Fanfiction poll!

[forchancookie]

I think this is the first time I've actually used the poll function. Hmm... Anyway, as previously mentioned I've been poking at my website, updating here and there and then I looked at my menus and thought that they were rather informationally bare. So help me out here, I wanna know what you think. After you vote I order you to comment. Now, on with the poll!

[Poll #1365542]

Ok, now that you've voted, comment! Please? There's cookies in it for you ♥

P.S. Should the labels be in the description, in the fic header, or both?

Comments

[the-owlcat.livejournal.com]

I like very clear labels on fics. Knowing if it's a wip or not, especially if I don't know how often the author usually updates, is vital because I don't like to be disappointed. The fic might get updated once a year or get abandoned so I'll rather wait until it's finished before I start reading. I think many writers should wait until they actually finish the story before posting it anywhere if they're not sure how committed to it they will be. Sometimes it feels like people have to post it online right away because they want to get comments saying: "Omg, more please!" without even being sure they know where the story is going or if they will have enough motivation to finish it. Of course there is plenty of writers who post wips and update them regularly and also finish their stories as well. I often check what else the author has published if I haven't read anything by them before- noticing that the author has 4 other stories going that haven't been updated for months/years doesn't really encourage me to start reading.

It's nice to have an idea about the length because sometimes I'm in the mood for something long and sometimes I'm after a quick read before bed, for example.

Pairing is quite crucial but it's just basic courtesy to mention, ya know... since people ship different things.

Oh, also... in slash fiction I'm grateful to know beforehand who's the bottom in the relationship (if it isn't an equal one). Depending on the pairing it can save me a lot of time and frustration since sometimes I have my own ideas about the ideal dynamics and can't get into a story that mixes it up, no matter how well it's written.

I hope this rant is useful in some way.:S

[forchancookie.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Of course it's useful, even if I'm famously guilty for some of the things you mention. My past is littered with the corpses of many an unfinished fic. Oops. >_>

[ctrl-issue.livejournal.com]

you say there are cookies in it for me, but I know you lie! You lie like a lying thing that lies!

[forchancookie.livejournal.com]

;_; So mean. Did you get your card?

[ctrl-issue.livejournal.com]

LOL, yes I did. ^_^ And all the cowboy stickers therein. XD I take it you sent Deani's and mine at the same time?

[forchancookie.livejournal.com]

Yes. I stuck a giant wad of cards in the mail. Who knows what the mail guy thought of all those sparkly envelopes with ugly nutcracker stamps.

[ctrl-issue.livejournal.com]

Hehehehe, well, he was probably distracted by all the pretty stickers. I really liked the butterfly one. ^_^

[forchancookie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the butterflies were pretty. Though personally, I took unholy glee in sticking unicorns and castles on the envelopes. :D

[nekosenpai.livejournal.com]

I think pairing is most important for me? Followed by warning but only if it's someone who has a habit of writing het. It doesn't have to be a pairing like X+Y-with-a-little-bit-of-Z kind of descriptive pairing, just X+Y will do. I really like any pairing as long as it's hawt, but if it happens to be X+A Where X is male and A is female, then I may think twice about reading it.

Not that I can't handle het... I don't mind het if it's cute and fluffy. I just am not too big on het pr0nz.

[forchancookie.livejournal.com]

That's me lately. I don't want my het sexual. I want it shoujo sparkling clean XD In all the shoujo I'm watching/reading, I can't take that step to see the cute couples at sexually involved. It kills it for me. I don't hate het, I just prefer het fluffiness to overt het sexuality. *shrugs*

That was sort of on topic I guess. XD Anyway, Thanks for the answer!

[nekosenpai.livejournal.com]

:3 ♥

[pixelgoddess.livejournal.com]

It's very important to me to have pairings and warnings clearly identified. There aren't many things I won't read, but there are a few things, especially shota. I want the ability to avoid these stories or else I feel the urge to flame the author, not for the content, but for not warning me of the content.

Pairings are important too - not because I care about seme/uke, but because there's a pairing I will do my best to avoid.

A poor summary will keep me from reading a story, especially if it contains poor grammar and/or spelling.

[pixelgoddess.livejournal.com]

And most of it should be in the description - too much in the header is silly. Maybe just the pairing if you want to include that in the header.

[yami-chan.livejournal.com]

Ah! I forgot I was going to reply to this! Hopefully it's not too late.

Pairings, Warnings and Summaries tend to be important to me. Pairings because there are ones I avoid like the plague; warnings because there are weird ass fetishes I avoid like the plague (though sometimes the warnings do serve to entice me into a story); and summaries mostly cause I like an idea of the setting. Also, I like knowing the genre of a fic for the same reasons I like knowing the warnings. I'm sick and tired of angst and I want to avoid it like the plague. XD Though if the summary covers most of this, than the header doesn't really need to be too long.