You know...

[leethet]

...something just occurred to me in light of the flood of vignettes that seem to be out there ... is it going to become the preferred style of online fic-writing, and are the longer stories I must assume someone's writing somewhere all reserved for zines?
That would be a bummer. I like long stuff, and I liked it being free. :)

Comments

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I don't think you need to worry. The problem is that longer stories are longer in more ways than page length. They take longer to write so they show up less frequently.

[dinahmt.livejournal.com]

That would be a bummer. I like long stuff, and I liked it being free

I agree with you Lee - vignettes are nice but there's nothing to read a good wallow in a long story.

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

I'm writing a long story - as kellie says, it just takes longer - and it would never cross my mind to put it in a zine. It's online all the way for me.

[bluster.livejournal.com]

As much as I love the various flash fiction communities I have to admit they also drive me crazy. Far too often I just start to get into a story and it's done. Argh! I love longer, meatier stories, and I definitely worry that people are writing the shorter things instead of working on longer pieces. Of course, it's not as if I've had a lot of time to read lately, but it's the point of it all.

I also totally agree that it would be a bummer if the good longer stuff being written ends up in zines. I like zines, but I love opening my browser and finding someone's posted a new story.

And not to be a nag, but are you writing? I think the world needs a new (long) story by Lee the T. :-D

[leethet.livejournal.com]

And not to be a nag, but are you writing? I think the world needs a new (long) story by Lee the T. :-D


Er...well, I have been writing, but in the other (vast) fandom. But in taking a break from that, I have been pulled out a couple of half-done MFU things that I'd like to finish up and post -- probably at the Madhouse. :) They've been sitting a long time (see my post below for more).

[bluster.livejournal.com]

Plus I suppose as a writer it's not the same if you're the one posting a new story, since it's hardly new to you. That happens to me as a beta. Everyone will be anxiously awaiting a new story and it won't be new to me because I've been betaing it for weeks.

But let me just say 'Yippee!' that you're working on some unfinished things and that you'll hopefully archive at the Madhouse. Hopefully by the time you're ready to upload we'll have the graphics in place and it'll be all pretty.

[princessgolux.livejournal.com]

Gotta sing with the chorus here.

I really love writing the longer stories too, but they do take a whiley to get done.

I've discovered that there are some writers out there who are fantastic at the art of WIPs. I hae tried this ::wince:: and I kind of suck at it. But some people out there are really good. They post regularly and keep a steady pace. Those authors have become a good waystation for me between longer pieces. I don't know if there's anyone doing this in MfU or not, but that might be a happy medium for you.

:)pg

Yeah...

[leethet.livejournal.com]

...see, I have this split personality about WIPs. In the other (vast) fandom, I'm one of those people you're referring to. I have posted WIPs on my LJ there, but only because I knew for a fact I would finish them (just finished one there recently, in fact *g*). My secret is simply that I don't post WIPs unless they're at this certain point -- there's always a magical "point" for me, at which I know I'm going to finish a story. So readers get that steady supply. I don't really know why I started to post WIPs in that fandom, except as an experiment but (yay) I've found that when I'm more than half done and the story's languishing, posting it (and the nice responses people give!) shoves me into finishing sooner, rather than letting it lie about. :)

And in MFU, I'd made it a practice to simply not post WIPs simply so that I wouldn't risk leaving people hanging. Considering, though, that in the other fandom it's pushed me to finish stuff, I have been thinking about doing it here...

When it comes to reading, I do prefer to read stuff in one swell foop. Like many, I've started to read good WIPs and then the writer STOPS. Arrrrrghghggh.

But then I don't do vignettes anyway. All my stuff is "longer" stuff. :)

Re: Yeah...

[bluster.livejournal.com]

I've been burned by WIPs and generally wait to read them until they're finished. However, if you posted a MFU WIP I'd probably read it. But then I'd *really* be a nag because I'd want to see more, and soon.

Hmm

[veronicaluv.livejournal.com]

You know, despite recent evidence to the contrary, I'm currently anti-vignette as far as my own projects are concerned. I've never mastered the art of the snippet or the drabble (although I have written some under extreme - er - duress). The LJ fic mindset is like eating potato chips - you eat a couple, they're tasty, you want more - but pretty soon you're reduced to eating Pringles. Then everyone sees you eating Pringles and all they do is give you more, when what you really want is prime rib.

