Continued Adventures: The Fanfic Thread

[daxx]

Daxx, do you have a link to your tumblr?

http://daxx04.tumblr.com/post/110779535514/new-york-city-duet

[Dani-Ellie]

All right, I think I need some advice.

 

I have a reader who keeps giving me prompts that even a glance at my story list would tell him or her that I have no interest in writing. At first they wanted a future fic about all the canon couples' kids. I replied back and said that I don't like to write AU but if they could come up with a canon-compliant prompt, I'd be happy to work with it. They asked for a Princess Emma raised in the Enchanted Forest story ... which is still AU, so I said no to that one, too, though I did offer to try to find other stories like that.

 

I just got another request from the same reader to do a Henry/Regina story where the Charmings go on vacation so the two of them are left in Storybrooke. I have absolutely no interest in writing Regal Believer (I can't even remember the last time I actually put Regina in one of my stories beyond a mention of her), I can't stand Regina and find writing for her almost prohibitively difficult, and even sending the Charmings on vacation isn't canon-compliant, since, as of right now, no one can leave Storybrooke.

 

So now my question is ... how the hell do I refuse this prompt, too, without sounding like a major bitch who's being difficult since it's now the third freaking one?

Edited February 13, 2015 by Dani-Ellie

[sharky]

Maybe just say no to all prompts for now and tell her you're working on some other pieces that you want to finish first. But yea, what is up with that? If you're going to send a prompt to a writer, at least check their work first so you know if your prompt fits their writing.

 

Of course, I say all of this as someone who doesn't even take prompts. I actually do have some other stories I want to write first so the little time I have to write I want to use to write my stories. I mean, I'm doing the CSSV on tumblr and I'm following seastarved over there and the prompt photos she's posting, but I prefer to go out and say yes to a prompt than have someone send me one.

 

What does everyone else do with prompts? Are you open to them or no?

[RadioGirl27]

I don't write fan fiction (yet) but I've seen some people that, when they can't (or don't want) to take a prompt, they offer it to the other writers in the fandom. I don't know, any of those prompt sent to you sound really interesting, but maybe someone wants to write them and make that person happy.

[Whodunnit]

There is a fic I have been following where Emma is a Bounty Hunter in the Enchanted Forest. It had been on hiatus for about 7 months and then got updated about a week ago, so it is possible that the writer will come back to the story, just unlikely. 

Speaking of fic updates, does anyone know when Bella Notte will be updated?

Its always interesting to me when I see about four or five people answering a prompt and coming up with six different ways to tell a story.

My guess would be that if a fic prompt is not in your wheelhouse, it might work better to suggest it to someone else.

[Souris]

So now my question is ... how the hell do I refuse this prompt, too, without sounding like a major bitch who's being difficult since it's now the third freaking one?

 

I would just say, "Thank you so much for that idea, but it's just not an idea that speaks to me and my muse." You're in no way beholden to write something you don't care to. Ain't nobody got time for that. Frankly, if somebody is sending prompts that clearly aren't in your wheelhouse, they're not paying attention to your likes.

[Dani-Ellie]

Thanks, guys. I did end up telling her that I don't like Regina, yada yada, and she finally sent me one about the Charmings getting a dog. I can write a cute one-shot based on that (that more than likely won't carry over to the rest of my stuff the way my stories usually do because, like, they don't have a dog :P) so I put it in the queue.

 

I now have another prompt that's future fic/AU so I'm going to have to turn that one down, too. I will offer to post that prompt on my Tumblr, though, because it's a great idea, I just don't think I'm the writer for it.

[Rumsy4]

I was catching up on tumblr today, and noticed that a couple of fic writers had either deleted thier blogs (along with their fics), or deleted their fanfiction accounts. I don't get deleting fics--it seems like a kick in the teeth to your readers to actually delete something they have enjoyed and supported. :-/ Why not just leave the completed/old works up at ff-net or Ao3 at least? Are they trying to erase their digital footprint? Worried about their jobs? Seems rather extreme...

[sharky]

I think one of them was deleted because the writer is making it into a book. But you're right -- regardless of the reason, at least give some explanation before you just pull everything down.

[RadioGirl27]

Yeah, I'm new to the whole fan fiction world, and I don't know how normal this is, but I find it quite frustrating. I was following one of those delated fics and, even if it wasn't my favourite, it was nice and sweet and I would have liked to finish it.

