There's a large chance that this is going to spark drama, but, it's something I've been thinking about for awhile, and I doubt I'm alone in this. I've been around here since before the two site moves, and, as much as I admire Cyn's efforts to liven it up, the fics section does indeed appear to be dying off, does it not?
Personally, I think a large part of the general lack of stories being posted here -including the contests- has to do with the apparent apathy of the community. It doesn't do much for a writer's motivation to post here, when at most they might gain a single comment -two if you're lucky. For me personally, pokemon stories aren't all that I write, but when I do write them, I post them here, among other places. The apparent lack of interest, however, is more than a little disheartening, and it -does- affect the writer's desire to post their work. The 'most reviewed' story on this site has 17 comments. The second highest has 7, and it degrades quickly from there. I often get superior levels of feedback on FA, which is notoriously bad for its recognition of writers. It's sad to see -the fics community here used to be vibrant and active, and it was a pleasure to write for this site. Now, the question on whether it's even worth the effort of posting here (and yes, there is effort involved if you don't want the story to look like crap with the html coding) always arises for me when I write something pokemon themed.
So, with that in mind, I'm honestly curious. Am I alone in this sentiment? Are there still folks out there reading stories on this site exclusively? What can we do to improve this situation?
Veryd Date:Mar 4, 2014 2:21 PMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
There are many different types of people around here. Some are quiet, some others are not. I agree with the part that it seems to be dead here, but I don't know how I should think about the comment thing. For myself: I like to read the stories. My language is pretty much fucked up. I had to learn several languages but almost forgot everything except german and english. I even forgot the first language I used to speak when I was young. But at home? I rarely talk and everytime I read a book, I'm going to read it in the language we use to speak over here. So I want to improve my language by reading other stories. Getting some ideas to improve my roleplays. Maybe getting to know words I couldn't think off. But commenting it? It really depends on the story, but most of the time I stay calm. I could probably comment about the plot, but not about the language. I mean... I don't even write a story by myself because I just suck in writing stories, so how could I give someone an advice to improve their stories? When I can't do it by myself?
Maybe some others are thinking like that aswell? I am sorry, but I can't read others mind. Maybe they read it, maybe they don't. Maybe they comment it, maybe they don't. But all I can say is that atleast I am happy to read anothers stories but sometimes it makes me jealous aswell, because I know that I'm not able to write a good one by myself. Also who knows, maybe one day in the future I am able to write in a proper language.~
Cyn Date:Mar 4, 2014 5:57 PMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
Unfortunately, the lack of activity seems to be the ongoing trend (with those like myself who read just about every story, but almost never comment). I too was here in the coppermine era, and wish vBulletin move didn't scare off so many great writers.
On the bright side, there has been some talk among the staff on how to get the fics section more exposure so hopefully that will lead to something.
Arcane_Reno Date:Mar 4, 2014 9:45 PMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
Thanks for chiming on this. ^^ I think it is important to discuss this, because the fics section here is in danger of going the way of the proverbial dodo. Going back to the err... comment about comments -it doesn't even need to be constructive feedback necessarily (though that's always welcome for any writer). For myself, I don't even care if feedback is negative about my story. But, even getting that simple little 'Great story!' or 'Loved it! Thanks for writing!' means more than you think, and takes approximately two seconds. Basically just a way of showing the author that yes, their effort was read.
In terms of attracting authors, that's a bit of a more difficult problem. As you said, Cyn, a lot of folks left after the move, due to not having a reliable method to post under, among other things. I'm not sure what can really be done to change that, especially for writers like myself, who don't write pokemon content exclusively. Perhaps obtaining permission from mods on SF or FA to post in those forums about the contests might help? There's certainly a large pool of active folks there who might be interested in gaining a bit of exposure, and many of them likely don't know that this section of the site is once more active.
As far as site local exposure goes, I'd personally like to see something like SF or FA has on their home pages, where the top 3 or so latest/featured story/art submissions show up alongside the newsfeeds. That would possibly attract more attention from users landing on the home page who would normally jump straight to the forums or wherever. Just a few thoughts.
Flygon Date:Mar 5, 2014 2:49 PMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
Just have it known that, I personally, do intend to personally endeavor to get the Fics up and revving once again as they once have. There's been ideas thrown about and plans discussed, and while we're not quite at the implementation stage yet, we most certainly care and intend to get things driving once all the gears are in place!
slash Date:Mar 6, 2014 5:26 AMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
for me i can't find any good story's here anymore and i was always told if can't say anything nice don't say anything at all it's the fact these stories don't hold my attention like they used to and its not the smut its good but i like more story then smut and i see a rapid decline in good story progression plus character progression for one luca was great,the club and that universiry was great but these new storys are just bad sorry for hurting any feelings.
life is like a cabinent that no one been in for over 5 years you don't know if whats in side bites,stings or scraths but thats what makes it random just like me. o.-
Hawkeem Date:Mar 8, 2014 10:22 PMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
One of the largest problems the site (and to a larger degree, then fic section) is having is lack of traffic. The site has already gone through at least one cataclysmic failure, on top of several system jumps as the administration worked to find something functional to replace the old one, which in turn helped push many of the old users out. And there's also the mixed bag that was the chatbox being on every page (and in turn attracting the type of users who only visit to experience a 'live' interaction without needing a secondary program. Which has left this site with a few people too stubborn to move on, the administration, and a few loyal users hoping for better days to come.
