Poll: Why do you read fan-fiction? · 6:09am Jan 5th, 2016
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
3. In what ways is printed / professional / paid for fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the rank-order of the importance of:
- the ponies
- the fandom
- the interactivity
- the cost ($0)
- the practice writing
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content, e.g.:
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
- the crackfics
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
6 (NEW QUESTION). Is it easier to find stories that clear your Threshold of Awesome in fan-fiction, or in commercially-sold fiction? If you spend X number of hours searching and reading, will you probably end up spending more of those X hours reading "awesome" stories if you're reading fan-fiction, or professional fiction?
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
I'd say 80-90%, given my constant involvement with the community. The rest is fantasy and sci-fi. I'd say that at a guess, the ratio used to be 50-50 about 10 years ago.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
None. I tried, it gave me headaches.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
Smell of paper, the feel of the pages, ability to read wherever you are without internet.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
Author-reader contact, much more options to choose from, more variances of a similar theme, thousands of voices sharing ideas with (almost) no middle-man deciding if its worth being exposed to everyone or not.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
I blogged about it... but...
- the ponies: I like the familiarity with them, and the ways the same character can grow in completely different directions.
- the fandom and - the interactivity: These are my main things, I guess.
- the cost ($0): I don't care. I'd spend $100 in a book if I knew I'd get half the entertainment I do here.
- the practice writing: Very useful and I can't stress how much I've improved since writing ponies.
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content: again, the possibilities of a similar start going into completely different worlds, interpretations, ideas, etc.
1. I think about 90% of the fiction I read is fanfiction, as opposed to 0% in 2012
2. About 50-60% is on my phone, for no other reason than I'm away from my computer for most of the day
3. Printed fiction makes answering the question "What are you reading?" a lot easier.
4. Fanfiction has a lot more leeway in what can be written. (For example I'm reading a Tom Clancy/BattleTech Crossover, which is really good, and there is a Firefly/ST:TNG Fanfic that is great.)
5. Pretty Much all of the above, but especially because I get to read stories in genres that I would otherwise never touch, in lengths that would never make it into print media.
1. Maybe 9/10 by title, but 1/3 by word count, because I read lots of very short fimfiction stories. Dropped steadily since 2012, when I plowed through a bunch of famous long pony stories.
2. Fraction on phone: 0.
3. Printed fiction is cleaner (fewer typos, bad grammar, sentences I don't understand, Chekov guns that don't get fired, tonal shifts, thematic inconsistencies), and usually edited so that the whole story fits together. If something bizarre intrudes on the story, I trust that it's intentional, so I'm more likely to figure out why it's there.
Printed fiction connects you to people outside of fan-fiction, and to the history of literature.
4. Fan-fiction doesn't have to stick to established story structures and popular ideologies. The kinds of stories that editors buy have all been overdone, and are usually simple-minded.
Fan-fiction recommendations are more helpful. People who review printed fiction recommend too much stuff just because it has pretty sentences, or uses some literary gimmick, or is by an author from an under-represented culture.
Fan-fiction authors aren't ashamed to aim for fun and feels. Print fiction too often makes me feel like Tom Hanks in Big:
Fan-fiction writers realize they're there to tell the reader a story. A 10 year old writing his first fan-fiction knows to make something happen on the first page. Somehow professional authors often forget this.
I can use magic in a pony story without that forcing it to be a fantasy, and I can have the characters try to solve a crime without having to make it a crime story. For example, I don't know whether the ending of "The Magician & the Detective" would have been allowed in a mystery-story magazine. "Twenty Minutes" wouldn't fit anywhere--it's technically an apocalyptic science fiction horror story, but no science fiction or horror magazine would want it. And fan-fiction can use elements from several different genres without becoming a self-conscious, ironic mash-up.
5. The fandom, the interactivity, and the freedom to write any kind of story I want to, and to switch genres from one story to the next, are the biggest draws to me.
1. It varies, but at least 90% these days. It fluctuates, but never really fell below 85%.
2. None. I read at home, where I have better screens available.
3. Better editing, more consistency, higher general quality
4. More ideas, more variety in tone and perspective, tighter author-reader feedback loop. Higher proportion of shorter stories - I'm looking for amuse-bouches, not a doorstop.
5. Excellent characters to work from, flexible setting, relatively large and friendly community
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
These days, probably 99%, the remaining 1% being looking up books and stories that I meant to read on Project Gutenberg or similar sites. It's been a while since I read a lot of non-fanfic fiction regularly, mostly because it tended to cut into my writing time and I didn't have the money to buy books. (Don't ask about my library card. Twilight would not be happy.)
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
I don't have a smartphone. I do sometimes read fanfic on my Kindle, I'd say about 10% of my reading by stories, or 25% by wordcount (I'm more likely to read longer fics that way.)
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
I don't think it's appreciably better. I suppose if I cared about proof-reading it's better that way, but I really don't. The marketing is better, in the sense that I don't have to look at sleazy porn while I'm looking for something to read.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
It's free. Also, being free, the web-based nature makes it easy to look at something and go on to the next one if it's not good. Even with ebooks, you still have to click to buy, download to a device or open a reader, etc.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
Read:
- the ponies
- the cost ($0)
I do love the characters, and I have no money and a lot of time near my computer. I'd also add convenience. I'm on the site for other reasons (writing and social) so it's in my face a lot.
Write:
- the ponies
- the fandom
- the interactivity
Once again, I love the characters. But I also love having an audience, and being able to interact with that audience on a story. I wrote a lot before I started writing fanfic, but my husband was the only one I could force to read it all (to be fair, most of it was essentially fanfic for my original fiction setting.)
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Somewhere about the high 80s or 90s, up from basically zero when i was younger.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Probably a similar fraction as to the previous question, I tend to read when I'm on break at work and in the passenger seat.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
I'd be lying if I said there wasn't the association between printed work and quality, at least major publications, due to the amount of work typically put into them. True or not, when you think of well written, well edited work, fanfiction is not the top spot.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
Where printed word has the idea of being (mostly) well written, fanfiction has a lot of points for being imaginative; the writers of a show have so much they can do with their series, take for example the limitations put on a children's show like My Little Pony. Because of it's target audience you'd never see any story with a plot much more than group A being mean to group B because of reason, at least, not usually. Some shows, like Arthur, have tried (success or not) to tackle darker topics, but I very much doubt this show would in most cases. So many fans choose to write something they want to see happen in the show were it to eschew the need to target certain people for ratings; this, in turn, allows for limitless possibilities so long as we're inventive (or crazy, thin line) enough to do so.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
In order:
- the ponies I admit the most reason the ponies have in my choices are typically my need to see certain ponies kiss kiss fall in love, although In other cases I like ones that explore relationships not of romantic nature, I'm very interested in interpersonal relationships with these stories.
- the fandom this one has barely any interaction on my reading fanfiction, the most I typically interact is receiving reccommendations or giving them, and the occasional attempt to provide tips on grammer or misspellings.
- the interactivity The most interactivity I do is commenting on chapters (usually with a conspiracy theory on where things are going) or to type long winded explanations about things... like this.
- the cost ($0) I own all of one shirt, and I probably won't buy much more merchandise in the future
- the practice writing Most of my "practice writing" gets deleted or never posted. I can't seem to bring myself to either finish or post anything I do end up writing occasionally. But on the bright side I try to help others with grammar errors if I find them,does helping other people practice count?
