R.I.P Fanfic?

[PancaKe]

Okay - who else has noticed that the fanfic board is kind of dead at the moment?

Well, what are we going to do about it? We need to expand it and make it more lively and bring it back!!!

If you've got any suggestions please post em!

**PancaKe||

[Tainted]

It's the end of the school year and with that comes the "end of the year stress" which, for me at least, consists of lots of work due in a short amount of time. So, I'm blogged with work as is. I say after about two weeks, if fanfic hasn't shot back up-- well, then introduce monthly short story contests, etc. Keep people active, have awards often (but not too often), or if you aren't too keen on having a long voting progress of awards just have a "recognizable honor" for an author that constantly updates their work, or has a particularily good piece of fiction. This offers them free advertising, but should only be done if the moderators, or other people of high power, notice something special or unique about the particular story.

Well, anyway.

Adieu,
Zak Hunter

[Charizard04621]

Agreed. I think high school Juniors are going to be particularly busy if they're thinking about getting into a college of their choice next year. Summer's the time for college visits, internships, and jobs. That's what I'm loaded with myself right now, anyway, and I find it quite difficult to write when I go to work for 8 hours a day and then have to come home and entertain my visiting aunt. I've also got three summer reading books to finish for AP English next year.

[Darien Shields]

I'd update my fic if someone were replying...

I had this idea yonks ago, and it kind of overlaps with the FFRO (Reviewer Org.), but it's a bit different. Basicly some sort of reader directory, where people who have a lot of time on their hands sign up, and are 'assigned' a fic to read (and reply to.) You could make it a two way system, you submit your fic to be assigned, and get assigned a reading project yourself.

Err, if anyone likes that idea, then I'm "submitting" Brave New World. It hasn't had a reply in yonks.

[Chris 2.1]

Well the Fanfic Poetry Contest got a lot of people involved. There's going to be another in July - doing them Bimonthly is easier on my workload.

How about we did a Q&A booth? A few big ficwriters could be in it, and basically their readers can post questions, either about the fic itself, characters within it, or maybe just inspiration from certain places? They're used in Fanfictions an awful lot, I think it's a good idea.

[Heald]

Brit Chris - Why not run the contest every month? If you can't do that then shall I run it in the months that you can't do it in?

[Tainted]

Well the Fanfic Poetry Contest got a lot of people involved. There's going to be another in July - doing them Bimonthly is easier on my workload.

How about we did a Q&A booth? A few big ficwriters could be in it, and basically their readers can post questions, either about the fic itself, characters within it, or maybe just inspiration from certain places? They're used in Fanfictions an awful lot, I think it's a good idea.

I think the Q&A booth is a good idea, and I'd be glad to participate in such a thing if you'd want. It not only opens up the peoples minds to the particular story, but it also provides the writer with ways to include things that he/she wants readers to know into the story.
For example, if readers ask a question about a particular subject, this could influence the writer to include that answer as part of the chapter. This further develops the story, adds a little background, or whatever-- and all around makes the reader feel more immersed in whatever world the story is set in.

I say go with that idea, or develop it a little more, it sounds great.

Adieu,
Zak Hunter

[Darien Shields]

It'd be funky if we had a "TPM E-zine", or something, that combined these features... I dunno, it's just an idea.

[Darkmaster Kagemusha]

A TPM Fanfic E-zine sounds cool. It could have a Q&A column, excerpts from upcoming fanfics, reviews, that sort of thing. Darien has a good idea with that, but it'd take a lot of people to do it.

[Darien Shields]

Considering that most of the ideas for an E-zine have already been brought up here (or elsewhere on the boards), it'd simply take an "editor" to co-ordinate things into a monthly post (or maybe biweekly, I dunno). But who, who could be trusted with such a task...?

[Gavin Luper]

I think the time of the year might have a bit of an effect, but still, Fanfic is deader than I can ever remember it being. Since we've all noticed it, why don't we all get involved? Read more, reply more, write more fics or mini-fics, discuss more things more frequently in the lounge. I reckon we need some original trainer fics personally, they're awesome when they're well written. Also, a chain fic like the Road Trip back in 2002 would be great if we could get it going. Plus, the Summer Awards are coming up soon, that brings everyone back.

I reckon that since we've noticed the problem, we should all pitch in at once and start making fanfic ALIVE again! Who's with me?

[Dragonfree]

*raises hand* I am. And what's more... I'm in MEGA writing mood! *hurries to write more of The Quest for the Legends HMMRCIG*

[Chris 2.1]

The Contests are every other month because they take up a lot of time, from the first to the last day of that month. However, having one EVERY month would mean a new Contest would kick off the next day.

It's easier for everybody, readers, participators and me.

[dratinihaunter13]

The e-zine idea always sounds incredible, and it would be, but the workload is huge and it barely got off the ground last time. i dunno, i would personally love to see it happen, but enough people are gonna have to express interest. and like Darien said, that one person to tie it all together.

i think Gavin's speech rocked! =D!

and it seems the event getting the most action is that contest, bimonthly. i've gotten some requests for doing it more frequently than that, and i dunno, if someone else could take alternating months, i think it could work. remember, if you want to start a contest you can probably just do it. i forget if the rules say it needs Mod approval. go have a learning experience and check anybody ^_^!