With the fic section it's not only attracting the old authors back, it's a dwindling pool of authors who haven't moved onto greener pastures (IE: writing clopfics/ponyfics for the increased attention). Pokemon is still popular as a whole, but fanfiction for it is dying off in terms of porn - just how much is the question, as you still see stuff pop up on FA now and then if you dig around a little. Add in the ease of commenting toward art, and it being a semi-preferred medium for porn leaves writing fics the lesser art form. As frustrating as it is for some of us, the era of fics is fading into the sunset and the authors dedicated enough to stick by are fading with it.
On a personal note, the last story I read here in the last several months was one I was asked to, which took all of two minutes before turning it off due to lack of interest. There are not many good reads being posted, and while most of the archive is good, they're not worth reading a second time.
Writing lemons is like auto-fellatio: for some it comes naturally, for others it takes years of practice. But once you can do it, it's one of the best guilty pleasures in the world.
Zana An Date:Mar 20, 2014 5:04 PM(Edited:Mar 20, 2014 5:37 PM)Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
I'm just a silent figure in the shadows, still around, but I only write to compete when there is competition. Without writers better or on equal par, the flame rendered within me rests dormant compared to the greater conflagration that once soared. Although mostly active on SoFurry, still, if Shiguya above and a few others were to enter a contest, invariably, worthwhile writers to trade words against, I'd take my chances. I gain a thrill from advanced writers. I'm only driven by competition which steers me to better myself.
I doubt it will regain the former glory, the light has receded, the words are lost in yesteryear, but there may still be a spark yet that's unseen. I'm waiting for that spark and seeing if it ignites.
Hawkeem Date:Mar 24, 2014 6:55 AMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
It's been a long while without a true goal to pursue, and while Cyn has come up with a few that were enticing... there's not enough pull to stir the ink. It's no fault of his, of course. With the current trend of fics being, and I'm being blunt by saying this, awful, there's nothing to be gained from trying. And given the lack of traffic, whatever you write is more or less lost to the void unless you post all over the place, which goes against the idea of entering for a contest.
Then again, if a low standard is what everyone accepts, then that will become the median everyone measures themselves upon. So eventually someone will have to rock the boat and bring things out of their current dark ages.
Writing lemons is like auto-fellatio: for some it comes naturally, for others it takes years of practice. But once you can do it, it's one of the best guilty pleasures in the world.
Arcane_Reno Date:Mar 28, 2014 4:57 AMTitle:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
It's been a long while without a true goal to pursue, and while Cyn has come up with a few that were enticing... there's not enough pull to stir the ink. It's no fault of his, of course. With the current trend of fics being, and I'm being blunt by saying this, awful, there's nothing to be gained from trying. And given the lack of traffic, whatever you write is more or less lost to the void unless you post all over the place, which goes against the idea of entering for a contest.
Then again, if a low standard is what everyone accepts, then that will become the median everyone measures themselves upon. So eventually someone will have to rock the boat and bring things out of their current dark ages.
It comes back to my point. A lot of good writers left because of lack of incentive to post here. Making blanket statements like 'all the new fics are terrible' seems rather unproductive, sorry. While there may be a lot of sub-par content, there's plenty of folks who actively post quality pokemon content as well, they simply do it on other sites, because the incentive to do so is so much higher there. If we want the fics situation here to improve, the only way we're going to do that is by reaching out to those people. See if you can obtain permission to advertise contests on other forums. Pull traffic. Get people interested in posting here again. Otherwise, it's only going to go downhill from here.
Date:Mar 4, 2014 9:21 AM(Edited:Mar 4, 2014 9:35 AM) Title:Are the AGN fics dead?
Personally, I think a large part of the general lack of stories being posted here -including the contests- has to do with the apparent apathy of the community. It doesn't do much for a writer's motivation to post here, when at most they might gain a single comment -two if you're lucky. For me personally, pokemon stories aren't all that I write, but when I do write them, I post them here, among other places. The apparent lack of interest, however, is more than a little disheartening, and it -does- affect the writer's desire to post their work. The 'most reviewed' story on this site has 17 comments. The second highest has 7, and it degrades quickly from there. I often get superior levels of feedback on FA, which is notoriously bad for its recognition of writers. It's sad to see -the fics community here used to be vibrant and active, and it was a pleasure to write for this site. Now, the question on whether it's even worth the effort of posting here (and yes, there is effort involved if you don't want the story to look like crap with the html coding) always arises for me when I write something pokemon themed.
