Why? · 4:18am Mar 24th, 2013
Okay, I'm seriously dumbfounded as to why Immortal? is so popular. Well, more popular than a good chunk of the fics you see every day anyway. For a while there, it was on the Popular Fics list, but seemingly disappeared. Probably for good reason. It doesn't deserve it really. It's just some stupid non-original fic I came up with spur of the moment and decided to write something about it. Then again, that's how a lot of great fics are born. I think inspiration for me probably lasts like... 1 day max. Past that, it gets old quick and that's why I can't write long fics.
Disregarding that for moment, I still have no idea why it got so much attention. It's not like there aren't a billion other fics about Twilights mortality, so why choose mine? Not that I'm complaining. I'm beyond grateful I got so many favorites and a few watchers out of it but really... I'm not a great writer.
Also I was wondering, when does a fic get the chance to be put up on the Featured board? Does it need over 4K words? If so that's just stupid. How could good fics that are short be cast aside for longer ones of less quality? This is of course NOT saying I think I should be on it. Though I will admit I kinda wish it would. But that's asking FAR to much, especially considering it's not edited or anything. It would just be neat.
As for new fic ideas... I'm mostly sticking with sad fic ideas... I guess if there are people out there who think they have an idea for one but don't want to write it themselves, I can give my own little stab at it but I will promise nothing. I like making my own fics more anyway, I just don't get ideas very often. I love the writing process but so far I don't get a chance to write as much as I'd like. Good ideas are few and far between and those who are good more often than not take massive effort to make sadly. Though I'm sure I'm not the only one. I am one of many with this problem so feel free to ignore me. I use blogs to vent so it's not a big deal anyway.
Also if anyone is out there thinking about Proof Reading or know a proof reader, perhaps send them my way? The proof reader group is 100% unreliable to get things done in a timely fashion and it really gets on my nerves some times. It's been nothing but waiting and waiting and when they finally message me, it's a rejection. I know people are busy, but if you're really that busy then take your name off the list and maybe catch up a little? If I was a proof reader, I'd have no more than 10 fics lined up so I wouldn't keep anyone waiting to long. Though I wouldn't know how tough that would be seeing as I'm not a proof reader, and I'd be pretty fuckin' bad at it if I was. I can't even see the errors in my own fic :C
Maybe I shouldn't complain yet. Gotta see it for myself.
Anyway that's all there is to say for now. Still working on my big project, no matter how stupidly similar the concepts are to Immortal? The plot will make up for it 100 fold IMHO.
First off, I wanted to say congratulations on the story. I still have yet to read it because of an overload of things to do, but when I do I'll comment on it.
One reason I believe your story gained such popularity is because it was at the top of the "New Stories" list for thirty minutes to an hour. That definitely helped cause the large spike.
And yes, there is a minimum of 4000 words to hit the featured box. I had one story that was at the top of the "Popular Stories" list for a few hours but never went to the featured box because it was a little over 1000 words.
Anyway, keep it up!
942057 How in the world would you know how long it was on the new stories list? It was there for a mother fuckin' long time though.
Also I still find it stupid that there is a 4000 word limit. Creativity and fic worth is not proven by word count. What was the reasoning the Devs use to enforce this rule anyway?
And yes, you should read the fic when you have the chance. Maybe you can even edit it :P
942064
I was online while it was. About fifteen minutes after you posted it, I checked the new stories list, and it was still at the top. In another amount of time, while I was browsing, I saw that it was still there. So I'd say that you are very fortunate to get that to happen to you.
And yeah. The word count limit is silly. On the other hand, though, someone could write a crappy, 1000 word clopfic, have some amount of people view it, and then hit the box. That's definitely not what we want.
And I'll definitely read it soon enough. I don't know about editing, though. I'm an awful editor.
942107 I don't know... maybe we could like stop clop fics from being featured? I don't know that seems kinda harsh... After all, not all clop fics are pure clop. Though I never read them. Still, as it is now, you could just write a crappy 4000 word clop fic and make the page. Albeit it's is a little more difficult. writing a 4000 word fic is actually pretty hard in retrospect. In the end though, I still think it's silly.
942121
Personally, I think that the featured criteria needs to be revised. The story doesn't even need to be good, currently; it just has to gain a large amount of views, favorites and thumbs. Anyone can fake that.
942131 Have any ideas on a new system? Man power is required to fix the featured list cus computers can only automate it so much using the little data they have. but even with man power, it would require a non-biased person to read them. Maybe a vote thing? But that to would take to long. The popularity by thumbs and views is essentially the only logical choice by which to have a featured list.
942146
I wouldn't be able to think of anything. I just write stories.
942165 What do you think would happen if I just added another chapter to it but just like... fake the chapter. Make it like just a jumble of words sticted together. Copy paste a few lines to get me up to the 4000 word limit? Would I get in trouble?
942208
Definitely. The story would get many thumbs down for that.
942544 Figures as much...
942684
People are pretty unforgiving when it comes to things like that
942724 I don't know if I would mind people doing that if it means fucking over the system that's 100% flawed. But people will be people.
942740
I don't see a point of a feature box in the first place, it's basically a popularity contest built into the site. It worked when the fandom was really small and genuine quality could be promoted, but right now it is basically a way for already popular authors to get more popularity, or for the small ones to whore themselves out with exploitation, kind of what You Tube does but not intentionally.
My problem with writing is actually the contrary of yours, I get new ideas constantly but I'm unable to find the initiative to actually write them down, or set up a time of my day to do so. I'm going to actually do something useful with my time and read your story now, congratulations on the exposure it's gotten.