Fanfic Recommendations

[Pol]

Wasn't sure if this was the place for it, but I do hope it's okay if I share this here. This was posted a year or so ago on GW and is a great tool for reading fanfiction.net offline on your computer, especially if the fics contain multiple chapters which make copy/pasting into a word doc a tedious chore. Also, the fics can be uploaded to your ipod, palm, etc.. for reading fics on the go, which I must say is very handy as I have happily done this many times myself. The download is free and once installed on your computer it's quite simple to use.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Interne...wnloader.shtml

That's an awesome program and its only flaw (for me) is that it's PC only. I did find a web-based version (which means I can use it on my Mac) that'll do ePUB files and html downloads. It, too, pulls from ff.net.

http://fanfictionloader.appspot.com/

And... :::blush::: as the author of Just Because I Can, can I just say...it thrilled me to my socks to see my fic referenced above. Cool beans (harkening back to my college days)>

[Hathor_girl]

i do have to agree with this. There are plenty of 'good' fic out there that get few to no reviews...sometimes it's because the author has no name recognition, so no one leaves a review, other times something as simple as posting a long fic in one part means you will get less reviews while a 10 page fic posted a page at a time gets a dozen.

or maybe that fic is about a non-popular pairing or character. For example, in some parts of the fandom a WoobieDaniel fic will get 20 reviews while a much better (relative term i know) Teal'c centric fic will get none, not because the fic isnt' good but because the character isn't popular.

So while reviews can be a guide, you shouldn't allow them to be your end all and be all in deciding what to read.

If you like sam and Martouf, there is a thread here with a ton of tok'ra fic, it could be a place to start or to ask folks there 'hey, what are your favorite gen fic focusing on sam and martouf'

Or maybe go to the sam and martouf thread in the character folder and see what people recommend there. basically, find a thread featuring those that share your interests and see what fic they recommend and then go from there

I can only agree - the reviews can be a hint that a fic is good, but if you read something that's a little outside mainstream (and Sam/Martouf is, as is Jolinar/Martouf - even more so), the fic will get few reviews no matter how good it is. I suspect it is also simply a case of few people even clicking on something that isn't what they usually read. I actually wish there was a way to see how many clicks/reads a fic has gotten also. Then it would give a somewhat better way of telling if the fic is good. I would think that lots of click + no reviews = bad and few clicks + few reviews = could be good, give it a chance?

Also true about the fic posted in one long chapter vs. several shorter - the last type will get much more visibility and allow more people to detect it, so you should also think about that when you judge whether or not to read a fic.

And do go to the profile-page of someone you've liked a story from before. Not only can there be more fic of the same genre, but often he/she will have a link to another place were more of his/her fic is archived. Fanfiction.net only archives up to about PG-13, I think, so any higher rated stories by that author will not be there.

The link to the Tok'ra and Goa'uld fanfic thread is here:
http://forum.gateworld.net/showthrea...ld-fanfic-recs
there is a bunch of stories there!

Wasn't sure if this was the place for it, but I do hope it's okay if I share this here. This was posted a year or so ago on GW and is a great tool for reading fanfiction.net offline on your computer, especially if the fics contain multiple chapters which make copy/pasting into a word doc a tedious chore. Also, the fics can be uploaded to your ipod, palm, etc.. for reading fics on the go, which I must say is very handy as I have happily done this many times myself. The download is free and once installed on your computer it's quite simple to use.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Interne...wnloader.shtml

I'm using this as well! It's really handy when you travel a lot (I travel by metro or bus almost every day during winter, so uploading fanfic to your ipod actually works great)!

[Akamaimom]

And... :::blush::: as the author of Just Because I Can, can I just say...it thrilled me to my socks to see my fic referenced above. Cool beans (harkening back to my college days)

No blushing required, Pol, you're just that awesome!

And OT--from the "How close are we in age vault". . .

Spoiler:

"Cool Beans!" Wow. That's a blast from my past, too. And in my world, the opposite of "Cool Beans" was "Hot Pork." As in, "A test today? that's just a load of hot pork."

And

I actually wish there was a way to see how many clicks/reads a fic has gotten also. Then it would give a somewhat better way of telling if the fic is good. I would think that lots of click + no reviews = bad and few clicks + few reviews = could be good, give it a chance?

I agree. Although then it might get a little depressing when your story is the clickless one.

