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Anita Blake Fics

Discussion in 'Story Search' started by deathinapinkboa, Mar 21, 2010.

  1. Warlocke

    Warlocke Fourth Champion

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    Oh my god... THIS.

    I've found some good stuff there but... ugh, fuckin' drabbles.

    And a disappointing number of their authors seem to think that 300 words makes a chapter, even for multi-chaptered fics.
     
  2. Heather_Sinclair

    Heather_Sinclair Chief Warlock

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    And you know the really fucked up thing about the 300 word chapters --which by the way, I think you are being very generous with that high of a number-- they receive the really high reviews.

    300 word chapter = 35 reviews
    10,000 word chapter = 3 reviews. :awesome

    I get the impression that the majority of their readership are seriously ADD/ADHD. "Sorry, your chapters are way too long and my attention span is zero. Maybe if you broke that 10,000 word:1 chapter ratio to 100 word:100 drabble/chapters it would be better."

    I've noticed that when I first starting posting there, back when GOF came out, I received tons of hits and reviews, but the more my writing improved and the larger my chapters became, the less people followed. Or maybe I just THOUGHT my writing was improving... oh crap. :eek:
     
  3. ZeroTheDestroyer

    ZeroTheDestroyer Auror

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    Weird.

    I usually only write 10,000 word chapters. Its rare that I get anything less than 80 reviews/chapter. Perhaps, it really depends on what genre you are writing I guess. I've noticed some authors make their stories very hard to follow. Flashbacks, introspection, 18 different POVS, etc, etc.

    I got some advice from an author I can't remember the name of and I've been satisfied with my review count ever since.

    Rule for fics:Keep it simple. Easy to follow. Consistent. One POV. Two character focus.

    Most readers care little about spelling and grammar. They like long stories, but they hate it if its nothing but flashbacks and introspection.
     
  4. Nuhuh

    Nuhuh Dastardly Shadow Admin Retired Staff

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    Heather, I have had the same experience. The sweet spot that I've found is about 7k-7.5k words and regular updates. That's the logistics, now the content: It has to be simple.

    That said, following that formula though good for maximizing reviews isn't always conducive to good writing.

    I've read Scarlet Rod and I've really liked it. I'd rather you write more complexly than simply if it's more entertaining. Though that doesn't mean that simple isn't fun, that's why gentlemen prefer blonds.
     
  5. Heather_Sinclair

    Heather_Sinclair Chief Warlock

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    You receive 80 reviews a chapter at Twisting the Hellmouth?! Wow, then you are quite possibly sole exception to that rule. I don't know anyone there that receives that many reviews. TTH is where you are likely to find AB crossover fics.

    FF.net is a whole different matter. You don't need any talent to get reviews there. All you have to do is cater to the masses. I don't tend to do that. There's only so many indy!Harry, Evil!Dumbledore, Veela!Draco fics that can be written.... and yet they are still popular. I guess it's a Twilight mentality thing.



    While it's always nice to see reviews, I prefer quality more than quantity. With one of my first HP stories (when OotP came out) I shot for reviews and posted 1500 word chapters, daily. The result was/and still is: "Great Sotry- Hermz's bithday is worng, but its still gud. Maybe Draco can be a Veela in the seaqueel?"

    I still get freaky reviews every day on that thing.

    Uh... no thanks. I much prefer: "Holy crap! I didn't know you could do that kind of thing with an egg beater, a pumpkin, and thigh highs! MOAR!"

    I digress. Have we strayed far enough from topic yet, LOL?
     
  6. Blaise

    Blaise Golden Patronus

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    What I Learned About Anita Blake Within 2 Minutes On IRC:

    1. She likes fucking things.
    2. There is a were-swan.
    3. She has fucked the were-swan.
    4. The author's writing reflect her "woman scorned" status.

    JBlaise stays the fuck away from this one.
     
  7. Orm Embar

    Orm Embar Auror

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    You've dodged a bullet of a fairly high caliber on this one.
     
  8. Rhys

    Rhys High Inquisitor

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    Indeed, not even Anita could shove that big a gun in her pants.
     
  9. Warlocke

    Warlocke Fourth Champion

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    I realize now that I failed to correct this in Nuhuh's story. If you want to get technical, they are never referred to as wereswans. The rank and file ones are called Swanmanes, while the high-ups are the Swan King and Queen who are born as shapeshifters through heredity. There was another one earlier on in the series who was referred to as a Prince; he was that way as the result of a curse.

    Edit: Because how the fuck is a swan going to bite someone... Pinch, maybe.

    *PINCH!* "Aw, dammit... Now I've got feathers."

    I was about to call bullshit on that one, since the only one really mentioned (the Prince) was in the books before she even really had a boyfriend, but apparently she screws the King in the course of the book I'm currently reading, during another of her emergency "I need to fuck because I've got weird powers" sessions.
    Meh, she's no pstibbons, so it's not quite that blatant, especially in the beginning.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2010
  10. lanceavalon

    lanceavalon Seventh Year

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    Sometime after book six(I think) she got a divorce and Richards character was based on her husband, she then proceeds to destroy Richard as a character and the storyline becomes subservient to sex.
     
  11. Heather_Sinclair

    Heather_Sinclair Chief Warlock

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    This goes to the whole "AB series is actually two different series" mentality. It started off very well, with actual crimes to solve, and vampires to hunt and kill. Then LKH realizes that the more sex she puts in her stories the more popular they become with the 40 year old women that don't have sex anymore, thus increasing the sales of her books into the NYT Bestseller List.

    That was around "Blue Moon." Ever since then she increases the amount (stopping briefly in "Obsidian Butterfly" to see if it was a fluke) then increasing dramatically into the fetish scene in "Narcissus in Chains" and then flailing about like a landed fish in the remainder.

    In the latest book "Flirt" she reverts back to actual crime again. ZOMG! Of course, the book is half the size and costs the same amount ($30) as the regular series books. Which goes to show that when she gets serious and writes actual plot driven stories, that she's lost it and can't figure out how to write properly anymore.

    BTW, there is pretty much Were-Everything. Sometimes they just call it something else, like Warlocke shows an example of above.
     
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