Rec a fic Sunday

[scripsi]

When I returned to fandom this Autumn I decided that I should clean up my act a little. You see, I used to read lots and lots of fanfiction, but I was notoriously bad at giving feedback. Loved to get it, of course, it’s always nice to get a review. But I used to junk read, skimming through a lot of fics and usually not bothering to log in, which is usually a requirement on fic-sites if you want to review. But after a couple of years when I didn’t read fanfic at all, I decided to change that. It makes my day when someone read what I write and tell me they like it, after all, so it seems only fair to do the same.

So I decided to comment when I read something. Even if the fic is several years old. I have never really understood why fics often seem to be viewed as if they have a best-before date. A good story is a good story that rarely changes over time. I haven’t managed to review 100%, I know I have lost a few fics when the computer has crashed or I just had had to log out. But I work on that. I noticed that on the Teaspoon, which keeps a track of reviews given, that I have given feedback 63 times since I joined in November and that isn’t the only place I read fanfic at.

I used to find it a bit intimidating to give feedback, but I find I love it! And as I also try to answer my own reviews, I find that this combination have led to a lot more interaction and finding friends. A win-win situation!

Funny thing is that it has completely changed my fic-reading habits. As my time for reading fanfic is limited and you can’t skim-read if you know you are to comment on it, I read rather few fics now. Which in turn makes me much pickier, I prioritize writer’s who I know I have enjoyed before, for example. I’m much less prone to read a pairing or a character that isn’t on my top-list, which I try to counter-act with belonging to a few contest and challenge communities and read what is posted there.

And I really love it when people rec fics. I belong to and I know some of you do it regularly as well. So I am thinking of reccing a fanfic-a-week, say on Sunday’s, as today. And perhaps some of you would like to join me? I think it could be a very nice way to find fics that one wouldn’t, perhaps, have found, otherwise.

Title: The Benevolence of Dragons (AOU)
Author: snowgrouse
Fandom: Doctor Who, Classic series
Length: One-shot; 789 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None stated
Characters/pairing: The Master(Delgado)/Chin Lee
Summary: A Mr. Emil Keller arrives in Beijing, and for Chin Lee, nothing is the same as it was before.
Why I rec it: I re-watched The Mind of Evil recently and I have kept thinking of Chin Lee after that. In the Master’s second outing he has acquired a pretty young companion. I don’t know if it was intentional to mirror the Doctor or something that was considered to be more frequent, but Chin Lee is rather unique among the Master’s minions, at least until Lucy Saxon. Anyway, I went in search for fanfic about Chin Lee and found exactly one, this one. I think it’s very good. The Master manages to be superbly threatening without actually acting on it. I love how Chin Lee sees him as a dragon, it works very, very well. And using the weather to set the mood is a nice touch as well.

Comments

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Just had to come in here too and thank you for the rec:)

I've never understood this thing where people think it's too late to comment on a fic or something. It's actually kind of awful when you're posting, say, a multi-part story and the comments keep coming in and then when the entire story's been posted, the comments kind of peter out--yet going by Ao3's hit counter, people still keep coming in in significant numbers and reading it. I really don't know why people don't feel like commenting if they come into a story late. I mean, if it's still up there, that usually means the author doesn't hate it and that they'd be overjoyed by comments!

Reccing is wonderful and people don't do enough of it these days--I really miss it. It's harder to find quality fic because there's so much bad stuff around these days, but fewer recs. So like I said on Ao3, I think you're doing something wonderful here in general.

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

You are more than welcome!

Me neither. I have noticed the same thing and I find it strange. Still, I have had reviews that states that even as they, as a rule, never leave feedback on old fics, they have to do it now because they like this story so much. That is, of course, very flattering for me, but I think it is an odd rule.

I agree! And I Think it is fun to read why soemone rec something, what it was that made them sit up and pay attention, so to speak. :)

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

I noticed I got a spike in hits on some of my other fics (particularly the ones that could be read as standalones without knowledge of the films, like Devilry (http://archiveofourown.org/series/100610) and the Rosesverse (http://archiveofourown.org/series/25989)) and wondered where they were coming from, so this must've been it. This is great because it helps people find other stuff from the same authors and expands their minds towards different fandoms, too, so again, it's all wonderful. Thanks again :)

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

<3

[thisbluespirit]

That's a very nice idea - having a Sunday rec, I mean! I heartily approve of leaving feedback, too. I know the odd author who's a little uncomfortable with comments, but the vast majority of us all love them indeed. :-)

I tend to make slightly epic rec posts every now and then. And have stints on calufrax, and occasionally other reccing comms.

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

I'm on calufrax and have got some very nice pointers to fics I wouldn't have read otherwise (and been recced once too!) so I really like it. I noticed that I got a lot of hits after. Now to just get the commenting up! (On fics on the whole, not just mine, I mean.)

I see this more as a complement. :D

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*