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
I can read most anything so I'm fine with just about anything published, I do, however, have an issue with too many errors. I'm not trying to expect flawless english from everyone, but I do prefer that a published story be coherent, at least passably so.
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Me too, usually. And I learned a new word!
... just not how to pronounce it.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
It's been pretty close to 100% over the last year or two. Started with one or two, then moved further and further over until I wasn't reading any original fiction (of the pure words story format anyway). Slowly pulling back to try and get some non-ponyfic in my reading diet this year.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Don't read it on my phone, but I've got a cheap mini-tablet that I do most of my reading on. Has a screen about the size of a paperback book. Occasionally will read it on my computer, but mostly the mini-tablet.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
Broader ideas, a better chance at more variety in characters/situations. Knowing that (for the most part) if I find a story it'll be a finished story with some kind of ending.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
More variety all the way around, primarily in thematic and plot elements. The authors can do whatever they want, toss in whatever they want.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
The cost is a minor but measurable part of it. Though I tend to pirate ebooks when there is something I want to read and don't have the money, which is why it's a minor part.
As for writing? Eh, with one fanfic out and perhaps one more coming I'm not sure I can speak to that. It's just writing to me at this point. Just has pony inspiration. Don't have the pony inspiration, I write something original instead. So writing fan fiction is just more writing time for productivity/practice when it happens.
As for the meat of the answer, the reading of fan-fiction, I mostly enjoy all the directions and potential that ponies and their world provide. It's got all the great elements of both science fiction and fantasy. Incomplete bits and pieces of those elements sure, but that's why so many authors have managed to do such interesting things with them. Everyone was presented with a horse backside and saw a unicorn, to mangle a saying I read once in a rpg book.
The ponies are a big part as well. Having the same characters explored over and over by lots of different authors lets me build up something of a composite of each one in my mind. Making them much more nuanced and subtle than any one author could ever manage. Not in a everything is canon way, but building a character that would react to things this way or that way depending on which situation occurs. Which gives depth to even stories that don't really have much on the page themselves. Fan fiction allows everything to sort of snowball with everything else, heightening my enjoyment of even the fluffy stories where nothing really happens and isn't really connected to anything else. I get the 10+ book series background emotional weight for stories even if none of that background is really functional as canon or backstory for any specific story I read.
The fandom is also part of it. I'm not a huge part, but I consider some of the people here on fimfiction online friends and just by being there and interacting with me they've helped make my life better. Which, given that most of them are writers and/or reviewers, the fan fiction is pretty central to the whole thing.
I think at the end of it, mostly it's just the chance of being surprised. Perhaps it's because my original fiction reading got lazy, but it really did seem like every book I read was following the same paint-by-numbers writing advice. Or more likely the same editor guidelines for what marketing think will sell. Even with a lot of the bland or pony-cliche fan fiction stories I never know exactly what I'm going to get. At least when starting each story. Plus I enjoy meandering slice-of-life and non-complicated romance stories quite a bit and those are hard to find. At least with scifi and/or fantasy elements.
Part of it was I got lucky with my first pony fan fiction choices. Which is mostly because my introduction was from a very good review site. After one of the first half-dozen stories became one of my favorite stories (original or pony) ever, I was pretty much hooked. When I kept finding really good stories I loved, it built momentum. Combined with my disillusionment with all the original fiction I was reading at the time it kind of magnified everything.
Now I should probably stop typing while I'm tried and the part of my brain that tells me not to do things isn't functional. Curious about why you are asking though. Just personal curiosity? Studying an bizarre culture for some anthropological class? (I actually had that happen in my anime club once) Or just poking us with a stick to see if anything interesting happens?
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Near 100%, 0 before mid-2011 except for a jump to maybe 15-25% around 2008.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
0.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
I do like physical books, and they are physically easier to read than on a computer. The craft is generally better, there's more variety available, and it tends to offer a greater (or at least different) sense of accomplishment or discovery. Beyond basic mechanics, I'd point out in particular that needing to write for a publisher tends to mean, by my impression, less bloat in (especially) long stories, and there's less likelihood of rough edges related to publishing serially rather than all at once. If it's published, it's probably a complete story, so there's less worry of the author abandoning a project partway through.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
There are lower barriers to entry in terms of cost, effort to find what to read, and engaging in a community around it, as well as mental effort where figuring out settings and characters are concerned. Zero money cost and less time making decisions means it's easier to drop something I'm not enjoying without regret. There's the opportunity to interact with the writers exists in a way I couldn't imagine doing with printed fiction (and, notably, very few fanfiction authors, especially here, are actually dead).
It's on my computer, which I have with me at almost all times, so I don't need to think about keeping track of anything else.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies
- the fandom
- the interactivity
- the cost ($0)
- the practice writing
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
- the crackfics
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
The ponies were big at the start, and I suppose still are, but the fandom and interactivity have become much more important the last few years. Notably, the reviewers are a big help, and FIMFiction is a well-made site that makes all aspects easier. Cost is nice, but not an overriding concern, even if it's perhaps more prominent than it was a year or two ago.
The format here is very conducive to reading in little chunks of time, whereas I'd never been great with short fiction in printed media, and preferred to go through novels several hours at a time unless reading while in a vehicle. I find it makes for a better fit with a restricted schedule.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
- I'd say about half-and-half, although even most of the original fiction I read is electronic stuff I can either get for free, (amateur, translated, public domain) or from the few authors I'll buy ebooks from to support. Started moving from printed to electronic as soon as I had high-speed internet, so about when I graduated high-school.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
- Very little. I'll read on my phone for a short time after getting in bed some days, but I basically stick with my desktop or tablet. Not a fan of small screens in general.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
- Battery life. And the barrier-to-entry assures a minimum level of quality - although most of that's in the mechanical construction.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
- It's fun to see characters in situations the official work doesn't have. It's free, and the medium means there can be different/more community engagement.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
- I got into it because I enjoy writing, and the barrier to entry is low. (Both cost and talent-wise.) I've stuck around because I'm maybe starting to get a little better at writing because of it, and that's a pretty cool feeling.
- the ponies
- This site, basically. I've never been super 'brony', but the site here is by far the best I've seen for reading, writing and community engagement electronically.
- the fandom
- The fandom is big enough to attract writers who are considerably better than me, which means I can learn from them. It also means that the quality is consistently high enough to hold my interest.
- the interactivity
- Not going to lie, attracting an audience and seeing them respond to what you've written is quite the thrill. Being able to talk with them is great.
- the cost ($0)
- Well, I don't know about zero, but I already have a computer and internet is included in my rent. So, given what I already have, yes, it's cheap entertainment. And I've always been more about reading then watching/listening for entertainment. I can move at my own pace, and it's just as immersive, if not more.
- the practice writing
- Definitely. Although originally, I was mostly just writing for fun, an element of trying to improve has entered that, increased my engagement and enjoyment with the craft.
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- Fantasy has always been my genre of choice for long fiction, so there's that. Otherwise, though, I don't know if I see much difference in the kinds of stories than what's generally available.
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
- I don't read much erotica at all - most of it bores me, breaks immersion too easily. So, not really a big factor for me.
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
- Very few people seem to write 'romance'. :/ It's all 'shipping', smashing the ponies together and making kissy noises. The few with actual character arcs and what can be good, though. Unfortunately, it's sorta rare.
