Another comment re A03 hits and some whinging about WIPs (mine, that is).

[shapinglight]

Further to this post about A03 hits, I realised I'd made a mistake by putting the original dates I posted them to LJ on my stories on A03, instead of the date I posted them to A03. I actually went back and remedied that in the case of the revised version of Brief Encounter, which I'd posted with its original date in 2006. It now has the date in June this year when I posted it on A03.

However....



....even though it's now second on my list of stories (arranged by date of posting), it still only has six hits. Which is the reason why I re-dated it in the first place. Weird. I've just re-read it, and it's not that bad, surely?

I can't explain the lack of interest in it as being down to the pairing either, as I have several other Spike/Darla stories posted, one of which is quite popular. I also can't explain the lack of interest away as being because it's an historical story. Yes, those don't seem as popular. Then again, my story with the most hits of all (110, which I know is not much compared to other writers, but it looks like a lot to me) is not only an historical, it features Spike and Darla (and Angelus and Drusilla). What's more it's posted with its original posting date in 2007, so comes right at the end, or right at the back, or whichever, of all the stories I have posted on A03.

Oh well, I suppose those of the opinion that I should never have revised Brief Encounter in the first place will think it serves me right. ;)

In other writing news, I managed to do a bit more revision of the penultimate Spike/Giles season 7 story the other day. I'm now at the bit where I have to start doing some major, major re-writing. :Whimper:

I also have three more chapters of that Spuffy thing I started on sb_fag_ends last month written. But I don't want to post them yet. In fact, I really wish I'd managed to draw what I had to something more like a close on the comm. I don't like WIPs. Do you?

By which I mean, I don't like it when I write them. I'm always afraid I won't be able to finish them. Posting any chapters at all until the whole thing's done makes me uncomfortable.

My own fault, of course.

Yeah, WIPs. What do you think?

Comments

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

Well I think when a fandom is young and everyones eager and willing so to speak, WIP are fine as the authors will probably finish them, but when fandoms age and people loose interest and fall away, well it seems that WIP appear to be the first things effected and often don't get finished.

As to Brief Encounter. well you've got me there. Maybe this site appeals to a different type of fan?

[shapinglight]

but when fandoms age and people loose interest and fall away, well it seems that WIP appear to be the first things effected and often don't get finished.

This is true. There must be so many unfinished stories out there. Sad.

Maybe this site appeals to a different type of fan?

I'm at a loss really. I don't see why that would be. Or if it is, why they would read something set in the 1890s, but not something set in the 1940s. With the same pairing.

[rahirah]

I think you'd need to date it to today in order to make it show up as a new story, though I could be mistaken.

I would prefer to post stories all at once, but I know that I am a sad attention ho who needs the feedback to get anything longish finished. And sometimes not even then. :P

[ruuger]

No, not anymore, I think. They will show up on the top of the list when it's sorted by Date posted instead of Date updated, and as far as I know, they will also appear of RSS feeds and subscription notices even though they're backdated.

[yourlibrarian]

This is what I was also wondering, how the dates would affect the feeds. It can be a bit puzzling as to what attracts attention and what doesn't. It could depend on the words someone's using to search, the day of the week it goes out, what sort of tags it has on it, etc. On a site as large as AO3 where you've got many thousands of people using it a day (it has nearly 200,000 registered users now but tons of people read on it who don't have accounts) stories can get hits for quite random reasons.

LJ has never worked in a search-oriented way so people who ended up on a story usually got there for a reason, such as a rec, friends-of-friends, a community link, etc. But people could be coming to an AO3 post for fairly unrelated reasons.

[shapinglight]

Interestingly, I have gained more readers for my stories on A03 since sticking multiple tags on them.

I've also found that I only have to mention a story on LJ as not having many readers and it mysteriously gains more.

I don't know what to make of that. Does it mean more people are reading LJ than it seems because few of them actually comment?

[shapinglight]

Interesting. So I don't need to alter all the dates on the stories in a desperate (and sad) attempt to gain more readers, then? ;)

[ruuger]

No you don't :) People who subscribe to the fandom or pairing will see it either way :)

[shapinglight]

:)

[shapinglight]

I fear I'm the same, though with the Spike/Giles thing, it has a very small readership anyway (can't blame them, it's so long since I started it). I'm mostly trying to finish if for my own satisfaction now.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

I think you need to change the summary. Move the existing summary into an author's note, and paint a picture of the railway station, with the steam trains and the tea room, and Spike -- I'm sure that would attract readers. (I read both versions because you asked what we thought about the revisions. I really enjoyed it, but I don't know anything about the business you mention in the summary, so that wouldn't have attracted me... But steam trains and the '40s station setting would... And explains the title.

[shapinglight]

I do need to work on my summaries, I know.

I suppose the summary of this one was very BtVS specific. I hadn't honestly thought anyone who wasn't already a fan of the show would want to read it anyway.

Food for thought.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

I think there are fans and there are fans...

I used to think of myself as a 'fan' of Buffy until I met the people at writerconuk! I know the characters (certainly in the earlier series), & have a particular fondness for early!Willow, though I don't have the detailed knowledge that the more serious fans have. But I can be lured by a summary that (in effect) says, "I'm a good writer and I've written something that will capture your imagination & stay with you." (Because it has). On the other hand, I absolutely 'suck at summeries' myself :-)

[shapinglight]

They're tricky, that's for sure. I usually don't want to give too much away, which ends my summaries end up being rather vague.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

That's exactly the problem I have!

