them, but today I went and checked it out, looking to confirm rumors that blacknblue was posting updates to 'Payment' there.

Holy cow!

Let's just say I had NO idea (I've told you I don't get out much). Over 3000 submissions in the Startrek: Enterprise category. That puts Enterprise somewhere around #40 on the list of ALL tv shows. Ahead of the other Startrek series, except Voyager (and not that far behind Voyager). I saw many familiar names, (and some almost familiar names). I was a little overwhelmed by it all.

So, to all of you who seem to be leading a double life, hanging out at TriSilk AND at fanfiction.net, what advice would you give a newby there? Should I post at both sites? Will I get reviews from folks who won't see it here, or is it the same folks both places? Any advice for navigating around the site? Forums, etc? Things to watch out for? Pitfalls and stumbling blocks? Must see locations? And where do you begin reading when you have 3000+ to choose from?

Help!

[Transwarp]

Hey, look. I've been promoted. I'm not an Ensign any more!

[WarpGirl]

Transwarp please don't take this the wrong way but that was so adorable! Um ff.net... Truth be told I rarely read ENT there. Several reasons... 1. If you scope the entire amount of TnT romance fanfic all ratings, in-progress and complete there are only 12 pages. A/T has many more. So it can get dicey. It's a prime A/T hangout. And for some reason we "two houses both alike in dignity" like to insult each other a lot.

2. I find that people on ff.net are seriously more prone to insult others because the moderating system is very lax. It happened to me when I first started writinf fic 5 years ago. And I'm not talking about, "this story is awful" insults I'm talking vicious verbal attacks about you as a person with language you wouldn't ordinarily use around little old ladies.

3. People rarely give thought to really well planned reviews unless they know you.

Don't get me wrong it is a great place to read! But talking and reviewing not-so-much.

PS Did you really think we would kid you about Payment?

[Kotik]

WarpGirl's right - much of the stuff over there is centered on A/T and the two factions don't get on well. I've not found too many stories over there, that aren't here or in the archieve at HoT as well.

The main selling point for me to post at both sites is that you can publish yourselves. You upload the documents and they appear, while on TriS the the publishing process can be somewhat ... um ... lengthy. However that advantage of ff.net comes with a drawback. There's not much quality control and I've seen stories over there that are so bad, they would never have made it through the submission process over here.

Several authors on TriS publish first on ff.net and publish a more polished version (based on ff.net replies) here at TriS. If one is a little sensitive however, it probably isn't the perfect hangout as some people, probably of the less educated or inebriated variety sometimes post downright nasty comments and it is a somewhat cumbersome process to have them deleted. I also found the sites publishing system inoperative for lengthy time periods if the load goes up.

[WarpGirl]

Not to mention the irritating 12 year olds who tell you you use too many words with more than three syllables. seriously it happened to me. But another good thing is you know exactly how many people read, how many reviews and you get lovely little emials whenever sombody reviews. I WISH we'd get email alerts here. That way you can say thank you as they come in.

[Transwarp]

It's a prime A/T hangout.

Really? There are that many A/T'ers? How can that be? How did ANY of them survive season four? I thought there were only a handful of them left, working as parking lot shopping-cart retrievers at the local grocery store. After work, they go home to the basement bedroom of their parent's house and watch 'A Night in Sickbay' over and over.

That there may be more of them is shocking news, and completely undermines my faith in humanity. At least I can understand why they're hiding out at fanfiction.net: A quick check of google didn't turn up any A/T websites as vibrant as TriSilk. (The only sites I COULD find were overgrown with weeds and falling apart from neglect; containing broken links to former A/T sites that have all dried-up and blown away.)

P.S. No, I didn't think you were kidding about 'Payment', it's just I was frantic with worry that I would never see it completed. (That worry has not abated, by the way; there are TWELVE chapters posted here, but only FOUR at fanfiction.net. I must admit I am still somewhat concerned...)

[Kotik]

It's a prime A/T hangout.

Really? There are that many A/T'ers? How can that be? How did ANY of them survive season four?

They probably were ready to die until T'Pol and Archer's vacation in the forge, found new will to live before Bound and Terra Prime send them into the dark abyss of pain and they are clinging their hope to that hug in *the_abomination*. They're probably the only people who can watch that episode without having a bucket in reach for the inevitable

[honeybee]

I've not had any problems posting over at ff.net. The A/T crowd just tends to ignore my stories - and I tend to ignore them. There's also more than a few slash writers over there - and they tend to cling together as well. The slash writers have actually been more supportive, given that they don't really consider themselves rivals - just doing a different "thing" if you will.