- the crackfics
- Meh, not my scene.
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
- I'm an unabashed fan of pulp. I don't need big, shiny ideas, or high-power literary techniques to enjoy something fun. I like to think of a fair amount of what I read as 'popcorn fiction'. No mental calories; just an enjoyable way to blast some time. When I stumble across the really good stuff, it's a wonderful treat and an excellent surprise. And I'm fine with that.
3665607
I'm writing an application to an English Lit MA program, and want to say why people read fan-fiction.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Honestly, I never knew fan fiction existed.
When I just started in the fandom though, I'd say 20%, but it has increased to 98%. The other 2% is me forcing myself to read non-fiction.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Unless I'm away from home, zero.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
Less headaches (?) The feeling of owning the book. No grammar mistakes.
My main problem with printed fiction is actually reading the end. I have a habit of flipping towards the ending before I even start the book. My sisters get ticked off by me.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
I can't cheat into the story unless the author updates. The ability to comment and criticise, as well as share ideas. Requesting/ Begging for sequels. Printed fiction can unexpectedly conflict with beliefs/morals/ values extremely easily. I've read some that have downright insulted a group of people. Sad, too. She was my favourite author. However, due to it being printed, it is next to impossible to confront the author. For fan fiction, the characters are not dumped aside after you finish reading it. (Since, you know, AJ is the mane character in the series.)
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies
The ponies provide a familiar surrounding. You need not worry about getting to know the characters. What's interesting is seeing the author developing these characters into a certain direction. Also, ponies kissing and making love is actually cute. Weird, right?
- the fandom
It's nice to discuss complex topics that can drastically improve and enhance your writing. I've begun to critique on people's writing a lot more. My judgement is harsher.
- the interactivity
When you need a sequel/ update, beg the author.
- the cost ($0)
I probably just like printed fiction for the cover nowadays. But, yeah, fan fiction is free.
- the practice writing
Still don't have the guts to put my work out there. The main problem here is people staring down at your work. I know it's for my own good, but it's still intimidating.
3665595 For the record, it's 'ah-muse boosh', but French classes were a long time ago and I may be a bit off.
Hmm. I started reading a lot more since I got involved in all this, that's for sure. My interests are scattered in general though. I've always been quite an avid reader, but these days, I just read stuff when it catches my interest. Don't think I read particularly more or less outside ponyfic, but I do find myself reading fanfics pretty much all the time now. Very hard to put numbers on that though. Last novel I read was "The Martian" I think.
That old brick? A good old zero. I do read "mobile" though, since practically all my reading is while commuting by train, but I do that on my laptop, not a phone. For the sake of the question I suppose it's close enough? I wrote a fimfic to epub converter program to easily download entire stories to read when offline.
You don't need power, and (depending on e-reader and format) you can more easily put a bookmark in it
*Nyer looks at his dead tree versions of Fallout Equestria* What are you talking about? I got printed fan fiction, and plenty of ebooks of commercial novels. That distinction is really a thing of the past.
If you mean ebooks vs printed fiction, though, I'd say it's the sheer volume of books you can easily carry along.
If you mean web-published fiction vs commercial fiction, it's the opportunity to exchange feedback.
Well, to me, ponies are just... the community thing. Sure, I could write original fiction, or fan fiction of other stuff, but the ponies more or less hold this all together.
I think I already answered that in question 4. Community interaction is a wonderful thing, and what keeps me coming back here.
Not really an issue. Am working man. Haz monies.
I learned more from hanging around here than I ever have in school. And this is coming from someone who not only learned English as non-native language in school, meaning that included tons of grammar and vocabulary, but I've always been good at the language too. I kinda grew up on the Dr. Seuss books my grandmother has lying around her house. So yes. Despite a rather thorough background in English, I still learned tons here. For those seeking to improve (Be the 90%!) this place is an immense learning opportunity.
You clearly never read Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children books. My goodness. I see that on so many people's bookshelves, and teen me had a lot of fun with some of these scenes in book 2 and beyond
I dunno. Romance is just part of some stories? Never saw much appeal in stories that are purely about romance. Honestly, what attracts me in stories isn't too different in fanfic and other fiction. Of course, I've got a long and interesting history of webcomic addiction, so I've seen my share of diverse fiction in general before I even went into this pony stuff.
Ehh.... parody fics are okay, but overall, nah.
3665662
Fairly correct, besides the fact you silly English types can't pronounce the mainland "u" properly. That'd be the sound the Germans write as "ü", by the way.
Only thing that comes fairly close is the vowel sound in "true" when pronounced as upper-class-British as you possibly could.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
50% down from about 75% when I first got into MLP fanfic four years ago.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Phone: None. Kindle: 99% Computer 1%
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
The mechanics (grammar, spelling, vocabulary, &c.) are almost always better. Plus, whatever catches my eye is almost always finished.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
Despite the themes that have been done to death, it is often more innovative and able to surprise. It is also an expansion of subjects, settings, and characters that I already know that I enjoy.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
As for writing, I enjoy expanding on the characters, world, and concepts of MLP.
As for reading, I enjoy seeing how others do the same.
- the ponies
Are well-defined, enjoyable characters which inhabit a magical world that gives a great deal of scope for story-telling. They are the major reason for my involvement in MLP fanfic.
- the fandom
Is much like any other fandom, and plays little part in my enjoyment of the fanfic.
- the interactivity
Is a mixed blessing. It is good to know when readers are enjoying a story, but it is easy to let a vehement negative reaction have unwarranted influence.
- the cost ($0)
Time is money. Yes, it's nice to get a lot of free entertainment, but if it wasn't enjoyable, the time wouldn't be worth it. I would be willing to pay a moderate amount for stories by the authors I enjoy the most. In fact, I bought the de-ponified version of one of AugieDog's stories.
- the practice writing
Not only the practice, but the help of pre-readers/editors who are of high caliber. Seriously. My wife is a professional writer, and she's had editors that are nowhere near as good as some of the people who have worked on my stories.
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
Occasionally. Friendship is Optimal springs to mind.
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
Most clopfic writers here are... immature. Sexy times are to be had easily enough at the more discrete publishing establishments:
Fox News Fuckfest
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
Likewise, I'm sure.
- the crackfics
Don't care for them.
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
Subject trumps polish to a degree.
“Paul, why do read fan-fiction?”
“Err… Why do you ask?”
“Just feel curious.”
“Swish your ponytail, would you?”
“Come on… You’re such a grouch at times.”
”Besides, why do you pester me with this? You already know the answer.”
“No, you can’t be serious?”
“Please go to Tartarus and don’t come back.”
—
So:
1. I’d say 25%, not more. I try to concentrate on ‘good’ fan-fiction written by ‘good’ authors, such as… Bad Horse, for example. It hasn’t changed much over time. Most of what I read is tied to the WriteOffs. I seldom read anything outside that realm. The majority of what I read is outside pony world (novels, shorts stories, essays, scientific/linguistic books, and so on).
2. It’s about half-half. I like reading before turning in, so my phone is ideal to read in bed. A tablet would be too heavy to handle. Also, as a straphanger, it’s nice to be able to read fics in the train. The other moiety on the computer because screen size is much more comfortable, and I can switch between applications more easily. And because I can pretend in my office that I work!
