[ SECRET POST #3485 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3485 ⌋

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

01.



__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06. [repeat]


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.


__________________________________________________



09.


__________________________________________________



10.


__________________________________________________



11.










Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 42 secrets from Secret Submission Post #498.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

08. http://i.imgur.com/phjhuXp.jpg

[ketita]

Counterpoint: if you've been inactive for over a year and then suddenly update with a "this is not an update, but it's not abandoned" ... that's also a little shitty. I always found that transition from joy at the new "chapter" to the crushing disappointment that it's not actually a chapter worse than nothing.

eta: also this secret makes me feel super guilty ._.

[sarillia]

Yeah I don't like notes about how it's not abandoned. If you really mean that then upload a chapter instead. Those notes about how they haven't worked on the fic in a year but they're going to write more at some point always end up being the last chapter of an abandoned WIP.

[(Anonymous)]

Poor readers, their lives are so hard.

[(Anonymous)]

You're just bitter nobody gives a fuck about your fics enough to care if you never update again.

[(Anonymous)]

To speak from my own position of being one of those authors...that one big hanging WIP is something that has been pretty high on my priorities, the thing I don't expect to take much longer because it's the next thing on my list after my life takes a chill pill, for literally years. By the time I'd been able to actually resign myself to the fact that my hands were too fucked up to type for a while, or that I'd be busy with moving and stuff, it was a little too late to notify people who were keeping up. I never really imagined anyone might come into my profile, and leaving an a/n about it isn't very noticeable either.

It seems like fic sites are in need of a way to indicate "abandoned" or "on long hiatus" rather than just complete/incomplete.

[diet_poison]

I think that'd be good. "On hiatus", "on indefinite hiatus", "abandoned" and "orphaned" should all be options.

[(Anonymous)]

By the time I'd been able to actually resign myself to the fact that my hands were too fucked up to type for a while, or that I'd be busy with moving and stuff, it was a little too late to notify people who were keeping up.

This. Many authors drop off because they get overwhelmed with offline stuff-illnesses (their own or that of a loved one), or they move, or they lose internet access altogether because of financial reasons (this was me years back), or things like that. When all that's going on, then no, they're probably not going to be thinking about rushing and leave a note on some fic they posted somewhere.

Speaking for myself as a reader, I honestly don't get all that bugged about abandoned fics the way some people seem to. Yeah, if I'd been reading a story that suddenly left off in a really good spot, I'll have that feeling of of, "Dang, I'd really love to know what would've happened next".

But then I move on and find something else to read. If I enjoyed the WIP up to that point, then I consider it worth my time, even though it's not finished. And there's always the chance the author can come back someday and finish it, which does happen sometimes, so if I especially loved the fic, I'll simply save what's there/follow it on the site/etc. just in case.

To each their own, though. *Shrugs*

[sarillia]

I feel the same way about abandoned WIPs. Sometimes I go back and reread and am pleasantly surprised by a new chapter. But if it's been more than a month since it's been updated, I tend to go into a fic with the expectation that it won't be updated anymore and I'm prepared to appreciate what's there. I'm often wrong but I'm happy with the low expectations.

[grausam]

yeah, fic is a much more *present* read than most other mediums. sure, I might feel sad that there's not more of it.

but usually my enjoyment isn't tied up in a conclusion like it might be in original work. there's always canon after all. I'm more disappointed when it's clear that the author moved on from that fandom entirely.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm more disappointed when it's clear that the author moved on from that fandom entirely.

Yes! Just like with WIPs, obviously I'm not gonna fault an author for leaving a fandom-they have their reasons and whatnot.

But if I've been really loving their stories in general, completed or not, it is sadder when they quit the fandom altogether. In that case, though, if their stories are still up online and they're okay with leaving them there for people to read in the future, I just try and rec their work to new fans when possible. They may not writing for the fandom anymore, but I think it's nice to acknowledge and appreciate the work and time and effort they put in while they were there :).

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt

That's a really lovely attitude, nonnie ♥

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know if it's still a thing, because I am currently in a fandom for a show that finished about 20 years ago, but a number of fics on FF.net have [HIATUS] or [DISCONTINUED] in front of the summary.

[(Anonymous)]

*nods* It'd be great to have more choices for fic status.

Although I've never posted WIPs, I do totally understand how a writer can have a WIP that they care about and would really, truly love to finish, the problem is (for whatever reason) they just don't have the conditions present to do so.

