Posting Your Fan Fiction Story on the Web
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| Title: | Posting Your Fan Fiction Story on the Web |
| Creator: | L.N. James |
| Date(s): | October 7, 1998, last modified November 3, 2012 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | Posting Your Fan Fiction Story on the Web, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Posting Your Fan Fiction Story on the Web is an essay by Lunacy.
It was posted October 1998, and last modified in 2012. The essay's site is Lunacy's Fan Fiction Reviews.
Introduction: "There are a number of things to consider when you want to share a fan fiction story with your fellow Xenites over the Web. Here are some suggestions."
Sections
- Orienting Yourself: about fic sites
- How Will Your Story Be Presented: formatting
- Does Your Story "Fit" the Site You are Considering?
- Selective Sites
- Bringing Readers to Your Story
- Disclaimers
- Feedback
- Copyright Statement
- Copyright: Getting the Word Out
- Miscellaneous Things
Excerpts
Sharing stories over the Net is not the same as having a story available at a bookstore. When someone looks at a book in a store, from reading the back or inside covers they can usually get an impression of what the story is about which in turn can help them decide whether it might include heavy violence or other things which they may object to. Via the Internet, a story just pops up on the screen so as a courtesy to your readers, if your story features things which you suspect others may find objectionable or disturbing, it is nice to include a disclaimer at the beginning of your story warning about this. The TV series XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS features a certain level of violence which readers should expect in stories but if in doubt as to whether your story exceeds that level - include a disclaimer. Also - be aware that the term "violence" is a very vague one which could refer to many different things. A bloody fight with a group of raiders constitutes violence but it's a different type of violence than say a rape would be. The former might not bother anyone but the latter could be really disturbing to certain readers.
Feedback is a tricky subject which I encourage bards to think about carefully. First of all, keep in mind that what we're talking about here is fan fiction which first and foremost should be FUN for the person writing it. Bards have different feelings when it comes to their stories - some take these very seriously - they work for hours, days, weeks and months writing the stories - they want to improve their writing and they genuinely want constructive criticism. That is wonderful and if that is what you want then consider including a note along with your story saying something to the effect that feedback is welcomed AND including an e-mail address where people can write you.
There are also bards who just write because they enjoy it but aren't necessarily interested in hearing criticism. NOTHING wrong with that either so don't FEEL you need to ask for feedback. If you do ask for feedback be aware that the messages you'll get back may range from gushing statements by fans who just ADORE your writing, to very honest, impartial, quality criticism from readers who see potential in your writing and want to help you get better, to messages from people who may not have a lot of tact and may just sound insulting. You may not get back any feedback at all. It does NOT necessarily mean that your story is bad or that no one is reading. I always encourage readers to send at least a thank you note to the bards to let them know that they appreciate their stories but the fact of the matter is that the biggest feedback generators tend to be the long novel-type stories so don't feel crushed if you don't get an avalanche of feedback. Always keep in mind that YOU are the one making a contribution to the Xenaverse - YOU are the one with the courage to share a creative exercise with the rest of us so be proud of that and know that the majority of us are extremely grateful for the effort as well.
Web sites almost always include a contact e-mail address where you can reach the webmaster so just take a look on the main page of the site for that addy.
Please include in your story the DATE it was written and if the story takes place after or before a certain episode mention that as well. Keep in mind that the XWP TV series has now been airing for three seasons and will hopefully be airing for many more. A story written this year based on what is currently happening in the TV series may seem totally unbelievable two seasons from now. If the reader knows that the story was written a while ago or is set at a certain time in the series they will likely enjoy it much more. Indexers and reviewers typically include dates when they list stories at their sites. Dates can help people find stories and they can be extremely helpful for Xenites and other researchers writing about the fanfic phenomenom. ALSO, dating your story better ensures that if an instance of plagiarism occurs, you'll be able to prove that your story was the one written first. Try to include an E-MAIL ADDRESS in your story. This allows readers to contact you with any feedback they have. It's essential though even if you don't necessarily want feedback. If the site archiving your story goes offline or for some other reason your story becomes unavailable, readers who've saved your story can use the e-mail address to notify you of the problem. If you don't want to use your regular e-mail address get another one you can use in your fanfic. E-mail addresses now are readily available for free. If you change e-mail addresses at a future date try to remember to change that in your fanfic. An e-mail address is only useful if it works ;-)