3. Printed books usually receive more care in the form of edition. But otherwise, I don’t see any fundamental difference between fan-fiction and “traditional” fiction. They can both be outstandingly good, or egregiously bad.
4. Fan-fiction is more spontaneous. It’s also nice to be able to interact directly with the author.
5. Practice my English as a non-native speaker first. Have fun with the characters of the show. Be able to elaborate on zany ideas I have, and sometimes read other people’s funny prompts. Interact with great people in the fandom. Oh, as you know, I despise clop and shipfics, so certainly not for those ones.
Yeah, that’s about it. Good luck BH!
3665676
Wer wollen sie davon überzeugen?
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Over 90%, for sure. I'll occasionally read a non-fanfiction work, but only if I have a reason to do so that isn't strictly leisure. I don't think this has changed much since I made this account.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Also over 90% of it. I like to read in bed, on the bus, etc. rather than using my computer. I do, however, use a computer to comment most of the time.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
Very few typos. You have higher expectations, so you're more likely to pick up on unusual or interesting things in the writing. There's no chance you'll read a story where the characters are OOC.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
If it's about characters/a universe I care about, I'll already start with an affinity towards them/it, as opposed to needing to develop it. They're somewhat more likely to have an .epub format (particularly the ones on this site). They're free without having to find a copy online or go to a library. You can more easily come in contact with the author.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies
As CiG says, "Stories about ponies are stories about people." I don't think it has an especially large impact, but I've never read fanfiction for another series, so ponies may actually be an important factor. As far as I'm concerned though, I just like the characters.
- the fandom
I don't think I'd read fanfiction very much if this site didn't exist. fanfiction.net is ugly, google docs is unwieldy, and other ones are too sparse/I'm unaware of them. Equestria Daily's fanfic archive also got the ball rolling, so to speak. I've never participated in any other fandom, so I can't really compare it, but I really like the community here.
- the interactivity
This is probably a big factor. I like being able to comment on stories and share my opinions on them. I like being able to talk to the writer casually and easily find others who enjoy the same stories I do.
- the cost ($0)
I think it's more accessibility than cost for me. Stories are but an easy search away on this site. It's a bit more difficult to find printed fiction, especially in .epub format. If I wanted to purchase a book, I'd have to think about how much I would benefit from having it, instead of just going poni poni poni.
- the practice writing
I don't write.
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
I love Dark-AU stories, which you can sort of find elsewhere, but it's effect is magnified when compared to the Equestria we see in the show. I don't know, I like all kinds of stories here. I suppose for printed fiction I pretty much only read fantasy and very seldomly "The Classics," leaving little room for horror or sci-fi or romance, etc.
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
It's really hard to find good clop, but it's also really hard to find good written porn. At least clop is easy to find.
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
I really liked Pride and Prejudice, but I've never read another printed romance novel. Nor have I considered it, so when I want to read a romance story I'm definitely coming to this site.
- the crackfics
I'm not a fan, unfortunately.
3665795
Oh yeah, I hesitated. “Wen” is normal, since what you are asking for is the object of the verb, not the subject:
“Wer spricht?”
“Wen haßt du?”
“Wem gehört es?”
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Roughly eighty percent. This has shifted massively in favor of fan fiction in recent years.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Less than five percent.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
It's edited for coherence, always introduces new characters, builds new worlds, and is available in a single lump sum with no risk of the author getting bored or suffering real-life misfortune halfway through (if it isn't a book series.)
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
The community surrounding it, the continual feedback, the common knowledge base that allows for exploration of fascinating topics without having to spend hundreds of pages establishing groundwork, and the crossover opportunities that could never happen in official media.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
I love to take ideas and twist them in strange directions. Friendship is Magic provides a wealth of conceptual fodder, as does the fandom itself. Being able to read all of these cool ideas for free is nice, but I especially appreciate the ability to hone my skills and get sincere feedback. Plus, Equestria is a really novel setting. What other high fantasy worlds have industrialized weather control, benevolent dictatrices who have the celestial spheres on manual override, and a biosphere that's half Monster Manual and half wordplay?
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
For fiction, well over 90%. Most of the actual books I tend to read are non-fiction. Prior to reading fanfiction, I didn't read much fiction, so fanfiction has not really displaced any conventional fiction reading for me (i.e. when I started reading fanfiction, I increased my overall reading). Actually, as a kid, I used to read a lot of Star Wars extended universe novels (RIP), so I guess I used to do quite a bit of fanfiction reading back then as well.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Over 90%. It's easier to curl up on bed with a smartphone than a laptop (I don't own a tablet, but this might also work. Reading with a dark default background and an app that adjust screen color and brightness helps to avoid problems with blue light disrupting circadian rhythms when reading on screens before sleep.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
Over the millennia that humans have been producing literature, we've come up with quite a number of good stories, and there is a wide variety of printed fiction that covers a wide variety of topics. However, it's often difficult to sort through the wide variety of choices to find stories that interest me. In contrast, fanfiction is much more limited in scope, but it's much easier to find stories within my particular fandom that interest me. The quality of fanfiction tends to be lower than printed fiction, but at least within the pony fandom, there are plenty of resources to help identify the good stories.
Because most fanfiction deals with fantasy worlds, however, it cannot address some issues as effectively as conventional literature that tells stories that tend more toward realism. The printed fiction world is also more cognizant about recognizing and promoting diverse voices whereas fanfiction (as with much of the internet) tends to overrepresent upper-middle class whites from English-speaking, developed countries (of course, these voices are still overrepresented in traditional publishing).
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
The fandom and community aspects of fanfiction are probably the biggest factors for me. I tend to see fiction as part of a conversation that society is having with itself, and as such, I tend to enjoy some novels more when I've studied them in school and can learn about the context in which they were written. Within a particular fandom, it's much easier to follow all the various ideas and conversations going along and to understand the context in which the fanfiction was produced (especially since those stories that deal with bigger issues mostly deal with contemporary issues). Plus, the conversation surrounding the story occurs right in the comments of the story and can be followed by anyone reading the story. Fanfiction makes reading a social activity and that is quite appealing to me.
As noted above, the community helps with identifying the good stories (whereas in other fandoms, I've lost interest because either the fandom is too small and produces few stories or the fandom is too large and it becomes difficult to find the good stories). The cost of investment (in both time and money) are also an important factor. It's easy to find fanfics on the shorter side (>10,000 words) that require little time investment and no monetary investment. In contrast, I'm less likely to invest the time and money in a novel unless it's been highly recommended.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
maybe 90% or something. most of my fiction reading is comics, but I'm only counting the "real books" here.
fanfiction was one of the first magical things I discovered on the internet. and then during the fanfiction.net era it lost all of its fun, and I viewed it all as garbage. only started to care again when I decided to try out MLP fanfiction.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
3% or less. I'm not opposed to the idea, but my phone is small and the interface could be better. I'll sometimes read something from fimfiction using the browser, and it'll lose my place if I take any breaks.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
hrmm.
no spoilers in the comments?
I like picking up time-tested classics, but I've noticed those have become the only books I give a chance to anymore. I'm completely out of touch with new fiction. seems more like work than fun trying to find something good, due to cost and non-instant accessibility.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
I can already know that the author and I have at least one interest in common!
