Fic Talk > General Discussion
Just a general pop in thread
mare:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on May 07, 2024, 09:22:30 PM ---This is how AO3 describes hits in their FAQ section:
"A hit is registered every time a visitor navigates to a work's page, with the following exceptions:
- If two visits in a row come from the same IP address, only the first one is registered.
- Moving between chapters in a work will only register one hit in total, not one hit per chapter.
- If you're logged in, hits are not counted when you visit your own works.
Note that hits only log the number of visits to a work, not the duration of the visit. "
So some of them are repeat readers coming back different times, but it's not logging multiple hits per person per reading session like AC does. Unfortunately, you can't tell how many of them are actually reading full chapters and how many of them are just clicking on and clicking out again.
Congrats on already getting two comments! It's nice that you're hearing from a variety of people, not just the same ones every chapter. That seems like new people are discovering your work. Awesome! Do you think the pairing with Gerri increases readership?
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Interesting. I need to read FAQs. I am admittedly very lazy when it comes to stuff like that, which you probably know about me lol I complain about not getting AO3 but I haven't done all that much to rectify that either.
I got a third comment yesterday. This one is pretty successful. And yes, I think that Gerri and Roman together make a huge difference. I am pretty sure most people do searches according to pairings, so they are more apt to click on this one than they were my other one. It's kind of funny though, because Roman has been alone this entire story except for the first chapter so besides being 'together' in name, that's all there is because part of the plot behind this is the fact that Gerri doesn't want anyone to know they're a couple. So, I've managed to totally Gypsy Rose Lee their relationship. LOL Which is fine by me because even though I've grown more comfortable writing female characters, I still don't enjoy making them couples.
mare:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on May 07, 2024, 10:01:08 PM ---I still skew toward the planning end of the spectrum, but I'd consider myself more of a plantser on my current novel too. Like you, I have an idea of where it's going and some plot points planned out, but I figure out how I'm getting from point to point as I go. I'm trying to be more character-driven and let my characters take the reins instead of forcing them to go in a certain direction. Usually they still end up going where I want them to go, but every once in a while, they surprise me. A few chapters ago, there was a spark of something between my main character, Kevin, and another character who was never meant to have anything more than a platonic relationship with him. I was like, "Whoa, where did that come from?" but I was kind of intrigued by it, so I just kept writing the scene the way it wanted to play out, which was not at all the way I had planned it. And now I find myself questioning whether it's something I want to pursue further, which would change my plan for the rest of the story, or whether I should keep the relationship purely platonic, which I respect. I usually don't change my mind on big plot points like this so late in a story, so this is new territory for me, and it's a little bit scary... but, like you said, also kind of exciting? Anyway, it was on my mind last night, and that's what sparked that question.
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Considering how I write, surprisingly I don't really write myself into corners all that often. Most of my ideas for the next chapter comes to me during the night as I'm failing to go to sleep. So, I might feel stuck, but then a lightbulb pops up on top of my head and I'm able to move forward. I think one of the reasons the lack of readership or whatever it is concerning the MINE story is because of how intricate the plot was. Not that anyone would get how hard that is to write a complicated suspense storyline unless you've tried it yourself, but the fact that no one is reading what I consider to be some of my best work is annoying! LOL
mare:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on May 07, 2024, 10:01:08 PM ---It's nice you've gotten into a daily writing routine! That has definitely helped me be more consistent. I'm the same way as you; I usually shower first, then make a cup of coffee and write before I get too distracted by anything else. If I wait until later in the day, it's usually harder to get started.
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I agree. If I wait until later, there's less incentive to write.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on May 07, 2024, 10:01:08 PM ---It's nice that you're more willing to write female characters now! That makes sense with the change in fandom, though. The BSB fandom doesn't have any female "characters" except for the guys' wives, and it feels weird to write about them in anything other than minor roles because they're not celebrities. I like creating original characters, but like you said, not everyone wants to read or write about them. I'm glad you have some good female characters to work with!