[Lieutenant]

I wonder if that's the case with "Falling Through" and "Somewhere to Land?"  I went back a few days ago to reread them, and the links I posted up thread were broken and her whole ff.net account was gone.  I tried a desperate search for a possible AO3 account for her, but nada.  Yeah, I actually was pretty sad and upset about it.  Those were two of my most favorite CS neverland/aus.  In fact, probably one the of first fanfics I'd ever read, so they had a special significance to me. *sigh*

Edited February 22, 2015 by Lieutenant

[sharky]

Yea, I think Falling Through is the one I saw mentioned as being deleted.

[sharky]

Alright, I started a new multi-chapter fic so let's see how this goes. Word of warning: It's going to be very AU and have a little hockey thrown in there, but you don't have to be a hockey fan to like it. Here are the links to the start on FF and AO3.

[sharky]

A few links for all of you fanfic readers!

 

Captain Swan Awards -- Nominations have been posted so take a look and read a few to get caught up. There are some good fics on the list.

Vulture's Fanfic coverage -- Vulture.com did a huge report on fandom culture, including pieces on fanfic. Here's their big fanfic opus but be warned that they pull quite a few statistics from Wattpad, which I don't really understand. Maybe Wattpad is the only one with these stats available for media? It just seems odd to write about fanfic and use that instead of FF or AO3.

[Rumsy4]

I'm currently reading this really sweet CS AU inspired by the Words music video (the song that launched a 1000 fics...). Killian is a florist with a prosthetic hand, and Emma is a person who is blind who walks by his shop every day, hoping for courage to enter the sweet-smelling flower shop. A bunch of other ONCE characters makes an appearance as well. There are some neat twists in the story in the way things are adapted from canon. Very lovely. 

[RadioGirl27]

I'm reading it and, yes, it's lovely. I really like what Montana-Rosalie writes, she always keeps Hook and Emma really in character, even in her AUs. Another thing I like about her is that she always finishes her stories before posting them.

[OnceUponAJen]

I'm going to give a shout out to this story, because the characters are so in character and I love the twist on the whole story: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3449285/chapters/7564838

[Rumsy4]

It's time to vote for the CS fanfic awards! 

[OnceUponSomeChaos]

I am still dying to see momofthelemur's "The Secret of Drowning" updated. Last done in 2013.. (sigh) The sadness of old fics not being updated..

(and yes, I realize I can take 1-3 months sometimes to update but life gets in the way and I hate posting un-beta'd)

 

It is frustrating as a writer to see crap get a million reviews just because they have a tumblr following and a lot of the fandom doesn't seem to care about grammar (or if it is smutty, semi-realistic sex), whereas you don't get near as much. It is hard to attract a following, and then much of that following will stay silent. 

I do say, put in your profile you welcome feedback and constructive criticism. Some authors only want flailing and if you say anything that isn't, the followers will jump on you (sigh). 

[sharky]

I will say that I was able to increase my readership with tumblr so you may want to think about it. It's kind of like today's version of LiveJournal -- even though LJ wasn't that long ago. The trick is to tag your work with whatever tags are common for your fandom. I know there are people who will start looking for fics under the #cs ff tag for Captain Swan, especially because FF.net is infested with some less-than-stellar writing so it's a way for people to weed that out. So maybe think about tumblr. You don't need to build a large number of followers since most people will read whatever's in that tag, even if the story is posted somewhere else. Here's an example of a fanfic I posted within the first 10 or so entries of my tumblr. You don't need to actually post the story on tumblr -- a link to your FF or AO3 version of the story would be good.

 

Also, do you post on AO3? I find I don't always know what to say in a comment or review so sometimes I like just leaving a kudos. I know it's a bit of a cop out, but it is an easy and good way to get feedback on your stories. And you should definitely consider AO3. The quality is better there and there's less posting so your story has a better chance of being read.

 

And of course, post any links to your fiction here. I wish they hadn't moved this thread to the random folder because this thread was a little more hopping in the main forum. Anyways, I still check it everyday to see if it's updated and I love supporting the writers who are on here.

 

Just a few suggestions because I was getting just as frustrated with my fic not receiving alot of support, but these things -- especially tumblr -- really helped.

[Whodunnit]

Sadly, the last chapter of Open Your Eyes was put up today, Rumsy.