There's room for variation. Everyone can write their own interpretation of Derpy, for example, and there's no canon authority to tell everyone "this is the correct one." She kinda belongs to all of us, and not show's character anymore. Episode 100 may seem to contradict this, but I interpret that episode as being a fanfic based on OUR fanfic, and not the Word of Hasbro-God telling us what to do. I find that whole "canon" thing to be overrated,
I think there's something pretty important about fanfiction, and it's similar to recent trends I've seen in some games, music, art, etc. Not specifically the written works, but in a general sense when there's a "shared world." With a bit of freedom the fans can turn it into something much greater than the original creators conceived.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
- the ponies/ the fandom/ the interactivity
these are much the same for me. there's a lot of interesting original stories out there in the world, but very few achieve that special quality that makes a bunch of people WANT to be a part of it, and add on a little part of themselves to it. fanfiction isn't just about someone's private little original setting (that I'm sure is brilliant and clever), but the common ground they share with others. even AU fanfic writers understand they need a balance between their own little world and the ponies their audience knows.
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
"Smut!
Give me smut and nothing but!
A dirty novel I can't shut
If it's uncut
and unsubt-le."
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
sure, why not. I never bothered reading romance before, but it's kinda fun when it's about characters I already know.
0. There's no number zero?
1. I don't know.
2. You can read things over the phone?
3. All the fanfiction I read is text.
4. Wait, I think you meant 'not self-published'. But those still aren't mutually exclusive, and most of what I read is online even if it isn't fanfiction. Anyway, most of what I read (apart from ponies) is nonfiction (sometimes that might also be ponies, it's hard to tell reality from fiction, where am I why am I covered in blood, don't worry it's not mine).
5. Okay, this one I can answer.
I like MLP:FiM because it features a rich universe of characters and a strong fan following that expands upon that universe. The characters are multidimensional and lovable, unlike some other universe of lots of characters like the Simpsons. FiM is unique in those regards, actually. I can't think of any other fandom that would inspire me to read or write fanfiction like this. So it's 100% because it's MLP:FiM, for the reading part at least.
I write because I write, but FiM gives me a great background to do it in. As I said, I wouldn't do it for any other fandom, even fandoms I'm a part of and enjoy like Homestuck, because they're not interesting or flexible enough to make use of the extant characters to say what I need to say. If I didn't have FiM, I would still write but probably not using anypony else's characters, except maybe mythical characters from other cultures from time to time (borrows like that sort of thing).
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
0% before 2012, 100% during my first few months in the fandom, maybe 90% since then.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Too darn much (80-ish%). Reading comments is hell on my phone, since spoiler tags don't work like they should. I've got a kindle, but it can be a bit of a hassle to transfer stuff.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
Printed fiction usually has some kind of standard, even it it's not a terribly high one. Better editing.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
People can write and post almost whatever they want, and it's all very easily accessible. You get to keep exploring the characters and universe of whatever you're writing/reading about - the story doesn't end just because there are no more episodes.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
In decreasing order of importance:
- the interactivity
- the fandom
- the practice writing
- the ponies
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- the cost ($0)
3665669
I meant the stories you'd find in a bookstore vs. the stories you'd find on fimfiction, regardless whether they're' on kindle or paper. Fixed.
Oh, I read those. Still not darf level. (I found their sex scenes more nauseating than stimulating because of the Mary Sue-ness of their sex. "Only in Jondalar had Ayla finally found a man whose length matched her depth.")
I read fan fiction because i am too casual for original fiction.
Mostly on the phone, for limited viewspace allows easier focus reading.
The rest of the queries are nil.
3665699
Welche Sprache kennst du nicht?
3665669 3665795
While reading a chapter, mouse to the top of the screen, and when the title bar drops down, click 'place bookmark'. Click again to place the red line.
If you return to that chapter, you'll go straight to that bookmark. Unfortunately, there's no way to see which chapter your bookmark is in from the story main page.
3665632 "...I'm writing an application to an English Lit MA program,..."
Oh, no. Professor Bad Horse. Well, I suppose the foundations of an evil empire of destruction should start with well-educated minions...
1. Fraction of reading being fan-fiction: Probably 90% now, with the remainder being sci-fi/fantasy, where it used to be 100% scifi/fantasy. Seriously, ponyfic slowly took over my life.
2. Percent read on phone: Probably around 30%. The phone has the advantage of being where you want to be and pauseable at the touch of a button, with the downside being size, of course. I actually use the phone reading for typo-identification by highlighting the bug and taking a screenshot, and fixing it later at the computer.
3. How is paid fiction better than fanfiction: In a word, quality. Generally, once you've plunked down the cash for a book, you expect a well-thought out plot, proper grammar, believable characters, etc... An author who provides this develops a following who buys the author's other books, reads their blog, and reads other authors who the author recommends. (See Baen Books)
4: How is fanfic better than paid fiction: In short, fanfic writers are doing it for love, not money (although many professional writers might disagree, as they write for love AND money :) We have some authors who are willing to go *anywhere* for a story, and manage to pull it off every bit as good as the professionals or better. (Also, we have some semi-pros who write fanfic as a way to exercise their creative muscles to make their sold works better) The paid fiction world has tended to congeal around certain predictable social memes over recent decades where publishers sign authors long enough for one cookie-cutter book and then throw them out for the next author (see Tor books.) The Sad Puppies flap only highlights this stratification and un-creative push in the fiction field, and the reaction of the existing fiction gatekeepers does not raise my hopes that the situation will reverse itself. (Yea Puppies!)
5. Why do you read or write fiction: Summarized rather than writing a thesis here. Reading and writing fanfic feed off each other. I started reading because it was fun and interesting, then I started writing because I had fun and interesting ideas of my own to share. Back and forth I went and am still going. The cost is not that much of a factor, because I've never been timid about going to the library and leaving with as many books as I could carry, plus our library will interlibrary loan about anything, or order it if you ask. Reading/Writing fanfic is an *interactive* process, and if you don't believe me, check out 'peaches' or 'Does it matter' on the FimFiction.net site. That being said, I have improved as a writer far more in my last 3-4 years of writing pony fanfic than I have over the last 20-30 years of working on my novel (and no, it's not done.) So fanfic is interesting, fun, helps me improve my skills as a writer, and free. What's not to like?
Alright, let's do this.
1. That's going to be a tough one to answer, because it'll depend on what's more important, word count or number of works. Most fanfiction is shorter than novels, so they're really only a good comparison if I mostly read general fiction anthologies or long fanfiction. Plus, I'm in an odd position, where I do a ton of fanfiction reviewing that's not pleasure reading, so it'll also depend on whether you count fanfiction I choose to read for pleasure or all of it. So I'll try and answer this.
I spend about 3 hours a day reading fanfiction for review. Most of it is bad and things I would never choose to read, and as a result, I don't often read past the first chapter or even the first couple pages of any. So that's probably on the order of 20 pages per day on average, less if I'm making easy rejections, more if I'm doing a private review or handling a story I actually find interesting and want to give the author feedback on the whole thing. There are only 2-3 fanfics a year that I read just because I want to, not for any review process. On original fiction, I just finished a novel that I very slowly got through at the rate of about 3 pages per day. So my best guess is that counting the little bit of fanfiction I read by choice and the small percentage of the ones I review that I end up liking, I probably read about twice as much fanfiction as general fiction, but if you count all of it, then it may well be ten times as much fanfiction.
One last qualification I should add: I never read fanfiction before MLP, and right now, there isn't anything else I can see wanting to read fanfiction of once this fandom dies down, so within a few years, I'll likely be back to reading general fiction exclusively.