[Darien Shields]

What were the Ezines like in the past? The idea has been floating around in my brain for a few days, and it sorta 'snowballed', so I thought I'd type up some of the more intricate details I had envisioned, before I forget.

Well, I already covered how it would entail existing running features, like say, the poetry contests (that is assuming the people running those are for it), preferably if that were the case the entries would be PMed in instead of posted, but I suppose it could work either way, and in the 'Ezine' the winners and runners up would be posted (and periodically you could throw in all those who just didn't make the cut over the different months), and the like.

A question thing would work in a similar way; "Next week we're having acclaimed Author Shadowed Mewtwo talk about her latest work, so send in your questions!" Of course it'd also make sense to have 'running questions', that are always asked (it'd be stupid for people just to PM in saying 'why is ur more popler than mine?' (and in this case the answer would be because the author can spell...))...

I also thought that you could have "Fan Fic Spot Light!" and "Under Appreciated Fan Fic Spotlight!", maybe even "Archive Spotlight" (these could all be the one thing, but I think having regular and 'Under Appreciated' would work well, since then the under appreciated fics would be more... appreciated), which would entail of a few things... a review if the FFRO have got one and are willing to share, maybe have the question thing sewn into that, and maybe just other stuff about the fic.

I don't know everyone can 'trust' me (I don't think I've betrayed anyone here... yet) to do it, but I'd definately be interested on working on this sort of project (as my rather long post should make obvious, it's been on my mind.)

[Dragonfree]

I like the idea of a Fan Fic Spotlight.

[mistysakura]

Fanfic Spotlight, like the one in the (abandoned) news... that sounds good. I reckon the e-zine could merge with the news, cause there's usually not much going on anyway, and e-zine, news, same thing. I don't konw, the Poetry contest being PMed and put in the e-zine might actually lower posting levels... the questions would be cool though. And about the Poetry contest, we could have people running it alternate months or something.

E-zine = good idea. (By the way, if help's needed for that, I'm available.)

[PancaKe]

Wow, this exploded with replies. Lol its probably the most active topic in the whole of fanfic :P

btw what the heck si an e-zine? im a bit slow okay???


**PancaKe||

[Neo-Xantios]

The "Under-appreciated Fic Spotlight" would certainly bring a decline in the number of cancelled fics. (Though I would cancel my fics if a new idea that does not connect to my story strikes me). Writers, especially new ones, aren't motivated to continue if they are ignored.

I remember this time of last year, when I was writing my very first fic that the Fanfic Forums were quite active a number of trainer fics flourishing. Most of them I don't see nowadays, save only the renowned. :sweat:

[PancaKe]

Yeah, the spotlighting was cool - and used to be part of the fanfic news topic. Maybe if we fixed up the news and made it interactive or something *shrugs* I dunno. We should bring up the spotlight thing definantly though.

**PancaKe||

[Dark Sage]

Maybe we should have another Golden Pen awards. That would get some attention...

- Venusaur

[PancaKe]

Its around that time of the year anyway to have a Golden Pens awards.

You know whats rather amusing, thsi whole topic is more active thna the rest of the forum.

:P

**PancaKe||

[Dragonfree]

Perhaps we should have four awards a year, one for fall and one for spring in addition to the winter and summer ones?

Also, is it just me or would somebody who doesn't know exactly how the awards function much rather read a fic that won the "Golden pens" than the "Silver pencils"?

[Darien Shields]

*Yawn*... The Sleeper Has Awakened...

Well, in answer to your question (about four replies ago) Pancake an "E-zine" is like a Magazine. Only on the interenet. So it's "E" (electronic, like e-mail), "zine" (because that's the end of magazine...)

Hmm, It would be a bit ironic to reduce postingness by making the Poetry contest a PM thing, so, the poetry contest could run, and the E-zine could also feature the results and winners, so that lazy people who didn't keep track of the actual contest can catch it in the 'zine. Just like it could feature reviews, but would not take the place of the FFRO (or any other, more secretive, reviewing org. that I don't know about.)

It would function like the news, I suppose (wasn't the News Mod-run?), you could throw in a people column as well (news like "Last person to leave. Last person to return" (as long as they're not the same person!) etc.)

Also, it might be better to post a new topic every issue (I don't think a monthly or even a bi-weekly would clog up the boards), unlike the news, since people are more likely to check new topics (especially if people were replying. You could use replies there instead of PM/e-mail) rather than sift through piles of replies to find the new ones on older topics. Plus it means it could be titled like "June Issue" or that sorta thing, like the poetry contest.

... I see no-one made any response to my little appeal to be involved (in one way or another) in the project...

[Iveechan]

I imagine the e-zine would work by it being a sticky topic, and a month later it becomes un-stickied and a new one is made, and so on and so forth. Honestly, I never even looked at the fanfic news thread at the top. I guess it wasn't catchy or something *shrugs*.

[Darien Shields]

Well, as this topic seems to have become stagnant and been 'infected' by the board's dead-ness, I'm nolonger waiting for your damn justification! I'm working on the E-zine until someone stops me. Or I get board. Whichever comes first.