As for zines - 99% of my fanfiction writing (including all MFU) will always be online at aithine's archive. Rarely will I post directly to the LJ anymore, just because of the Pringle Syndrome; I'm selfish enough to want my stories to be considered something other than just a days' worth of empty calories, delicious though they may be at the time *g*.

Oh yes

[leethet.livejournal.com]

I can't tell you how strongly I agree with this. Di and Nataliya and I have discussed how we prefer to read longer stories, how vignettes are just too darn' little, even if they're good (in fact, particularly if they're good). But you touch on another side of it -- the writing of vignettes. It's never tempted me either. I like to read what I like to write, and I don't want what I read, or what I write, to be quickly read and as quickly forgotten (now, there's no guarantee my stuff is remembered, I realize, but the aim is there). I love stories that stick with me, and not one of the many vignettes I've seen has stuck, though many are excellently composed. Now, that may simply be a fault in my own reading capacity, but I find I have to spend some time with the story, get a certain measure of plot and character development, before I'm "satistfied." (This is true when I'm writing and when I'm reading). Vignettes are too junk foody -- great for a moment, but instantly gone from the tummy of your mind (blech. that was a silly image).

Thanks, Veronica, for another angle on this that I hadn't thought about, but that rang wholly true once I read it. :)

Short and Sweet & Free?

[tgabrielle.livejournal.com]

I used to think people wrote vignettes to get free zines but apparently there is more to the motivation than trib copies. Does anyone prefer short pieces? I don't think it's a trend really but there seems a lot of it lately and the lists and LJ perhaps foster the quick fix, so to speak. Where is the longer stuff? The only new MFU slash zine I'm aware of is RS (7 or 8?), so it's not going to print. Jan, Di, Clare and (sorta) I are plugging (plug, plug) away at the Incognito online zine. Both Di and my stories are long.

And I assume many of us (Lee, Nat etc) have longer stories in the works. They'll all probably come out at the same time and create a counter-trend.

Re: Short and Sweet & Free?

[leethet.livejournal.com]

And I assume many of us (Lee, Nat etc) have longer stories in the works. They'll all probably come out at the same time and create a counter-trend.


That may be it -- that this is a ... not a bump in the road, but a temporary plenitude of short stuff, to be countered by some long stories getting posted. That would be great.
And when RS8 comes out, I can post my story from RS7. :)

[cousinnat.livejournal.com]

I do have a longer story in the works, but it's been in those works for a LONG time, and I don't feel inclined to finish it right now even though I occasionally add a paragraph or two. (Real Life is too busy.) On the other hand, I LOVE to write vignettes. I think they come out of an emotional need to connect with Napoleon and Illya for a couple of hours (and the need to get them to connect with each other). Vignettes are cathartic. I force them on my friends with "what do you think of this?" and they're polite and say "very nice" and then I put them in a file and that's that. Describing them as junk food is quite appropriate.

Nat

Italics

[tgabrielle.livejournal.com]

How did our comments become italics? I will be interested to see how this turns out and it is not emphatic by any stretch. Someone teased me long ago that all of my stories were exactly thirty pages long, like I had a timer for them. So, I decided to go longer and I have. HOWEVER, I suppose it is a good exercise to be consise at times. Part of me has never enjoyed short stories in any form and I'm not even talking about vinyettes. I just don't know what to do with my stories. I'm not going to go the zine route anymore. But, at least for me, I'm not sure what works. There are many options to be sure, but I can't come up with what is the best.

Re: Italics

[tgabrielle.livejournal.com]

Hey, and Nat's comments are no longer in italics. I swear they were. I must be quite nuts.

Re: Italics

[tgabrielle.livejournal.com]

And it's vignettes and concise and I'm going for good now!

Re: Italics

[leethet.livejournal.com]

I believe you. It happened to me once on Clare's LJ. I think I typed start-ital and end-ital backward in a reply, and EVERYTHING after that, including others' responses, was in italics. Then the next time I went back to the site, it was OK. I thought I had broken her LJ and italicized it all forever. :)

Re: Italics

[tgabrielle.livejournal.com]

The are in italics again now.

Re: Italics

[tgabrielle.livejournal.com]

uh, they