But sometimes people leave reviews and sometimes not. I can't judge by quantity like that because I know that with my own fic, it's hugely disproportionate.

[Jper]

I would still say certain elements I notice when opening the first chapter of a fic are quite important to me. For example, the presence, of a proper/good summary. Or for example the presence of a well-done, nicely-done intro or A/N or generally a proper design with capitals, punctuation and paragraphs. Or even the correct spelling of character's names, as for example RONON and not RONAN or Sheppard and not Shepard or O'Neill and not O'Neil or O'neill or o'Neill etc. These elements can easily influence my interest. If I only found the fic moderately interesting in the first place and then see things like that I'll be quick to dismiss it as a bad job. However this also works the other way around, if I at first had my doubts, but the fic is well written, with correct spelling etc. I'll certainly finish the first chapter or more before dismissing it. I really read a lot of fic, and at first I didn't mind these things, but after a while, when reading more and more of fanfiction stories online, these little things became more and more important to me. Actually, currently I am not quite happy (at ease) anymore with one of my own fics and its presentation at the beginning, but I opted to leave it like it is, as not to destroy it's origin and the spirits of my beginning as a English writer.

[Aragon101]

No blushing required, Pol, you're just that awesome!

And OT--from the "How close are we in age vault". . .

Spoiler:

"Cool Beans!" Wow. That's a blast from my past, too. And in my world, the opposite of "Cool Beans" was "Hot Pork." As in, "A test today? that's just a load of hot pork."

And


I agree. Although then it might get a little depressing when your story is the clickless one.

But sometimes people leave reviews and sometimes not. I can't judge by quantity like that because I know that with my own fic, it's hugely disproportionate.

I think Sky's right when it comes to "pairings" influencing clicks and reviews.

Case in point, my own Occupational Hazard got huge amounts of reviews and clicks on the first few chapters, but alot of these were Sam/Jack shippers since i tagged the story as Sam/Jack. The reviews reflect this as well. Yet once i pretty much clearly made out that it wasn'a s ship fic, clicks adn reviews tapered off.

Yet if i had labeled it just Sam or just Jack (which could go either way given teh story) i'm pretty sure i would have gotten less of each right off the bat.

On a similar note, when i was writing Universal Sin, the eps i tagged Sam/John got less hits than the one i tagged Sam/Rodney or John/Cadman. It's definitely noticeable and will influence things quite a bit.

So IMO

• Review # = popularity of the fic (not necessarily quality)
• Review type = how engrossing the fic is, All "Rite moar!" reviews will usually turn me off though i may still give it teh first chapter if the summary interests me.
• First Chapter - Done deal, if it doesn't capture me then... i'm free to go and read something else?

On an odd note, my own favored pairings are so unlikely, it's difficult to find ANY fics whatsoever. So having to pick and choose isnt' really a problem for me

[Akamaimom]

I think Sky's right when it comes to "pairings" influencing clicks and reviews.

Well, people are going to read what they want to have seen done in the show, and so in general, that's where their interest is going to lie. To be truthful, though, I have read a little of everything, but what catches me is the style that I like to read and a good, well written story. Fan fic, for me, is complete escapism. I don't want to have to think too much, so good writing is essential in order to facilitate moving the story along.

We, as writers, are all in the same boat--we post things hoping that somebody, somewhere, will enjoy it. If we wrote solely for ourselves, then we wouldn't bother posting, now, would we?

[JackSnakeskinner]

I've generally been doing as SamShipper - looking at number of reviews (and pairing!) and not much else - oh, and if it's a writer I know writes great fics I'll always take a look.

Though, I guess Skydiver (and others) are right that it does depend on the pairing etc. how many reviews a fic gets. I went and looked at the summary for the two SamShipper gave as examples, and the first is S/J fluff - which I adore and would always click on (Great story, btw.!)

The other one...well, it's tagged with Marty, and is written from Lantash's! POV! Really - the snakes POV! No wonder it's not getting read and reviewed! So yeah, it could be the best fic written, but I would never even click it and give it a chance. Not saying this is good - just sayin'

[Skydiver]

which launches another topic.....is a fic popular because it's good (in the general empirical sense) or because it's written about a pairing that more like?

The 'sad' thing is, the crappiest fic about a popular character will get more hits than a really well written fic about a less popular character.