[borzaja.livejournal.com]

Strangely, but as a reader I like WIP stories, especially if there is solid hope that author will finish them. More time to give rein to my own imagination – how would things go from my point of view and then (hopefully) comparing notes with the author. Not to mention that retroactively reading discussions for the finished wip stories could be quite a fun.

As to Ao3, according to google, all of your stories with the higher hit count where mentioned somewhere (su_herald mostly) and linked exactly to Ao3. So, yes, ao3 readers are not too inclined to search for stuff by themselves.
But on the other hand, these 5 people (or 10, or 20... because 20 hits on the Guilt Trip - best "Angel meets the therapist" story ever - that's just ridiculous!) most likely found your fic independently and didn't know you from earlier. I, personally, found many great authors through Ao3. Well, most of them turned out to be well-known or even classic on LJ or elsewhere, but without the ao3 they’d be much harder to find for someone like me. Really hope that ao3 readers’ listlessness wouldn’t discourage you and you’ll continue to post your stories there.

[shapinglight]

Oh, I'll definitely continue to post my stories on there. I like the site. It's very well designed.

I'm interested in your view of WIPs. I must admit I hadn't really thought about readers speculating in private about how the story might go.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

It's been years since I've posted anything that was a wip. Partly because I haven't written as many loooonnnnng fics, but mostly because I like to know it's completed or close enough to that I know it's going to happen. Back in the day, when it seemed like chapters were just flying off my fingers, I did post each chapter as soon as I completed it. But then I end up having to edit like crazy, after they've been posted, when all the typos and stuff start showing up. :)

I don't mind reading them, as long as the chapters keep coming in a reasonable period of time. It is very disappointing to be avidly following a story that doesn't get completed, or where the chapters are coming so very far apart that I can't remember and have to go back and reread previous ones to remind me what's going on. Which is not to say that I don't understand the RL things happen and fanfic must often take a backseat to really important things. But understanding that doesn't really avert the disappointment when it happens. Does that make sense?

I don't have everything up on AO3 yet, and don't know if I ever will. But I don't worry about kudos or comments, because I just figure my older stuff is available so many other places, and has been for years, that anyone interested in reading it already has. :) That may be what's going on with your stories posted there. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it! :)

[shapinglight]

It could be. I have many stories that I will never post n there. I took them down from my own website so am not likely to post them elsewhere.

I know what you mean about the frustration of waiting for new chapters and forgetting what happened before etc. I suppose, like all fic writers, I just hope what I've already written was memorable enough that people will think it worth the time and effort to catch up.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

at I've already written was memorable enough that people will think it worth the time and effort to catch up. Which of course, is what happens. I'm just lazy and forgetful, so most of the time I do have to go back at least far enough to remember what was going on. Sometimes I can just check out the summary and be reminded right away of why I was following the story, but sometimes... Of course this is coming from someone who has to sometimes reread her own stories to remember which one is which, so you shouldn't take my lack of ability to remember to heart. It's me, not you. LOL

[shapinglight]

:)

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I once posted a series of stories that I'd worked really hard on, on "Summer of Spike" and got NO comments; not even the moderator had the courtesy to chime in.

[shapinglight]

What? That's awful! When was this?

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

It was Iowa Field Notes - a good 6 + years ago! Obviously I was traumatised!

[shapinglight]

Oh God, I wasn't a mod that year, was I?

:Crosses fingers and hopes not:

You know I love that story, right?

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure you weren't! I think you beta-ed "Reflections" after that, didn't you? So you must have read the ones before.

[shapinglight]

That's a relief!

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I just checked back - it was 2005! EIGHT years ago! And my memory played tricks on me - I did get a few comments on some chapters - nothing on others.

[shapinglight]

God, that seems like centuries ago!

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I came here to reply to shapinglight and couldn't help seeing your comment. I know how miserable it is to get no comments -- my Draco Big Bang story got none, but the artwork got several, LOL. And I've never stopped wondering why!

That's why I always, always, always comment on every story at the fic exchange I run. I also warn writers that the stories posted earlier in the exchange will get more comments than those posted later (typically 3 or 4 times more). I don't know whether the readers stop reading, or just stop commenting...

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Well, it toughened me up, that's for sure! Sometimes I guess people just feel swamped ...

[yourlibrarian]

I think for a WIP it all depends. I'm sure we've all read some WIP that was so well written or enjoyed that we'd still have read it even knowing it never got wrapped up. I think it also depends how far along the WIP is. If something is a good long story, the journey itself could be promising enough that it wouldn't matter.

Interestingly, I remember noticing a big difference between Buffy and SPN fandoms on LJ back when I got into the latter. I was quite accustomed to stories being either shorter or posted as chapters in Buffy fandom. I used to follow a lot of WIPs at one time. In SPN, I was surprised to find that even longer stories got posted all at once (this was before the spate of Big Bangs came along). It's possible I followed some WIPs though at the moment I can't think of any that weren't completed. However there was such a firehose of fic in SPN that I never read anything that wasn't a rec, and few WIPs got recced. So that had a lot to do with it.

Right now I'm finding much the same in Merlin fandom. These days other than some direct recs, I tend to get stories just from browsing its AO3 fandom feed and clicking on anything that's over 5K and fits some general interests. So this is in some ways a pretty random sampling of the fandom. Yet even so I tend to find come across relatively few WIPs. Maybe it's because many of them have chapters under 5K so I'm automatically scrolling past them?

[shapinglight]

It could be. I find it hard to believe that no one in those fandoms ever posts WIPs.