There, how's that for a long answer? I'll strive to keep the others shorter.
2. I don't have a cell phone.
3. General fiction is more likely to pass a quality bar, since it has to go through a review process, but that bar can be very uneven, as it's most often geared toward what will sell best, not necessarily what's the highest quality. It's far less likely to trip you up with poor mechanics, and it's somewhat less likely to have the more low-level stylistic problems like jumpy perspective. Because of its joint concerns of marketability and quality, it almost acts like a band-pass filter: it weeds out most of the crap, but neither will that much of it amaze you. I'm speaking more about relatively contemporary fiction here. Reading things that have gained critical acclaim for many decades or even centuries would more reliably give quality; in eras when fewer people had the means and opportunity to write, only the best of the best succeeded.
4. I think you're more likely to encounter surprisingly good writing in fanfiction that in general fiction. Both suffer from popularity being a very different thing than quality, but since there's a much, much lower barrier to publication in a fanfiction community, it's easier to find those diamonds in the rough, who in general fiction, would often never get published in the first place, much less publicized. It's also easier to find things that will suit your taste, since you know it will involve characters and a universe you already like. Of course, you can achieve the same in general fiction by sticking with a series or only reading within a certain genre, but still, fanfiction is already biased toward things you will tend to like. Plus there's a lot closer contact between readers and authors here.
5. In any form of entertainment, the most important thing for me (and I think if most people really trace their enjoyment to its origin, they would agree) is the characters. MLP has done a wonderful job with the characters, making them more complex and relatable than most shows do. I've discussed this in a column before, but one thing I do with characters is what I call a "but" test. If you want to describe a character in a short paragraph, how many times do you have to use "but"? That reveals internal conflicts and contradictions that characters have, and real people have those, too. It makes them more real and easier to empathize with. Too many characters in various properties are fairly one-note. Scooby Doo is always hungry and easily frightened. There's not much more to him. Ralph Kramden is abrasive and opinionated. He gives in to Alice because she nags him into submission, not because he comes around to her viewpoint. There's not much to him, either. Pretty much any Dragonball character just wants to keep fighting and getting stronger. But the MLP characters very quickly have all of these little quirks and competing interests. Rarity likes the finer things and is a bit exasperated when her friends don't, but she doesn't mock them for it, and even will give them things at her own expense that she hopes they'll like. Dash is a braggart, but she also seems very insecure at times about failing or even putting herself to the test. Pinkie's a loony, but she has some of the biggest insights of any character, and she can be incredibly perceptive.
So it's really the cast of characters here that has drawn me in. Another reason is how diverse the plotlines are. MLP does adventure well, comedy too, but it can't or won't do serious romance and tragedy. That's where fanficton picks up, and it works better for a property like this one, where you have to go to fanfiction to see the characters interact in those situations, versus something like Star Trek, which handles all of those genres already.
I'm someone who's always enjoyed good animation anyway, so there's visual appeal here, too, which obviously doesn't have to carry over to writing, but it still plays in my mental image of what's going on as I read. The character design is very cute, so it just adds to the fun of having these characters go through your narrative.
So to address your specific points:
The ponies: a big yes, both because of the visual appeal and the great characterizations.
The fandom: I like people I've met through it, but that will happen no matter what group you're in, so it's not a plus that's exclusive to fanfiction. I guess I like that I've met more writerly types due to inhabiting this niche, but the fandom as a whole is just as obnoxious as any fandom.
The interactivity: I guess I just covered that, too.
The cost: It's definitely a good way of getting your work noticed with no monetary investment. While I wouldn't be in this fandom if there were a cost associated with joining it, I don't consider it a significant motivating factor in my involvement, either. That's for the cost of writing it, anyway. For the cost of reading it, it's a non-issue. Books aren't expensive, at least the ones I read.
The practice writing: I'll call this a side benefit, I guess. It's not why I joined, and it's not like it's preparing me for anything. I have no aspirations for writing, and as I've said, I don't see another avenue for doing so after MLP.
The kinds of stories: Really not much of a draw for me here. There's very little fanfiction I read of types I wouldn't encounter anyway. Take romance, for instance. I have no interest in reading a romance novel, but there are plenty of novels I read that have romance as a subplot. I don't mind it being there, but I don't seek it out. So, sure, I do enjoy the occasional shipfic here, and that's not the kind of thing I'd seek out elsewhere, but I don't really go looking for them, either.
3665926
Gimme a break, I was in puberty
)
(and she was kiiiinda biased; he's the first one of her own species she met, the second man she ever had sex with, and, oh, the first one who didn't rape her
3666010
I know about the fimfic bookmark feature. I specifically said "depending on e-reader and format", though, and I even specified I download fimfic stories as ebooks because I read them offline on my laptop
My main problem is that I switch devices when reading, keeping the files on a usb flash drive, and that the Calibre epub reader has the odd feature that it does save the current read location inside the .epub file, but prefers any settings saved about that specific ebook on the local system. And you can't tell it not to save these things on the local system. In other words, it's a feature that works exactly once per epub file. So if you read on on another device and then switch back, well, too bad. Sure it's saved inside the epub file, but let's ignore that; this is where you were last time on this PC
)
(I sent a bug report for that. The author replied that was the intended behaviour, meant as "one-time settings import".
3665992
In Europa, man muß mehrere Sprache sprechen, wann man reisen will. Außerdem, in der Schweiz spricht man drei Sprachen (und ich zähle nicht Romansch).
3666151
Well, I'm Belgian. Official languages here are Dutch, French and German, though my English is better than my French (in fact, more or less on par with Dutch), and my German clings onto the corners of my brain solely supported by its similarity to Dutch
3666124
Uh, thanks for this! I swear I will never burden you with my own slush.
3666154
Ja, ik begrepe. Ik kan ook nederlands sprecken. Een betje
1. Er, 90%? I am both proud and ashamed of this.
2. About 90%, though only since I got a smartphone (4 months). I don't know exactly why but I'm far less distracted by the internet when I'm reading on my phone. Plus it's more portable than my laptop.
3 & 4. I'm going to be loser here and state that neither is inherently better. My top three favorite stories of all time are a mix of fan and regular fiction. Fanfiction has hammered into me the importance (and sheer usefulness) of emotional impact, while regular fiction taught me to view fanfiction less strictly (believe it or not) and with far more thoughtfulness than any fanfiction how-to ever has. I think it was regular fiction that showed me most reviewers don't know what they're talking about. You don't have to read far to see that the common interpretations of show vs tell are a load of bull, deserving to be sealed in some moon in another galaxy on the other side of the universe, preferably beyond our radius of detection. Sadly, regular fiction people use this evil phrase too. They don't know what they're talking about either.
You could argue fanfiction requires the added work of familiarizing yourself with the source material first, but regular fiction requires more time to develop the same level of investment in its world and characters (once the reading begins, that is).
But on a story level, I really think they're equal in their potential. What you can do in one you can do in the other, just not in the same ways. In the end it's people writing stories about people. Yes, you can make arguments about publishers and the industry, but are these limitations of the medium itself or those who deal in it? Just like pointing to bad fanfiction to vilify all of it is useless and dumb.
5. Both reading and writing has entirely to do with my love for the source material. They allow me to feed it almost without end. My core drive I think has been to reproduce in myself the feelings my favorite fics have created--and to produce them in other readers too. This makes the fandom and level of interactivity very important. After all, the artistic urge satisfies itself in effecting others.
