chaos_Leader Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 This is an issue that is fairly prevalent throughout the several fanfiction communities. I cannot begin to tell you how demotivating it is to sift through the archives, and to see hardworking, talented individuals who've spent so much time and effort to put something together, only to have it go (almost) completely unnoticed by the community. The purpose of this thread is to brainstorm and develop ideas to circumvent this conundrum. Fan Art has the capacity to become practically viral in how quickly word will spread of a new up-and-coming artist, and how quickly they receive feedback. It only takes a second for someone to look at a piece of art and decide whether they like it or not. Fan Fiction on the other hand (and to some extent, writing as a whole) is an inherently far more challenging medium to distribute and get the word out about. Reading a narrative takes first off, a greater time commitment to sit down and read. It takes also a mental commitment from the reader to buy into the world of the fanfic, which are varied in as many possible ways as can be imagined. This simple fact means that a skilled, talented visual artist doesn't have to do a whole lot for their work to be recognized. Their artwork speaks for itself, and communicates its message near-instantaneously. A writer's work will also speak for itself, but it's a much less straightforward process to communicate to the target audience. There's no real way to know what's in store for the consumer before getting into story. Even Deviantart and other art sites have thumbnails for their archive The fanfic "stigma of mediocrity" doesn't help either; we're supposed to say "never judge a book by its cover", but we go ahead and judge anyway, that's just how we are. But this kills when trying for something a little more serious. The few times I do uncover diamond in the rough, it is not at all uncommon for the writer's work to get lost completely under the radar, and never receive more than a few crumbs' worth of feedback. It's absolutely depressing to see happen; not just to oneself, but also to all the others. Sometimes we caught up in other things and sometimes we just get sidetracked. We as a community are behind you no matter what. I read these on the fan art forum recently. As encouraging and supportive these words are meant to be, they are merely that: words. The community has only as much responsibility to help out as it is willing to give. The responsibility is far greater on the author's shoulders to get the word out, to reach an audience, and to do so without being a pain in the butt. I personally have tried posting links in my signature, spreading my work to other archives, even commissioning "promotional artwork" to try and get my work out there... There has got to be a better way. This is simply the nature of the beast, and I hope that through this thread, the most effective means to combat it will emerge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psy_commando Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Well, having a website with contests and top picks, specifically for Starfox fanfics would probably help. But besides that I think that the very nature of fan fiction is keeping it from becoming popular easily, at least IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The deal with fanworks are that if you are not already specifically looking for them, chances are you won't care enough about them to look in the first place. The best you can do is post them at relevent websites so those seeking can see them. Kinda like, I dunno, Star Fox Online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 The deal with fanworks are that if you are not already specifically looking for them, chances are you won't care enough about them to look in the first place. The best you can do is post them at relevent websites so those seeking can see them. Kinda like, I dunno, Star Fox Online. http://starfox-onlin...tar-fox-legacy/ http://arwinglanding...p?topic=13875.0 http://cha0sleader.deviantart.com/gallery/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 There you go. Now the matter of attracting people to actually read lies exclusively in the individual's desire to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 There you go. Now the matter of attracting people to actually read lies exclusively in the individual's desire to do so. And how exactly didn't it before I posted a list of links here? Maybe you're missing and/or ignoring the point. <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The point is you can't MAKE the fandom or any other audience check out your fanwork. The point is there is no solution to what you propose. Basic advertising is all you can do, and recognition from there replies ENTIRELY on how much interest individual readers have in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 There's nothing I can force anyone to do anything. That's just not how things work. Thank you Captain Obvious. Something I may have some control over is the means to foster a set of circumstances that encourage the growth of interest. Interest can be influenced; maybe not directly, or with much precision, but it's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility. This is what the business wonks call marketing, which in it of itself is hardly an exact science, but the principles still apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Yeah. And what rhymes with "marketting?" "Advertising!" Which I pointed out is the extent of all anyone can do to garner any interest in their work at all. If you feel that an author is flying under the radar, talk about them more. Post up their stuff. Do SOMETHING to advertise it so the average internet joe will acknowledge it exists, and if it's relevent to their interests, maybe -read.- And hey, in doing so we've solved the problem this thread presents us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 http://www.youtube.c...SgM14ZYzM#t=84s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkyway64 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 YES. MAYBE YOU SHOULD. =D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 ITT complaining about not enough people reading your fanfiction, wow 1. The Star Fox fic community is very tiny and has no real structure, unlike many other fandoms who have Livejournals/Tumblrs/etc dedicated to their fanfiction and roleplays. 