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It is easier to write the females in this fandom because they are already established characters and with designated parts to already play. It's been a nice change writing a strong female lead all by herself though. I didn't think I'd enjoy that as much as I did. Not sure how people felt about her, but they did continue reading and no one said anything bad about it, so I take that as a good sign.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on May 07, 2024, 10:01:08 PM ---I've written both ways, but most of my recent stories have either taken place in roughly present day with the guys as middle-aged men or specific time periods in the past where most of them were still with their current partners. My current story takes place during the IAWLT era, so most of the guys have kids and are married, and Nick is soon to be engaged to Lauren. The only difference is that I killed Kristin in first story in the series, so Kevin is widowed and dating an original character. Mason exists, but Max does not. I don't write much about the other guys' wives or kids because the focus is on Kevin, but Mason gets a fair amount of story time. I don't usually like writing about their real kids, but I'm enjoying Kevin and Mason's father-son relationship in this story. Mason feels almost like an original character because I don't know much about the real Mason, so I just make up most of the details. He's only 5 in this story and was a baby in the first one, so I just try to make him act like a typical little boy that age.
That being said, I still try to find ways to avoid writing about their families as much as is possible/realistic. In 2020, I finished my ER crossover, which took place in 1995, so there are no wives/girlfriends and kids in that one. I also wrote a survival story that year called The Road to Bethlehem that was about the five of them quarantining in a cabin together to work on the Christmas album during the pandemic, which worked well for leaving their families out.
I still don't like denying the existence of their families or creating fictional families for them, unless it's an AU, so it's either include them as necessary, find creative ways to write around them, or set everything in the 90s. And as much as I love 90s BSB and dynamics of their relationships in those early days, I do enjoy writing them as adults. It's easier now than it was when I was a teenager, and they were in their twenties LOL. I figure forties and fifties can't be that different from late thirties.
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Okay, interesting. I think writing them became increasingly difficult for me as they got older. At first people really enjoyed reading the bromances, but then I feel like as they settled, everyone became more about romance. It's weird you don't really hear Romance as a genre anymore. It seems like it's all about 'shipping' more so than calling it a romance.
I had forgotten you wrote and ER crossover. I was going to ask as a question, do you find people are asking for crossovers more? It might just be because this is a show, but I find that so many people are just taking shows or movies that already exist and plopping the Succession people in them. Like Bridgerton, or The Bear, stuff like that. I don't think I'd ever really be successful at anything like that because unless I really knew the show, I would feel lost. I know you're a huge ER fan so I'm sure it was easy for you, but I had toyed with the idea to do a BSB Supernatural crossover back in the day, but I couldn't handle it.
I do think an Only Murders in the Building crossover might be fun, but again, not that comfortable with that show, but that might be a fun one to play around with. LOL
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: mare on May 08, 2024, 09:18:33 AM ---I got a third comment yesterday. This one is pretty successful. And yes, I think that Gerri and Roman together make a huge difference. I am pretty sure most people do searches according to pairings, so they are more apt to click on this one than they were my other one. It's kind of funny though, because Roman has been alone this entire story except for the first chapter so besides being 'together' in name, that's all there is because part of the plot behind this is the fact that Gerri doesn't want anyone to know they're a couple. So, I've managed to totally Gypsy Rose Lee their relationship. LOL Which is fine by me because even though I've grown more comfortable writing female characters, I still don't enjoy making them couples.
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LOL Genius! Great way to lure in people who ship them without actually having to write much about them together.
--- Quote from: mare on May 08, 2024, 09:25:38 AM ---Considering how I write, surprisingly I don't really write myself into corners all that often. Most of my ideas for the next chapter comes to me during the night as I'm failing to go to sleep. So, I might feel stuck, but then a lightbulb pops up on top of my head and I'm able to move forward. I think one of the reasons the lack of readership or whatever it is concerning the MINE story is because of how intricate the plot was. Not that anyone would get how hard that is to write a complicated suspense storyline unless you've tried it yourself, but the fact that no one is reading what I consider to be some of my best work is annoying! LOL
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That's good! Lying in bed at night is a good place to get ideas. So is the shower. I'll also get them driving to and from work sometimes. I always feel so inspired on my way home, and by the time I get home, I'm too tired and hungry to write anything. Hence why mornings work better these days.