3666182
Heh. Is ungefähr wie gut wie mein Deutsch (ohne Google Translate... wenn ich wirklich gut Deutsch produzieren wolle benutz ich digitale Hilfe)
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
+90%, now that I think about it. This is an increase from 0% pre-pony.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
70%? Mostly because I'm working out of a hotel room four days of the week.
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
Editing, for one. Once a fanfic author gets established in a community well enough that's not a huge difference, though.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
The interaction available with the author and the sense of ownership one can have over the story itself by offering suggestions. The interactions with fellow fans speculating over the next chapter. Fanfics are more like episodes of a TV show in that they are serialised instead of getting one large chunk all at once.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies
- the fandom
- the interactivity
- the cost ($0)
- the practice writing
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
- the crackfics
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
This right here. Interactivity is my number one. Things like Fluttershy asking Twilight "Would it Matter?" don't happen in published fiction land.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
10%, changed from maybe 80% back before I started writing fics myself.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
0%
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
Style, voice, flow, believable dialogue. I find even a lot of popular and "good" authors on fimfiction are completely lacking in those areas. Their prose and characters are "correct" but utterly lifeless.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
Many variations continuing within an existing world. There's so much info that's readily available to an author that they don't need to explain because it all stems from the show. Cuts down on words and fluff.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
Actually having a reader base for what you're writing is nice. MLP provides working tools for a great fantasy world (even if I often heavily bastardize it with the AU tag). Also I want to finish what I'm doing.
3666203
Yeah, it's really bad. Mostly based on tricks like German z = Dutch t (zurück = terug, Zoll = toll, Zeit = tijd, etc.). Barely sufficient to interact quickly with Dutch and Flemish people when I don't want to rely on French or English. Plus handy key sentences such as ‘lop naar de Maan!’
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
If you count web-comics as fiction, about 60% of my fiction reading is fan-fiction. If you exclude web-comics it jumps up to about 90%. Before ponies and FIMFiction I didn't read fan-fiction at all.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
None
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction?
Excluding authors I'm already familiar with, professional fiction tends to have a much better wheat/chaff ratio. With authors who are a known quantity though it doesn't really matter whether its professional or fan-fiction, I judge by whether I liked their earlier work.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
I get more pony. And frankly, its of much better quality. Some of the IDW comics have been good, but not all of them. And the chapter books are disappointing.
5. Why do you read or [strike]write[/strike] fan-fiction?
Reason number one is the ponies, I just can't seem to get enough of them. The low cost certainly explains why I can consume so much of it. There's also a certain sense of community here on FIMFiction that makes hanging out here attractive and which results in my sampling stories I probably wouldn't otherwise (dark, tragedy, romance). Beyond that it's something of a mystery, I've followed lots off geeky things over the years but never cared much for fan-fiction. But something about MLP changed that equation and I can't really explain why.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
About 5 years ago, roughly 99% of everything I read was fiction. 3 years ago, 90% of everything I read was fanfiction. Now, 95% fanfic
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Dunno. Whenever I'm outside, its phone
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
Generally, quality, I guess. Less typos, plot holes, etc. Most people have already waxed on and on about this multiple times, and I'm roughly in the same boat. Whether the story is good though? Depends. A bit harder to filter due to lack of tags and such, and also harder to judge whether you'll like something due to it being an entirely different universe with different rules.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
Tags, accessibility, shared universe (partially), and a lot easier to talk to people who share the same interest. I know there are some people who like fanfic.net, but I personally despise it because it doesn't really have a place for a fandom to congregate.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies
Its what first started me, at the very least. I got very intrigued at a magic system and a society drastically different from anything I've read, especially the whole quadruped thing, natural flight, herbivores, casual deities, etc. And if Twilight is anything to judge by, their sciences are also well developed, creating an environment that (could) support magitek.
- the fandom
Pretty good part, honestly. A lot of the people I regularly talk to now come from being a part of a fandom.
- the interactivity
See above
- the cost ($0)
Libraries usually make it also $0, but it is definitely a lot easier.
- the practice writing
truth be told, I am using the pony universe as a sorta practice for a future novel idea. Getting an outline of even an alt universe would help. I also have a friend who is doing somewhat the same thing, and if anything, I'm willing to buy his books if he ever publishes any.
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
meh
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
meh. Honestly never was interested in romance until I got surrounded by people aggressively shipping things.
- the crackfics
i.imgur.com/himZD0M.gif
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
Well, non-bipedal herbivores is definitely really different.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Currently, some 95%, but that's because my money is currently a little short. Normally, I would be at 80~90%, and have been like this for some 15 years. Ever since I discovered fanfiction, really.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
90%. I tend to see plenty of waiting rooms.
3. In what ways is printed fiction better than fan-fiction?
It is vetted both by professional editors and the general public, so it needs to have some definition of high quality.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than printed fiction?
Infinite variety in infinite combinations.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction?
Once again, Infinite variety in infinite combinations. I've seen from error-riddled one-pagers to multi-million-words novel sagas; from uninspiring random pieces to psychological works that leave me reeling for days; from reads I quickly forget to reads I remember forever. And I love to see it originate from the same places.
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Right now? Upwards of 90%. I didn't read hardly any fanfic before I got into the show in 2011. I didn't start writing until mid/late 2012.
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Varies widely depending on circumstances. 30-60%?. I'll read on whatever screen I have available, but all else being equal, I prefer the PC.
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
More variety in scenarios; shoehorning MLP into some settings really doesn't make sense. Not that sufficiently talented authors haven't done it, but it often doesn't add anything. Non-fanfiction also generally has better original character-building.
Also, considering that I am a real human on earth, I feel that I should make at least some effort to not spend all of my mental time in fantasy pony land.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
Ponies. FiM is just a wonderful, engrossing world with great characters. It's a great storytelling foundation that seems to turn out a lot of the types of stories I like to read. I get enough gritty cities in real life. Fan fiction also has less mental effort for the reader - you're not starting over from scratch with each story. It's nice to be able to be closer to the story - there is a lot less distance between readers and writers in fanfiction.
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies
Initially, this was probably the driving force. The series just wasn't enough, and I wanted more. I still like them as characters.
- the fandom
Lots of cool people with good attitudes that I'm happy to be a part of. I still think the fandom is a positive force.
- the interactivity
A plus, but not the main reason. Is more important as a writer than a reader.
- the cost ($0)
While not the deciding factor, this is definitely an enabler. It's a lot easier to do an impulse read when there is no entry barrier.
- the practice writing
Now that I write? Pretty important. The writeoffs are useful, and also being part of a community and seeing the techniques and tools that other writers are using to improve themselves.
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
Not my main focus, but sometimes. I've never purchased erotic fiction commercially.
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
I wouldn't normally read a romance novel, but have on occasion read pony romance. Still not much, though.
- the crackfics
I very seldom read these
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
Interesting. I'd never really thought about it, but it seems I'm more willing to read outside of my comfort zone with pony. It could be because the ponyfic element adds enough of a comfort zone automatically (unless the subject matter is really anathema), or be because the selection of top quality pony fics is not so wide for me not to branch out.
