For all my complaints, I suddenly miss ffnet...

[valis2]

I've just completed chapter 57...and I'm very happy. I uploaded it last night to SH and faorg. FFnet is still having problems, unfortunately.

Usually I receive instant gratification because it is up and on ffnet after only 15 minutes or so, and I get three or four reviews there relatively quickly. Then within 24 hrs I get a few reviews on SH, and within 48-72 hours I generally get five or six reviews on faorg. Right now I'm waiting for it to be validated, so I won't see any reviews for a little bit, and I suddenly realized what makes me like ffnet so much...it really is the quick reply to whatever I've written. I can usually look forward to three days of reviews...okay, enough whining. I just hope that they can get it all together and figure it out.

Chapter 57 turned out to be the biggest chapter of them all...3,000 words. I know that's nothing to junediamanti and mariannelee, but for me it's something to shout about. I agonized over a lot in this chapter too. I hate having to write without an outline...somehow I ended up with a week of nothing on my outline, and now I have to flesh it out without a framework. I threw in a new plot twist which is likely to cause a teeny bit of surprise, but I'm still trying to regain my footing. Chapter 58 will be one of those rare fun chapters...I am eager to write it, as there will be a bit of comedy in it. Can't write everything dark, depressing, and meaningful, or it just gets campy after awhile, I think. Though some people can do it. See, I love melodrama...love it love it love it, and I have to remember to tone it down, because it becomes laughable if the dial is set too high.

I have been wondering what happens when a WIP is finally finished...I've been wondering if there is a small segment of the fandom that waits for WIPs to be finished before they read them, and whether there are many of these in the SS/OC fandom. Hey, webbapettigrew, if you're reading, did you find you received an extra bunch of reviews just after you finished parts of the Devil's series? Anyone else see a sudden spike after they finished a long WIP?

I'm also trying to decide if I want to do a little PR work...I was thinking about finding a few relevant comms and attempting to write up a little summary to drum up a bit of interest. Hmmm.

Finally received my 200th review on ffnet...up to 450+ on faorg, though at least eighty are mine, signalling new chapters and please review here...43 on SH...and it looks like I have 31 people getting updates on ffnet, about 150-200 reading each chapter on faorg, and 80-90 on SH...I'm very pleased so far with the level of reviews.

Okay, enough whining, and babbling about reviews.

Comments

[aramintasnape.livejournal.com]

Wow, it seems like you have a fantastic number of reviews! Well done! I am definitely going to check out your story at some point - there are several WIPs I want to read but as most of them already have loads of chapters, it's a question of finding time! Guernica's 'Knight Errant Chronicles' is another one on my list - she must be at the 50+ chapter stage as well!

What's Fiction Alley like? As an author, I mean? Do they accept NC-17 stuff?

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I seem to have a few really dedicated readers who take the time to read every chapter, which definitely adds to the total. Sometimes I feel kind of bad...after all, a persistent reviewer can add 50+ to the review total...but then again, most of them have something new to say, and I've really come to appreciate them tremendously.

I have one unusual reader with the handle jbfritz who reviews every chapter. He/she began by writing "Great chapter! Can't wait to see more! Please post again soon!" Then s/he started writing "Great chapter! Please post again soon!" Now s/he is down to "Great chapter!" I'm waiting for the point at which I will be receiving "Gr", honestly.

The fic is large enough where I'm certain that only Snapeophiles who don't mind an OC should even bother starting to read it, and most of the time I convince myself that the Snape/OC community is a fairly specialized one, and that everyone in this community already has seen and either tried or skipped it. It is a Harry sixth year fic with three POVs: the OC, Snape and Harry, yet its essence is the SS/OC romance, of course. However, it is pretty subtle for a story in this genre, because I like to write the "slow burn" story as opposed to the "jump in the back of the VW now" story. Not that I don't enjoy reading quickies...right now I just love writing a slowie.

Fiction Alley is a rather interesting archive. It is one of the largest, if not THE largest, HP-only archive. Its user interface is not as user-friendly as ffnet's interface. But it is a rewarding frustration, as once you learn to use it, it has some interesting (and talkative!) forums. Because they read the fics, and send back the ones with too many punctuation/spelling/grammar errors or misspellings of canon names, most of the fics there are of a higher quality than average. There are many good authors there. They also have a LJ feed (chapter_owls) where you can receive updates of all the chapters updated each day. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's relatively easy to look through. Also you can receive e-mails for any new posts in threads that you subscribe, and most authors with WIPs will post a message that you can subscribe to that will alert you with chapter updates for their fic.

They mention that it takes up to 10 days to validate a fic, but I've never had that happen. Most are updated within 72 hours, which is no mean feat, considering the volume. They do not accept NC-17, which is sad, but all in all they are a quality site, except for the occasional uploading difficulty. I really enjoy the site and do roam around a few of the forums.

Whew! Babbled a bit there.

[aramintasnape.livejournal.com]

Will have to have a look at Fiction Alley - unfortunately most of the stuff I've written so far is NC-17 so there's no point in me trying to submit it, but sounds like there's some interesting reading material on there. And I would love to read your story as soon as I get a chance - things are a bit hectic at the moment and probably will be until Christmas is over, but it is on my list of 'long' fics that I want to read!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Really? Wonderful!! I'd love to hear your opinion on it.