[ SECRET POST #2741 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2741 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 05 pages, 112 secrets from Secret Submission Post #392.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 2 - posted twice ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When you're deciding whether or not you're going to read a fanfic, what information do you like to know?

Pairing, genre, whether or not there is character death, and a summary. And because most writers don't label this, if I am iffy about the author or their summary, I'll skip to the ending to make sure it has a happy ending.

The general : summary, main characters involved (i personally love ocs, so maybe a little description--not a marysue) if there will be romance, etc. between the characters. That's essentially it. And if i dig the first chapter, i'll continue. I usually read the first chapter of the fic (or the chapter that has character interaction). that is my litmus test for the author's writing/style, how well they express the main characters, if anyone is a sue, etc. if i can't dig it, goodbye.

Major character death

(come at me bros and sis)

I'm not sure if there's specific information that I want to know but there's specific information that I don't want to know.

If a summary says something like "I suck at summaries" or "the fic is much better than the summary, I promise!" then I probably won't read the fic. That's how you choose to sell yourself? No thanks.

If a fic has a hundred tags where each is more inane than the last, then I definitely won't read the fic (this mostly applies to AO3). It just makes authors look dumb.

If the only thing in a summary is a song lyric or quote then I probably won't read the fic because I still have no idea what the fic is about. At least put something in addition to the quote.

Oh, yeah. And if it says "summary inside" or "just read it", yeah that is a great way to make sure I never will read it.

I know it can be hard to write a summary, so my advice is to imagine it in the style of a Don La Fontaine trailer. What sort of world is the protagonist living in, and what is he going to be doing about it. Chances are that will give you a decent enough summary for most folks.

Same. If you can't be bothered to write a decent summary, how do I know you can write a decent fic?

MTE. I'm not sure why anyone would just not leave a summary. Even if your summary isn't particularly interesting or good, I automatically skip fic without summaries, so you have a better chance of catching my attention if you just try.

I haaate the "I suck at summaries" summaries where the author tells you nothing else. Sometimes I'll give it a shot and click on it, hoping that there will be a more detailed summary in the author's notes but if they just end up saying something like: "lol I wrote this at 2am just so you know" and doesn't expand on the fic, I click out immediately.

Genre, if it's shippy and if so what pairings, plot summary. Also if there are any particularly out there kinks.

Two or three main characters, any OOC (like Steve and Tony being lovey-dovey), decent summary (imagine a 1980s movie trailer, it should be able to be read by a man with a gravelly voice telling me what sort of world it is set in and what the protagonist is going to be doing about it) that isn't a cock tease, and if it is present tense or 1st person narration. And also if there is an OC who is a main character.

A summary.

There are other things, obviously, major warnings for death/gore/rape, some idea of the characters, rating, pairings. That sort of thing. But for some reason I've recently stumbled across a bunch of fics that didn't have summaries. Not even bad ones, nothing at all.

Tags aren't really a substitute for a summary. Why would you put up a fic without one?

Pairings, endgame pairings, content warnings (the AO3 standard four and other ones, like cannibalism), a rough summary. I generally try to figure out how in-character the story is likely to be from the other tags: if it's talking about how much of a delicate fragile woobie Eridan Ampora is, it's probably safe to skip.

Pairing, standard warnings, sex details if there is sex (frottage, oral sex, whatever), genre, and summary. Not having the warnings and summary are deal breakers for me, but the rest are just things I prefer.

The summary has to actually *be a summary*, not a random bit of the fic. I also want to know what 'ships/pairing, and major character death(s) and if it's about, say, non-con hooker rape or whatever, as i don't want to read stuff like that.

This. Lack of a character death warning, isn't necessarily a deal - breaker (depending on the fandom and the type of fic the story is being advertised as), but a lack of non-con/rape warning definitely is the ultimate deal - breaker to me.

[ SECRET POST #2741 ]

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