I think it's a good venue for getting stuff out there. I usually post there first, then polish and revise and send them here. It's been good because the reviewers tend to be supportive - they were the ones who suggested I post here - and they will sometimes catch continuity mistakes and other glitches.

So, I tend to like it over there.

I also post at The Warp 5 Complex, which is run by some slash writers but is open to everyone and everything. There's more TnT fic there any other heterosexual paring, as well, and quite a bit of what is on HoT can be found there. The site owners are very welcoming and accepting and seem to want all kinds of fic there. That's another good place to build readership.

[justTripn]

Who runs the Warp 5 Complex?

[honeybee]

A writer called Kylie Lee runs most of it.

http://fiction.entstcommunity.org/

[justTripn]

Oh, I should add that fanfiction.net puts "mature" stories in a separate section where no one ever looks apparently, and they don't allow NC-17 at all. But they do keep a nice count of how many people peek at your stories and THAT is the feature that causes me to post there. I have a set of stories that stray into PG-13 plus territory in the natural course of things without being the type of stories that you should go to and skim for the sex scenes. So few people are interested. Nevertheless about 40-50 souls read every chapter of my E2 saga to the end, which is 40 readers than I would have had otherwise. About 1500 peeked at the first standalone story in that series, which of course is the one that has been up the longest. Every single day, 2 or 3 people look at my stories and on weekends, maybe 20. Great writers, Alelou, Elessar, I presume Distracted and Rigil get counts in the tens of thousands for a really great story.

Oh, and about 1 in every couple hundred readers will comment.

[Kotik]

Oh, I should add that fanfiction.net puts "mature" stories in a separate section where no one ever looks apparently, and they don't allow NC-17 at all.

The M-Rating, which is what corresponds to NC-17 is somewhat hidden from the search, so one has to actually know how to find them, but I've seen quite a few stories there that would qualify for decon here and that seems to be a sign of the rather lax quality control of ff.net. I've yet to see one of the more mature story being taken down. So it seems that although the rules say 'no nc-17', nobody seems to enforce them.

The Warp-5 complex is not my cup of tea, there's a lot of hideous stuff published there. NC-17 stories that would make a porn-producer blush or gay Archer/Trip or T'Pol/Hoshi stuff and whatnot. I'm not prejudiced against homosexuals, but it doesn't fit the characters.

[pdsldl]

They seem to enforce NC-17 rules when there are complaints, which they do take seriously. If the stories are labeled and are legit stories and not some demented persons dribble they tend to leave them alone. There are downsides to posting there but I like the feedback I get and also the notification system for authors, stories, reviews etc they have there as well as the keeping track of how many hits etc... one gets on their stories. I'd post without this but it's nice and there are many who don't like to or just don't feel competent to give reviews but still say thanks for giving them something decent to read. I get more reviews there and communicate with more people there than I do here. I think the nasties that post reviews there are more likely to be scanning through the more current works related to more recent shows so are less likely to comment on Enterprise stuff.

Transwarp-- There is a wide variety of writing at ff and some of it is not good but you figure that out rather quickly. I tend to read for content rather than grammar etc.. and find it easy enough to cut and paste stuff into my word program and correct the errors so I can read if the story seems worth it. Don't allow anon reviews and turn on the profanity block to help avoid bad reviewers and for the ones that might get by ignore them (you can also block users from Pm'ing or reviewing your work if you wish). But just remember it's some anonymous person at the other end of a computer screen who has no real relevance to your life and work unless you let them. I guess if you have a thin skin there's a chance you won't be happy posting there but to me it's all part of the creative process and unfortunately our society has deemed it okay to criticize anything about anyone who puts themselves out there in public view whether it's constructive or not. If you let them get to you it only encourages them so don't let a few crazies ruin it for you or the readers who like your work.

[Transwarp]

I guess if you have a thin skin there's a chance you won't be happy posting there

I was a youth and high school soccer ref in my spare time (and before my job here in Kandahar). I seriously doubt the readers at fanfiction.net can hold a candle to an irate coach or parent. And they sure as heck can't scream at me until they turn purple and flecks of spittle fly onto my glasses! I reckon I can handle some anonymous person at the other end of a computer screen who's ox I've unwittingly gored.

The hardest part will be keeping myself from wandering over to the A/T side of the street and poking them with a stick through the bars of their cage. I must keep reminding myself that I'm above such pettiness. I'm above such pettiness. I'm above such pettiness. I'm above such pettiness... Oh, what the heck, where's my stick?

[panyasan]

BTW, I believe pdsldl was responding to a remark made by Warpgirl. Both Transwarp and Warpgirl have warp in their names.