So, with that in mind, I'm honestly curious. Am I alone in this sentiment? Are there still folks out there reading stories on this site exclusively? What can we do to improve this situation?
-Regards,
Reno.
Amateur writer, professional slacker.
Date:Mar 4, 2014 2:21 PM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
I agree with the part that it seems to be dead here, but I don't know how I should think about the comment thing.
For myself: I like to read the stories. My language is pretty much fucked up. I had to learn several languages but almost forgot everything except german and english. I even forgot the first language I used to speak when I was young. But at home? I rarely talk and everytime I read a book, I'm going to read it in the language we use to speak over here. So I want to improve my language by reading other stories. Getting some ideas to improve my roleplays. Maybe getting to know words I couldn't think off.
But commenting it? It really depends on the story, but most of the time I stay calm. I could probably comment about the plot, but not about the language. I mean... I don't even write a story by myself because I just suck in writing stories, so how could I give someone an advice to improve their stories? When I can't do it by myself?
Maybe some others are thinking like that aswell? I am sorry, but I can't read others mind. Maybe they read it, maybe they don't. Maybe they comment it, maybe they don't.
But all I can say is that atleast I am happy to read anothers stories but sometimes it makes me jealous aswell, because I know that I'm not able to write a good one by myself.
Also who knows, maybe one day in the future I am able to write in a proper language.~
Date:Mar 4, 2014 5:57 PM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
On the bright side, there has been some talk among the staff on how to get the fics section more exposure so hopefully that will lead to something.
~My fire shall always burn eternal~
Date:Mar 4, 2014 9:45 PM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
In terms of attracting authors, that's a bit of a more difficult problem. As you said, Cyn, a lot of folks left after the move, due to not having a reliable method to post under, among other things. I'm not sure what can really be done to change that, especially for writers like myself, who don't write pokemon content exclusively. Perhaps obtaining permission from mods on SF or FA to post in those forums about the contests might help? There's certainly a large pool of active folks there who might be interested in gaining a bit of exposure, and many of them likely don't know that this section of the site is once more active.
As far as site local exposure goes, I'd personally like to see something like SF or FA has on their home pages, where the top 3 or so latest/featured story/art submissions show up alongside the newsfeeds. That would possibly attract more attention from users landing on the home page who would normally jump straight to the forums or wherever. Just a few thoughts.
Amateur writer, professional slacker.
Date:Mar 5, 2014 2:49 PM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
Date:Mar 6, 2014 5:26 AM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
Date:Mar 8, 2014 10:22 PM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
With the fic section it's not only attracting the old authors back, it's a dwindling pool of authors who haven't moved onto greener pastures (IE: writing clopfics/ponyfics for the increased attention). Pokemon is still popular as a whole, but fanfiction for it is dying off in terms of porn - just how much is the question, as you still see stuff pop up on FA now and then if you dig around a little. Add in the ease of commenting toward art, and it being a semi-preferred medium for porn leaves writing fics the lesser art form. As frustrating as it is for some of us, the era of fics is fading into the sunset and the authors dedicated enough to stick by are fading with it.
On a personal note, the last story I read here in the last several months was one I was asked to, which took all of two minutes before turning it off due to lack of interest. There are not many good reads being posted, and while most of the archive is good, they're not worth reading a second time.
Writing lemons is like auto-fellatio: for some it comes naturally, for others it takes years of practice. But once you can do it, it's one of the best guilty pleasures in the world.
Date:Mar 20, 2014 5:04 PM(Edited:Mar 20, 2014 5:37 PM) Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
I doubt it will regain the former glory, the light has receded, the words are lost in yesteryear, but there may still be a spark yet that's unseen. I'm waiting for that spark and seeing if it ignites.
Date:Mar 24, 2014 6:55 AM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
Then again, if a low standard is what everyone accepts, then that will become the median everyone measures themselves upon. So eventually someone will have to rock the boat and bring things out of their current dark ages.
Writing lemons is like auto-fellatio: for some it comes naturally, for others it takes years of practice. But once you can do it, it's one of the best guilty pleasures in the world.
Date:Mar 28, 2014 4:57 AM Title:Re: Are the AGN fics dead?
It comes back to my point. A lot of good writers left because of lack of incentive to post here. Making blanket statements like 'all the new fics are terrible' seems rather unproductive, sorry. While there may be a lot of sub-par content, there's plenty of folks who actively post quality pokemon content as well, they simply do it on other sites, because the incentive to do so is so much higher there. If we want the fics situation here to improve, the only way we're going to do that is by reaching out to those people. See if you can obtain permission to advertise contests on other forums. Pull traffic. Get people interested in posting here again. Otherwise, it's only going to go downhill from here.
Amateur writer, professional slacker.