[Rumsy4]

Sadly, the last chapter of Open Your Eyes was put up today, Rumsy.

 

Sadface. :-/ It is such a good story! I hope the author will do a sequel or another epilogue down the line!

[Dianthus]

I can't remember the details about Charming's truck (i.e., manual or automatic). Any help? Emma's bug is a stick, right?

[Lieutenant]

The bug is definitely a stick. Not sure about Charming's Ford. Maybe watch "The Words" music vid again? I swear I thought they used that truck for it (along w/everything else Once related they could cram in there). There are some pretty good shots of the interior cab when Colin is driving it...

[sharky]

Oh no, you made me watch The Words again. How horrible. Anyways, the truck is an automatic.

 

I updated Man Advantage again. We're on chapter 9 out of 17! I'm actually almost done writing the complete first draft for this. Yeah! For some reason though, I'm not getting as many hits on this on FF as I was expected -- I got quite a few more on the canon AUs I published than this one. I'm not really sure why though. Are FF readers less likely to read something that's so AU? Or are the hits going to pick up once it's complete? The likely answer is that I'm just being paranoid, but FF makes it so easy when they give you the ability to see how hits break down by chapter and day and such.

[Rumsy4]

White Light updated. 

[OnceUponAJen]

I love Man Advantage, sharky!

[pezgirl7]

The bug is definitely a stick. Not sure about Charming's Ford. Maybe watch "The Words" music vid again? I swear I thought they used that truck for it (along w/everything else Once related they could cram in there). There are some pretty good shots of the interior cab when Colin is driving it...

 

The truck used in the video isn't the same as Charming's truck. I think Charming's truck is automatic though, because I don't remember him mentioning shifting when teaching Henry to drive it.

 

Photos:

Charming's truck

The Words truck

[KAOS Agent]

If Henry managed to just jump in and drive a truck with a manual transmission, he had to have used some serious magic. That doesn't happen. He may have managed to peel out from where the truck was parked, but he wouldn't have been able to just speed off down Main Street. The kid couldn't even steer. No way was he able to shift. David's truck is definitely an automatic. It's why I thought it was stupid that Henry planned to steal Emma's car. He wouldn't have gotten ten feet before stalling out.

Edited April 11, 2015 by KAOS Agent

[Rumsy4]

Put Me in Coach updates with an Epilogue Part II. God, I LOVE this 'verse!

[Rumsy4]

Ao3 people--ebooks-tree.com is a website that's been mass stealing fics from the website and selling it. I found two of my works there. I am so pissed off, and literally freaking out right now. Here are some links on how to check if your work has been stolen, and to report the theft. I literally want to cry right now. 

 

http://ao3org.tumblr.com/post/116311865913/fyeahcopyright-update-below-weve-been

 

http://mikkynga.tumblr.com/post/116309115807/for-all-ao3-writers

[Souris]

That is so shitty.

[sharky]

Saw this and did a quick look but didn't know how to dig deeper. Thanks for the links.

[Rumsy4]

Looks like they've been taking down the stolen fics--mine are not in the site anymore, thankfully. I am still mad that they stole so many fics, and probably made money off of my works. They might crop up in a different website down the line, but at least they're gone now. 

[Whodunnit]

AthenaScarlet, I looked for your fic on ffn and think the reason you've been getting fewer ffn hits than on AO3 is that once I found the story I saw that it does not have tags for Emma, Killian, or Emma/Killian. I hope that helps.

[sharky]

Holy crap, what kind of moron am I? Bless you and bless your cow, Whodunnit. That's been fixed now.

 

Rumsy -- Good to hear the stories aren't showing up anymore. Sounds like enough people complained but still, I wonder who thought they could even make money off of that. Most people who are fans of fanfic know you can get it for free.

Edited April 14, 2015 by sharky

[Rumsy4]

They market them as original fics--not fanfic. The two stories they had pirated from me even had their own cover art. It makes me so mad!!

[sharky]

Wait, they made their own cover art for it? Jesus, I guess kudos to them for putting the extra effort into ripping off people's stories. But wow, that seems kind of strange. I mean, fanfic has so many different references to the works that inspire it. I wonder if they only picked AU stories or something as a way to get around that. 