That is so frustrating when you put all that effort into writing a complicated plot, and it turns out well but gets little to no response from readers. I've been there before, and it sucks. But so much is dependent on readers' preferences. For example, AU stories rarely do as well as canon stories, and gen fics are not as popular as romance.
--- Quote from: mare on May 08, 2024, 09:40:50 AM ---Okay, interesting. I think writing them became increasingly difficult for me as they got older. At first people really enjoyed reading the bromances, but then I feel like as they settled, everyone became more about romance. It's weird you don't really hear Romance as a genre anymore. It seems like it's all about 'shipping' more so than calling it a romance.
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Yes, we probably sound old-fashioned calling it "romance," but that's what it is. In the BSB fandom on AO3, there seem to be more slash stories shipping the Boys together than platonic bromances. Romance with original female characters is still pretty prevalent there too. But slash has made a big comeback. I don't mind slash as much as I used to because at least it's still centered on the guys, but I still prefer bromance. It is definitely harder to come up with those bromantic storylines now that they're middle-aged men who don't really hang out with each other much outside of work. That's where a little creative license and occasional killing of wives comes in handy LOL.
--- Quote from: mare on May 08, 2024, 09:40:50 AM ---I had forgotten you wrote and ER crossover. I was going to ask as a question, do you find people are asking for crossovers more? It might just be because this is a show, but I find that so many people are just taking shows or movies that already exist and plopping the Succession people in them. Like Bridgerton, or The Bear, stuff like that. I don't think I'd ever really be successful at anything like that because unless I really knew the show, I would feel lost. I know you're a huge ER fan so I'm sure it was easy for you, but I had toyed with the idea to do a BSB Supernatural crossover back in the day, but I couldn't handle it.
I do think an Only Murders in the Building crossover might be fun, but again, not that comfortable with that show, but that might be a fun one to play around with. LOL
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Considering it took me like 8 years to write the ten-chapter ER crossover, I'm not surprised you forgot about it LOL. I talked about it here way back when I was first planning the idea, but it was always a side project, so I didn't devote much time to it until 2020. I had fun writing it, though, and I think it turned out pretty good.
No, I don't think anyone has ever asked me to do a crossover LOL. It may just be due to differences in fandoms. Most of the BSB crossovers are with other musicians. I still see NSYNC and Eminem being paired with BSB in the tags. I have mixed feelings on crossovers because they only really appeal to people who are familiar with both fandoms, but they are fun to write. They're also a challenge, though, because you do have to be really familiar with both. The ER one was a natural fit for me because I love ER, and so was the Harry Potter one I was writing until The Cursed Child ruined it for me. But I'm not sure what other fandoms I could write that knowledgably. Maybe The Walking Dead? But I don't think I have another zombie apocalypse story in me LOL. Only Murders in the Building would be fun and a great opportunity to write a mystery! But that does sound like a challenge.
Carter-Orange:
I can't believe people actually ask you to write for them, especially if it's someone who you don't know and doesn't even comment on your stories!
I keep saying I'm going to get back into writing and then don't do anything about it lol. I've had ideas, I just can't seem to motivate myself to write anything. It's been so long.
The Cancun event sounds like only the actual concert would appeal. I wouldn't be interested in watching Howie do shots, or Kevin DJ either. Don't even think I'd be interested in Nick playing on the beach either, I'd rather be in the shade and cool somewhere :) I sound old lol
I would love to write a crossover fic, or read one if it was about something I love (like Walking Dead, Supernatural). I did my own crossover one on here years ago with Supernatural. I quite like the idea of setting them in a historical romance, like Pride & Prejudice meets BSB.
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