2. People are too lazy to read fanfiction. This comes from a. it being hard to find GOOD fanfic b. some people find it difficult to read long paragraphs off computers and c. a good portion of the Star Fox fanbase is ADD-riddled thirteen year olds. There's nothing you can do about it but hope more writing-minded people will join the fandom and structure a supportive fic community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballisticwaffles Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I am not thirteen thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoservix Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 nobody said you are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I did only say a "good portion" :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Don't be glum chaos leader ! At least youve got me! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 There's nothing you can do about it but hope more writing-minded people will join the fandom and structure a supportive fic community. This is exactly the mentality I'm trying to alter. I don't think anymore that it's enough to sit idly by on my butt and hope things will change. I simply feel that I've waited and "done nothing" for long enough, and I believe it's time to act, or at the very least try something. If that means starting a small archive of choice pieces, flooding the fanfic findings with better material, seeking out new venues, whatever; so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unoservix Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 okey dokey trying to change human nature has of course always gone well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Dude, you can't "change" anything when there's like 200 people in this fandom. What you're demanding requires a MUCH larger fanbase. Good fanfiction isn't going to just spontaneously appear because you will it to be. If you find good fanfics, great. But the actual physical numbers for writers and fics are simply not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 trying to change human nature has of course always gone well... I'm don't want to *change* human nature, that's impossible, but rather play into it and utilize it. Personally, between going out on a limb right now and falling flat on my face trying, or sitting and continuing to do nothing, I'd rather risk it and fail, even if it's only to confirm that it's impossible. I'm just trying to think of something slightly more concrete and specific, and less vague diffused wishful thinking. maybe with this new time on my hands, an idea will crop up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballisticwaffles Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Here is an idea, on a step by step bases. 1. WAit until the fandom grows and by proxy the amount of fanfiction grows. 2. post your stuff and hope that an avid readership picks it up and it its good THis plan sucks for two reasons 1. A fandom grows because the source material either kicks total ass or is very good or expansive 2. More people reading=more people posting= higher chance of your work beign swallowed by the internet black hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Chaos, what are you risking? The point we're making here is that this fandom is a ghost town. I know you want to lead the unsung ficwriters to liberation or whatever, but there's nothing to liberate them from because there is no one in this fandom. Look at big fandoms, like Harry Potter or My Little Pony or Hetalia. There's tons of fanfiction there, and some of it is HORRIBLE, yet really popular. That's because they have gigantic fanbases that spend all day reading this stuff. Star Fox does not have the same backing going for it. Sure, support the writers that do exist, but they aren't going to have thousands upon thousands of views because the fandom isn't big enough to justify that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos_Leader Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 (Would've posted earlier, but busy) Chaos, what are you risking? The point we're making here is that this fandom is a ghost town. I know you want to lead the unsung ficwriters to liberation or whatever, but there's nothing to liberate them from because there is no one in this fandom. Look at big fandoms, like Harry Potter or My Little Pony or Hetalia. There's tons of fanfiction there, and some of it is HORRIBLE, yet really popular. That's because they have gigantic fanbases that spend all day reading this stuff. Star Fox does not have the same backing going for it. Sure, support the writers that do exist, but they aren't going to have thousands upon thousands of views because the fandom isn't big enough to justify that. The people are there. They may not number in the grand several thousand of the bigger franchises, but they are there nonetheless; reading, writing, looking at/making tons of fanart. The SF fandom has more life in it than you give it credit for and furthermore, Star Fox is a fandom that endures. Long after other franchises have come and gone, the Star Fox fans are still there, kicking and screaming. And the fandom does in-fact grow. If this drops out of the sky in a big pile of splat/goes nowhere at all, then you can legitimately say to me "I told you so." and then I can go be sheepish and resign myself to the grim fate you've shown us, but not yet, not while there's still potential to tap. I've already made up my mind here, and I'm not just going to drop this without even carrying it a few yards from the starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'm not being doom and gloom here, Mr. Fanfic Hero, I'm just telling you--from the standpoint of staff on two fansites, involvement in the dA communities as well as having recently tapped into the Tumblr crowd--that the number of fic writers and readers are not at a huge number. This is something that you, yourself, have noticed, being that almost everything you have said recently is complaining about how no one is reading your fanfiction. Sure, okay, the fandom can grow. How do you propose we, the fans, make that happen? Shit out so much fanfiction that the rest of the internet has no choice but to look at it? Yeah, of course you're not going to drop it. You don't have anything to drop. Your plan so far is this: 1. Need more fanfiction 2. Need more Star Fox fans 3. ??? 4. INTERNET FAME So if you really have any plans on how to make Star Fox a utopia of amazing fanfiction, please, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"User" Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Throw in Krystal in any capacity (albeit the more of her the better) and you've got yourself a much greater chance of having your fan fiction read. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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