Case in point: I have a smattering of exciting plot bunnies and partially-completed drawerfic that I still nurture fantasies of completing ... even though my fandoms are seriously moribund AND I've been suffering from a protracted case of writers' block. But do I want to hand them off to someone else? Hell no. THEY'RE MY BUNNIES DAMMIT.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree. Like how ao3 has that option to say how many chapters there are planned, there should be another signifier of if it's abandoned or on hiatus.

[diet_poison]

nah I get this. It's the nice thing to do. If you don't want to finish a fic (that has a large readership - I don't think it matters much if you drop it after two chapters and only ten people ever looked at it) then it's nice to let them know.

For my part though I just don't dwell on unfinished fic. I consider updates a treat, and yeah it makes me a little sad if they're not finished. But I don't obsessively check up on them - I sign up for email updates and then move on, and don't ever assume that an update will happen. Basically I guess what I'm saying is I treat all WIPs I read as abandoned by default and consider updates a pleasant surprise.

A lot of people seem to have a lot of trouble with WIPs, and if it's a huge deal you (general you) probably should just avoid them.

[(Anonymous)]

sorry OP, I don't really get that kind of relationship between author and reader.
maybe when one follows the author on tumblr or elsewhere, where they get attention for their skills... and one starts to get invested in the idea of them as fiction cashcow, so that might breed entitlement? a mixture of personally putting stock into the author beyond the work, but the relationship being impersonal enough that you don't empathize that much with them.

leaving a "won't be continued" note doesn't sound all that graceful as solution, that's the thing. maybe if the author gives a summary of what would have happened it could be interesting, but otherwise, what good will it do? do you need an acknowledgement as reader? or maybe for them to admit defeat?

[(Anonymous)]

I have a WIP I haven't updated in years. I've posted to let people know it's not abandoned and guess what? People still ask me anyway, because they don't bother to read the notices. I'm still working on it, I still intend to finish it, but a lot of personal, health and job related shit has happened and fanfic isn't my top priority. If people are going to ignore my notices, I can understand why most authors simply don't bother at all.

[(Anonymous)]

Ignore your notices? Make it more noticeable lol. Or make your message clearer so people get your point. Post a new chapter so they actually get a notification that they have to pay attention to. If you're just editing the summary, tags, or notes at the end of the chapter you honestly can't expect people aren't going to be scanning that shit and notice something is different. Most people have fic bookmarked or in their favorites list and just look at the title and the date it's been updated.

Then again I get the feeling your making shit up as if fanfic writers have is so hard. Anyone can write fic. Get over yourself.

Sometimes it does.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't usually post WIPs (I have posted a couple for WIP-Amnesty type things), which means that sometimes a story will literally sit on my computer for years (and, yes, I have gone back and finished a story that I stopped writing years ago). Putting an 'abandoned' note on a fic means that you've given up hope of ever getting back to it - and that can take effort, especially for a story that means a lot to you.

[(Anonymous)]

I always assume they are dead or in some part of the world with no internet.
I mean... in this day of social media and internet always in the palm of our hand it doesn't seem that out of the way to say your on hiatus or permanently gone.

Though I definitely prefer a fic left hanging indefinitely than just deleting the fic all together once you've moved on from it. So many times I've had a fic bookmarked for future reading, and when I finally got around to it it's been deleted. Feels bad.

[(Anonymous)]

I appreciate authors who write out their whole fic ahead of time and just post updates on a schedual. It still shocks me how much of fanfic is making it up as you go from chapter to chapter. Not that there is anything wrong with that if it works for them, but I always like to have everything prepared so that comments won't change the direction of the story.

[(Anonymous)]

I always like to have everything prepared so that comments won't change the direction of the story.

That's so interesting to me because I'm exactly the opposite. I outline the entire story first, but I like it when comments make me rethink things. I think it's fun when a reader asks a question or makes a suggestion that changes things. I would never change something just for the sake of granting a reader's wish, but when a comment changes the way I see the story, I think that's a really cool moment.

[(Anonymous)]

From the POV of the author, though, I think it's genuinely hard to tell which of my works are legit abandoned and which ones have the real possibility of being continued. If I had unlimited time and energy, they would ALL be continued. Every one of them, minus a few I've just stopped enjoying writing or have no ideas for. But the problem is, life keeps happening and the fic keeps being pushed down to low priority. If I'm speaking PURELY REALISTICALLY, pretty much all of those fics I intend to continue should actually be marked as "abandoned for all intents and purposes" because of a never-ending to-do list, of which those fics are very very stale items and not on my mind much anymore.