Also regarding 'kind' there is also the matter of length. In the past, all the books I had were novels. Looking at my ponyfic library, there are an awful lot of short stories and vignettes. Stuff that would usually not be worth going through the trouble of going to a bookstore to buy (anthologies are spotty).
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
the majority nowadays, though used to it was a small portion; i just don't have the time to pick up physical books from the library anymore
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
none, i use cheapo phones, nobody steals cheapo phones
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
eh? none, provided both have a good editor
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
uh... look up one
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies: eh, they add a certain taste to it, and i've gotten attached to the characters for sure
- the fandom: this is the bigger thing, that feeling of inclusion
- the interactivity: this as well, being part of a group that reads certain stories gives me a chance to interact with certain people more often
- the cost ($0): this isn't really different from how i went about getting reading material before, using libraries and such
- the practice writing: i don'write fan-fiction, just not my thing
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble: nope
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble: pfff, let 'em stare
- the crackfics: these are amusing, yes
- I dunno; they're just different somehow: eh
1. About 80% of the fiction I read is fanfiction by word count. I read about 2 non-fanfiction novels per month on average, plus the odd short story. Fanfiction did not replace my original fiction reading; it supplemented it. My fanfiction reading is dropping somewhat at the moment due to playing video games, reading more original fiction due to the original fiction writeoffs, and my own writing.
2. I don't read fanfiction (or anything) on my phone; I don't have a smart phone.
3. Original fiction can present totally different worlds and is easier to find in the particular genre you're hankering for.
4. Fanfiction is free, makes use of strong characters and powerful existing worlds, is iterative, has a tendency to explore ideas in different ways, and lets you get more of things you already love.
5. I primarily write fanfiction because of the characters, because I have ideas for the world, because it has a ready-made audience, because it is good practice writing... I would say that the most important factor is probably the fact that I have ideas for the world above all else, along with my love of the characters, with the fact that it has a ready-made audience and it being good practice (and having a good community) also being important factors.
I read fanfiction because it is fun to read about these characters and the world, and because of the community surrounding it.
Frankly, the fact that it is free is nice, but I can check out books from the library for free (and indeed, frequently do so); cost is not a major factor.
And yes, this is pretty much the only place I read romance-focused stories, but that's probably because I actually care about the characters already; romance is more interesting if there is some greater context to it.
I hardly read clop at all; I don't think I've read a clopfic in weeks, maybe months, and even when I do read them, it is very sporadic.
1. I'd estimate that maybe eighty percent of what I read is fanfiction. This started at zero, of course, but then started to balloon drastically when I discovered FanFiction in 2011, and then grew further when my family moved away from a convenient and excellent library system.
2. Probably around two-thirds of the fanfiction that I read is read on my phone. I've downloaded copies of all my favorite stories, and I do a lot of re-reading--but I typically read a story on my computer before saving a copy for future use.
3. The average work of professional fiction has much better English than does the average work of fanfiction.
4. Different pieces of fanfiction have the freedom to contradict each other, so there are more possible subjects for stories. Sure, that can happen occasionally in official works--e.g., the Star Wars: Infinities stories--or there may be several large canons that diverged at some point in the past and are now continuing independently, as in comic books--but fanfiction stories allow each writer to manufacture his own miniature offshoot canon and exercise his imagination therein.
5a. I seek out particular stories because they feature characters whom I like to some extent--but, much more often, I don't particularly care about the protagonist of a story, and am much more interested in what he's doing.
5b. I don't interact too much with other fans.
5c. I don't care much about interactivity. (After all--how can I in good conscience criticize the writing of another person if I can't write something better myself?)
5d. Oh, cost is definitely a factor. If I could, I'd've bought a copy of every novel in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (the Legends portion)--but, as it is, I satisfy myself with FanFiction, FIMFiction, Gutenberg, etc.
5e. (I don't write.)
5f. The stories I prefer to read are rather uniformly in the adventure genre--both because I prefer that genre and because it lends itself to long stories, which are fewer in number and therefore easier to find good examples of. FIMFiction's front page makes it convenient to find shorter stories of quality, so I branch out more here than on FanFiction, but it doesn't stand out to me as a reason to look for fanfiction in particular.
5f1. If I see clop on the front page of this site, I generally can assume that it's of reasonable quality. I prefer to read pornography that features humans (and near-human demons/fairies/whatever)--but mashing the "Random" button on Literotica and checking the tags of zillions of manga on E-Hentai gets old pretty quickly. Also, there's always the chance that a particular fandom has something titillating up its sleeve (sensitive horn/wings, Gentle Fist, Polyjuice Potion, Geass, Death Note, etc.) and a writer has taken the time to incorporate it into his pornography in a novel way...
5f1a. I don't care too much about any Friendship Is Magic pairings. In Naruto, my primary fandom, I binge-read a lot of NaruHina fluff in the weeks after I found FanFiction, years ago--but, nowadays, I don't really bother to seek out romance stories.
5f2. Crackfics can be funny, but I definitely don't seek them out in particular--I prefer long stories to short ones, and I feel as if I'm wasting my time if I read a long crackfic.
5f3. Meh.
3665573
To be honest, I've found professional reviews of all sorts tend to be a bit of a crapshoot, which I think is part of the genius of metacritic. Even still, you end up with stuff being over or underrated because of its nature.
TBH, lately I've been feeling increasingly cynical and reading the low-end reviews on everything, because those are the reviews most likely to actually point out real issues with a work.
Poor servers...
1. About what fraction of the fiction you read is fan-fiction? How has this changed over time?
Most of the prose I've read in the past couple of years has been fanfiction - at least over 80%, probably over 90%
2. About what fraction of the fan-fiction you read do you read on your phone?
Close to none, if not actually none. (FWIW, I tend to download the stuff and read it on my Kindle.)
3. In what ways is printed (professional, paid for) fiction better than fan-fiction? I don't mean paper versus ebook; I mean the stories themselves.
Greater variety of ideas, I suppose. Fanfiction is bound by pre-existing worldbuilding, so there's a few things you can't do, at least not easily, like alternate history.
4. In what ways is fan-fiction better than professional fiction?
Low entry cost (not just money, either) means it's much easier to find and try really different and new stuff. It's proven great for me in that regard - I've read genres I never would have considered before because hey, why not?
5. Why do you read or write fan-fiction? This is an open-ended question, but I'm especially interested in the relative importance of:
- the ponies #5
- the fandom #4
- the interactivity #7
- the cost ($0) This is numbers one, two, and three for me: Not only do I not spend cash, I don't spend *time* finding new stuff, or I don't spend time I could have spent elsewhere, since I can use fimfic both the locate new stuff to read and to read it all in one sitting. (usually late-ish at night when I wouldn't be doing anything worthwhile anyways) The lack of cost (money and time) leads to the real reason I read a lot of fanfiction: since there's almost no opportunity cost, there's no risk: if I start reading a storty and decide I don't enjoy it, I can just stop reading and go find something else. This is technically true anyways, but with fanfic there's no sunk cost to make me question that. That means I'm more willing to take a chance on something different than my norm, because I'm not worried about wasting time or money on it.
- the practice writing #8
- the kinds of stories that get published here, regardless of pony content #6
- the clop, because you can't get much sexy times in Barnes & Noble
- the romance, because you're too embarrassed to buy a romance novel from Barnes & Noble
- the crackfics
- I dunno; they're just different somehow
because I have cancer and also my life is empty and devoid of meaning