(take this from someone that's written a lot of fic from non-popular pov's, or fic about Teal'c or Sam/Teal'c)

And then...are the most numerous fic there because everyone is interested in that character, or because writers know 'if i want a review, i better write about.......'

IMHO, the best way to get a good rec is to find someone else whose tastes align with yours and trust their opinion.

[Akamaimom]

IMHO, the best way to get a good rec is to find someone else whose tastes align with yours and trust their opinion.

And that, folks, is why she's the Grand Empress Moderator. . .

[sbz]

How does one go about finding good fic on something like fanfiction.net that has a gazillion fic? The archive is just so huge and I don't know how to tell if something's good! I don't know any of the authors, so I can't just start reading everything written by someone I know is good.

Ohh, I'm late to the party.

Anyway, ff.net definitely requires a system. Just trolling the archives often won't yield much. But ff.net does provide some excellent filters to help you, it just depends on what you're looking for. I always search with certain criteria: Complete (so you don't get drawn into a WIP), the character(s) I want to read about, and a minimum length (because I generally dislike ltitle fluff fics and want something I can really sink my teeth into).

Once you've done that you can eliminate a lot of fics just by skimming the summaries. A poorly written, grammatically incorrect summary probably isn't hiding an awesome fic.

So for you, just searching Carter and Martouf in the character fields will be very helpful.

Also, like others have said, once you've found a good writer you like check out their profile for other works as well as their favourites. Generally, good writers will read good fic in line with what they write.

Lastly, the whole chapter/review ratio thing does have some merit, I think. But it definitely shouldn't be the deciding factor. Especially because, when new writers enter the scene, it takes awhile for them to build an audience. The number of reviews got progressively larger on my series, from less than 100 on the first story to over 700 on a later one. Compare that first story of the series to a little WIP of mine that has been languishing at 8 chapters with 121 reviews.

[Aragon101]

which launches another topic.....is a fic popular because it's good (in the general empirical sense) or because it's written about a pairing that more like?

The 'sad' thing is, the crappiest fic about a popular character will get more hits than a really well written fic about a less popular character.

(take this from someone that's written a lot of fic from non-popular pov's, or fic about Teal'c or Sam/Teal'c)

And then...are the most numerous fic there because everyone is interested in that character, or because writers know 'if i want a review, i better write about.......'

IMHO, the best way to get a good rec is to find someone else whose tastes align with yours and trust their opinion.

Sadly, few people share my views, and even fewer write about them

i'm not bitter about #s of reviews or hits though, doing not as popular stuff can be a reward in and of itself. There are only 3-4 larger than a one-shot fics out there that have a John/Sam ship, and mine was the first

[Pol]

Warning, somewhat longer than I'd expected response below...

which launches another topic.....is a fic popular because it's good (in the general empirical sense) or because it's written about a pairing that more like?

The 'sad' thing is, the crappiest fic about a popular character will get more hits than a really well written fic about a less popular character.

(take this from someone that's written a lot of fic from non-popular pov's, or fic about Teal'c or Sam/Teal'c)

And then...are the most numerous fic there because everyone is interested in that character, or because writers know 'if i want a review, i better write about.......'

IMHO, the best way to get a good rec is to find someone else whose tastes align with yours and trust their opinion.

Hmmm, re: bolded. I'm a writer (as are you, I know), and I can't think of a single time when I've thought, "I want a review, so I'll write about..."

Fanfic (reading, writing) is about fulfilling an inherent need in us. A need to either tell a story using characters as familiar to us as our own skin, or to read the same. To put them in situations/scenes of our own choosing, and we do that...again...to fulfill a need. I could really go on and on about this - it was, after all, the subject of my Master's thesis.

I don't count the number of reviews. In fact, I don't read many reviews of a story. I usually keyword search the fic theme for which I am hunting, then narrow by various variables on ff.net (characters, warnings, completeness, etc...) and I always begin with word count. The more words, the more I look at it. I like long stories.

But, back to your points.

is a fic popular because it's good (in the general empirical sense) or because it's written about a pairing that more like?

Unfortunately, and I've seen this repeated over many shows, the answer is usually the latter. I pushed myself through a fic today that was terribly (and believe me when I mean terribly) written. This 9 chapter story had 189 reviews (an average of 21 reviews per chapter) and was simply...bad. Why did I continue reading? It had a pairing that I love and a premise that was, if I squinted, somewhat plausible. And...it coulda been a somebody, someday (with apologies to Jimmy Cagney).