[Rumsy4]

It was some random graphic design as the cover art, but it did make it seem more official. I don't think they were discriminatory with the theft. One of the two stories they copied from my account was an HP fic, and the other--an incomplete Captain Hook fic. Apparently Wattpad and couple of other fanfic sites were hit as well. By the time some hapless sucker had bought a story and realized they'd paid money for a Tonks/Giant Squid fanfic, it would have been too late. :-p 

 

Btw, here is some interesting info on fanfic and ownership.

 

EDIT: Update from Ao3.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Rumsy4

[Selina K]

All right, I am a sad person.  It has not even been 24 hours and I have no idea how I will amuse myself through the summer.  I created a tumblr account to which I will likely never post, but can you all pm me some CS ones you follow?  Also links or recommends for CS fanfic.  Thank you!

[OnceUponAJen]

I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know much about tumblr. Any advice for a novice?

[sharky]

So it's more tumblr tags you have to follow. The main tag is #cs ff and that's the fanfiction for Captain Swan. You can also try fanfic-centered blogs like csartistsnetwork or one of the AO3-feed tumblrs (ao3feed-captainswan.tumblr.com/ or ao3feed-cs.tumblr.com/). And then of course, that leads you to AO3. They have some great ways to filter searches. You can read CS fanfic and filter it by most kudos or most recent depending on what you're interested in. Most recent, for example, will give you all the post-finale fic.

 

You can also just follow certain people as you go along. Quite a few people will reblog fanfic they like, which is awesome. And if you have a decent dashboard going, those will show up in your feed, particularly if a good update comes through.

 

Also, if you dig back through this thread or go through the Small Talk thread perhaps, you can find all our tumblr names. I'm athenascarlet over there (and I'll be posting an update to Man Advantage sometime tomorrow too!).

 

ETA: For a tumblr newbie, there are definitely some tutorials or tip page you can google. Frankly, I would say find a few tumblrs that post and reblog alot of stuff related to your favorite fandom and then go from there. The biggest thing you want is your dashboard. You don't have to reblog or know how to post yourself really. But your dash is your center point for tumblr -- kind of like your Friends page on LiveJournal -- and you can be really passive and just check the updates as often as you want.

 

(and btw, I'm thinking of starting a Captain Swan LiveJournal community perhaps this summer. A few people on tumblr lamented the demise of LJ and how it would be nice to have a community to hang out in anyway for us older fans that actually remember LJ so I may run with that.)

Edited May 11, 2015 by sharky

[OnceUponAJen]

Let us know if you do sharky! I search on AO3 and I love your fic. People have told me I'm a good writer, but I would have no idea how to follow through on a story.

[Dani-Ellie]

Ooh, I would love a CS LJ community! I still update my LJ on very rare occasions and would love reasons to check my friends page more.

 

Also, Selina K, I'm dani-ellie03 on Tumblr. I reblog a lot of CS/Emma stuff and post my own CS/Charming Family fic there as well.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Dani-Ellie

[tennisgurl]

Not to sound creepy, but I`m off to find yall! I am looking for some Captain Swan blogs to follow, now that I have a bit more time to play around on Tumblr! Speaking of...

 

Has anyone found a really good fic based around the Authors AU? Please tell me there is something!

[RadioGirl27]

 Has anyone found a really good fic based around the Authors AU? Please tell me there is something!

There are a few one-shots about AU Hook in the cs ff tag in Tumblr. I haven't seen any multi-chapter yet, but I'm sure they would come.

 

Oh, I'm radiogirl27 in Tumblr. I reblogg a lot of CS and Hook stuff, and lots of Art History.

[sharky]

Off topic, I know, but I love the art you reblog! It's a nice break from all the TV show tumblrs I follow. :)

 

Also, I updated Man Advantage today with the last update likely coming on Thursday. And that's it! That's the end! But a few people asked about hockey so I plan on doing a couple hockey primers on my tumblr next week for anyone interested.

[sharky]

Alright, so double posting because as promised, Man Advantage is now over! Here's the link to it on FF from the beginning. Thanks for all the comments!

[OnceUponAJen]

Alright, so double posting because as promised, Man Advantage is now over! Here's the link to it on FF from the beginning. Thanks for all the comments!

Great story, sharky!

[RadioGirl27]

Alright, so double posting because as promised, Man Advantage is now over! Here's the link to it on FF from the beginning. Thanks for all the comments!

This was really great!