Is it just me or did all the sudden the number of good fics put in the For Review area go down seriously within the last couple of weeks?

 

I've noticed that too, but that could be due to the massive slowdown in fics we've experience lately.

I rarely get a single new chapter these days.

 

Many of the writers on Fanfiction.net are kids, since school started they will not be updating much or even at all until the first long break of the year (Thanksgiving, Christmas ect..).

 

Also I think its a break between the books.

I think when a release date is announced people will get into it more.


Like to thank nonjon for updating his firefly crossover consistently without it I would have nothing to ever read.

 

You know, I never could get into that fic. I've tried at least 4 times to read it but inevitably get bored within a couple of chapers.

 

Yay me. Though I certainly don't blame ya Mordecai. It's a crossover with a canceled sci-fi tv show and movie. And it's not very dark or DLP-ish at all.

But back on topic. (Which to be honest it was the thread title of "Is is just me?" that caught my eye.) And the answer is I don't think there ever were really all that many *good* fics put in FOR REVIEW. There were a lot more mediocre and average ones, but the good ones have been pretty few and far between.

I know for me, it's that my tastes have gotten pickier lately. Fics that previously I would overlook a buttload of cliches on, now, I don't have the same patience for them. For example I can tell that a year ago, something like "Unsung Hero" would've been immediately dropped into my C2 and updates eagerly awaited. Now, I just can't stomach how much the eye-gouging romance and totally absence of logical plot takes away from the otherwise well-written fic.

Personally, I blame DLP for refining my sense of fanfiction aesthetics.

 

I know the feeling there. Stories I used to love, I go back to and think to myself "What the hell was I thinking?" It is probably a combination of good ideas getting overused by less qualified authors, or the reader finds more high quality fics, and becomes accustomed to them, so will not read lesser stories.

 

Another thing is that as you read more of the mediocre, you come to appreciate those very very few well-written fics. The problem with most of the stuff in FOR REVIEW is that we've either written it or read it before. And some fanfiction authors are starting to use bad plot devices to get the show on the road, so to speak.

Regurgitated shtick was never my favorite.

 

I don't like most of the 'well written' fics these days. It seems there's an unspoken rule that more the effort author invests in presentation, the more cliches and canon-humping bullshit is included. Right now, I mostly prefer underdogs, even if they are not good enough to compare with classics from several years ago.

 

Yes I argee that there wasnt THAT many fics that were THAT good in review but lots of decent and medicore fics but lately it just seems that there are even fewer of those.

I understand about school though.

I argee with Nonjon my standards have risen considerably in the last few months. I loved A Second Chance at Life in the beginning but bout the middle it was okay but then the increase in slash and ALMIGHTY vamp bullshit just got annoying and stupid. Also fics like HONKS, Harry and Susan, Harry and Cho, and other good ships have become like H/G abunch of I Love YOU lets screw fics.

 

I have not read fanfiction for close to 3 weeks now, there just is not any good stories to read. Another reason of course is school as classes are getting more demanding and i have very little time to read.

The last reason is because i am slowly loosing interest in Fanfiction, odd as it may sound but i blame it on the lack of good stories.

 

The "well-written" fics that feature useless!Harry and stick close to canon have a quality of their own. I strongly dislike canoncloners, but I prefer a well-written canon clone to a cliche-ridden independent!Harry.

 

There is some truth to that statement. But even then it has to be exceptional. I haven't found much new stuff that interests me; it seems like Harry Potter fanfiction has reached a plateau.

 

I'd rather read the cliche crap because it makes me laugh with how overused some plot devices are and hopefully eventually you get into some good independent writing.

However with canon followers I've already read the books and while I think JKR's vision can be annoying it is already very well written and reading a clone just annoys me.

 

I hate cliche, and cannon crap. JKR already thought up those ideas, so think of your own now, stupid bad writers.

 

Its not just you. The quality of fics that come into the DLP test bin( For Review) seem to come in waves. Sometimes a surge of horribly bad fics rush in and then theres a wave of good/mediocore fics. Others theres a trickle of good fics and then it turns into bad fics. So my advice? Just wait and review the ones that come into the test bin. Eventually you come across a good one.