Lastly, going back again to the bolded bit. I write for me. I (as do many writers of fanfic) write about a show/characters/premise that I love. I write to fill a need, to see what I longed to see–but have not yet–on screen. I've never written a fic thinking, "I want a review, so it'd better have..." Although I have written a fic or two thinking, "Oh, if someone comments on this, it'll be about this part..."

I was once a prolific Lois and Clark fanfic writer. They got together, I no longer write that fic.

I was also a rather prolific X-Files writer. Ditto.

Huge fan of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. I will occasionally read continuing fanfic because I long to see what happened next, but I have no desire to write it.

I write Sam/Jack because, like many fans, wanted their story expanded. I've read some Sam/Janet because it came highly recommended and was very well written. I've read some Sam/Teal'c for the same reasons, and even, I think, one Sam/Daniel. But (despite my personal life and what you might think I'd write) I will only write Sam/Jack, and for the reasons I mentioned above. I need to.

[Skydiver]

And I write what I write. If i want to make a story shippy, i will. But if it doesn't work that way, then it won't. And I really don't think 'ok, if they kiss then i'll get reviews'

My fic are done before i post them. I have never posted a WIP and I never will.

Some do. And i SOOOOOO am not dissing them or anything like that. Why do i not post wip's? Cause i have fic on my HD that i've gotten stalled on and i don't want to make others wait weeks/months between chapters, cause it annoys me when it happens to me, so i won't do it to others.

And I know some have said 'reviews help me write', they'd probably help me too, but often my real life is such that I just don't have enough hours in a day to write.

Anyone that writes for themselves....are usually the folks I like to read and rec. Because they write for the STORY.

[Akamaimom]

I could really go on and on about this - it was, after all, the subject of my Master's thesis.

I was just thinking about this the other day--if anyone had used fanfic as a doctoral or master's thesis topic. I was thinking that if I went back to school, I would love to research this--I mean, the genre is huge--but I'm glad to know someone has. Now I don't have to do the coursework. I would love to read it.

And I agree with you guys--although I am one of those that posts WIP--part of that is because I have the next chapter largely written before I post the previous one, and the other part is because it took me three years to post my first Waiting, because I kept second-guessing myself and my story. If I post, it means I can't keep changing my mind. It makes it more real to me.

I am one that writes for myself. I like the reviews, but that's just because it's fun to get mail. But the stories are stories that bounce around in my head when I watch the eps--and I think, "What if?"

And it's so very, very much fun to make it happen!

[Aragon101]

And I write what I write. If i want to make a story shippy, i will. But if it doesn't work that way, then it won't. And I really don't think 'ok, if they kiss then i'll get reviews'

My fic are done before i post them. I have never posted a WIP and I never will.

Some do. And i SOOOOOO am not dissing them or anything like that. Why do i not post wip's? Cause i have fic on my HD that i've gotten stalled on and i don't want to make others wait weeks/months between chapters, cause it annoys me when it happens to me, so i won't do it to others.

And I know some have said 'reviews help me write', they'd probably help me too, but often my real life is such that I just don't have enough hours in a day to write.

Anyone that writes for themselves....are usually the folks I like to read and rec. Because they write for the STORY.

I think in some respects it boils down to how confident the author is in their work. If you're always second guessing yourself, or writing towards a specific fan instead of your own likes and dislikes, then it becomes less about the story and more about the external variable.

I wrote Occupational Hazard because that damn plot bunny kept gnawing at me whenever i had a few moments free... it kept on nibbling until eventually i went insane and started writing. I'll admit, the # of reviews was nice and definitely encouraged me to keep writing it, but at the same time, i wrote the story I wanted to tell, not the one people said they wanted to read. If i followed every review's advice, Jack would have proposed to Sam while she was still recovering from the first shot.

That being said, what i write is for myself and like-minded people.

I completely respect ANY author who does this. It's easy to "sell-out" and write something simply for the popularity, in different fandoms that's different things.

one of my absolute favorite authors is "WritingInCT". They've done some utterly brilliant (IMO) stories that push the character emphasis to a stunningly beautiful level. Yet, those stories get very few reviews. At the same time, i've seen other fics under teh same premise, much less well written get a ton of reviews because it gives the reader instant gratification or that specific thing that the most common denominator is after (ohh! i'm filled with memories of English classes!)