Being Anal and Indecisive… and Hating Decisions
Epic rambly blog post in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
If I could actually decide on one word to describe myself, it might just be indecisive. Maybe. Possibly. Or not. I’m not sure. I changed my mind. Let’s talk about something else.
Sometimes I think about pulling old stories from FFn. Namely the one-shots. Not being a big one-shot reader, I feel like they clutter up my story list. It used to be fine when there were only a couple. And now it’s like Author has written a bazillionty stories for Twilight. But really, I’ve only written three and a half.
Maybe I should just chalk it up to being anal and let it go. It’s kind of cool to be like, yeah I’ve been here a while. I haz all these stories! On the other hand, some of them kind of make me cringe. I’ve come a long way in the past 3+ years and I think it shows. The link to my blog is on my FFn profile, and if someone really, really wanted to read my old, mediocre one-shots, they could find them here.
If I could get the same traffic by putting stories solely on my blog as I do on FFn, it would be the only place I post. But that’s not the interwebs we live in, and it seems like FFn is the popular choice among the fandom despite prohibiting anything with an MA rating.
Currently Adore, Adore and Adore Me reside on both AO3 and FictionPad, and it’s kind of driving me crazy. I feel like I’m being hoored out on the Internet. Okay, not really. But I am anal about my stuff. When I find an error, I like to fix it. Everywhere. It’s one of the main reasons I stopped cross-posting to TWCS. That and their website is painful to post on, look at, and navigate. But there I go digressing again.
I like using FFn. I like reading on FFn. There’s even a kickass iPhone app I use called Pocket Fiction. I’m afraid if my stuff isn’t on FFn, people won’t read it. But then I think, if I want more readers, wouldn’t it make sense to post in multiple places?
Now that Adore has been removed, I have mixed feelings about FFn. I don’t blame them for doing it. No matter how lackadaisical they are when it comes to enforcing their policy, they are still clear about their rules. It’s not anyone’s place to say whether their reasons are right or wrong. It’s their site and they can run it however they see fit.
Do I feel bad about violating their ToS? Not really. I feel like if they really cared, they would strictly enforce the rules. Have you ever uploaded copyrighted content to YouTube? Those bastards will flag your account within the hour.
I’ve considered reposting Adore to FFn, but then I think, instead of putting prohibited content on FFn, maybe I should just move everything to the other fiction archives. Not because I want to punish FFn or because the loss of traffic they will suffer in the wake of my flounce will even make a dent in their stats, but because I should be supporting the smaller sites that give readers what they want. Sites that listen to feedback and make changes accordingly. Because by not posting on FFn at all, those other sites will get traffic that they otherwise wouldn’t have, even if my readership suffers because of it.
But dammut. FFn is just so aesthetically pleasing!
I have yet to decide what to do, but I feel like it’s time for a change.
I’m not sure if I got off topic, because I don’t even know what the subject was to begin with. I just needed to rant. If you made it this far, thanks for lending an ear.
Joo October 9, 2013 at 4:03 pm
first of all – I HAVE TO DO MATH TO LEAVE A COMMENT HERE? I REJECT THIS KITTEH. NO MATH.
ok, onto real bidness – I say repost to FFn, what’s the worst that can happen? They pull it again. You already know how that feels. And leave the o/s’s there. sometimes people are looking for something quick to read and it’s nice to find a one-shot by an author you like. And by people, I mean me.
ooza October 9, 2013 at 4:31 pm
Dude, be happy I found a simple math plugin. There was one that was like 73 – [ ] = 68 and was liek EFF THAT SHIT.
Bikechick3 October 9, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Hey, whatever you do is fine with me. Just please let us know, so we can follow you!
Thanks – and thanks for all your wriing, in case you don’t know how much we appreciate it.
ooza October 9, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Aww, thank you. Well I appreciate you guys reading and visiting me here. <333
Everything will always be here. So whether stuff gets pulled or moved around, at least you'll know of one spot to find it. :)
Lori (@2loveybunnies) October 9, 2013 at 4:18 pm
OK, I agree FF is a pain in the ass for pulling stuff, but I think you should leave your O/S there too. I’m just getting into FictionPad (tried it out in Beta as a reader for Betsy and it’s got positive/negative issues for me). I have a hard time finding thing on AO3 unless an author gives me a link. The orphan account thing is confusing to me and I have issues with the search functions and organization, but at least there is no censorship. Have you thought about TWCS? I know it’s not perfect, but it’s similar to Twilighted without the approval restrictions. I actually probably read there second to FF. Also, I’m just wondering if either Adore story is actually complete? AO3 only has 9 chapters up?
ooza October 9, 2013 at 4:29 pm
FP does have a few odd issues, and I hope it’ll improve as they work everything out. I don’t particularly like the Kindle-style reading experience. That was why I decided to post to AO3 as well.
I won’t post to TWCS again for a couple different reasons. I find their interface really cumbersome to post to. Also, their server is so slow that once it took me almost 15 minutes from the time I hit the post button to the time the page finished loading. Aside from that, I don’t like how they solicited authors to P2P.
Adore, Adore isn’t finished yet, so for now there are only 9 chapters. :)
debbieinsflorida October 9, 2013 at 4:47 pm
Well, I, for one, while agreeing that FFn is by far the easiest site to navigate, wouldn’t blame any and all authors for pulling everything off of there and moving it elsewhere. I know it’s their site and they can do what they want, but I also feel that they’re not taking into account a huge portion of their readership’s preferences, which is just sad, not to mention the fact that they pull your (and others’) stories with no warning and no time to save the comments and everything, makes me just wanna never read there again. Yes, I would miss the ease of access and the reading style, but I’d happily put up with the other sites if it meant none of my favorite authors’ stories got pulled out of the blue. I know you have to do what works for you, and not being an author, I have no idea about the technicalities of posting, etc., but believe me, your fans will follow you. As long as you keep your FFn profile page so you can let us know where your stories are, we’ll be there. Hope that helps the decision a little!
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:47 pm
It would have been nice to be given a chance to edit it. I mean, Adore is hopeless, but there are a lot of stories that which could easily have the lemons edited out and it wouldn’t miss much. But at the same time, I can see how they wouldn’t want to have to follow up on it. Oh, well. :/
hotmesslibbeh October 9, 2013 at 5:02 pm
I’d repost. It’s what all the cool kids are doing. As for the oneshots, meh. Stop being so anal. IT’S FINE. ;)
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:47 pm
You stahp being anal! lol
Andrea October 9, 2013 at 6:29 pm
I will follow your stories wherever they go. I actually thought this was an Adore update about anal. Lol. Hmmm. That would be nice. Whatever you decide. Wherever you go. I’ll read. Thanks for writing.
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:47 pm
Thank you for the support. ♥
Madeline4994 October 9, 2013 at 7:35 pm
I agree that FFN is easier to use and more aesthetically pleasing – so far twitpad makes you constantly scroll to read the stories so somehow it’s less fun to read on there. That said, I love me some lemons!
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:48 pm
Yeah, it would be nice if they made it an option. I can see how it would be great for mobile, but not when you’re on a computer.
Lemons are awesome!
Kat Weisz October 9, 2013 at 8:07 pm
love your rants and will follow you any place you go…………….
Merrily
Kat
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:49 pm
Hahaha, well at least I know one person does! Thank you. ♥
Jen October 9, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Is it wrong that I say the words, “Being Anal” and immediately thought you were bringing us a lemon? :-P
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:49 pm
You’re not the only one, so I suppose there’s just something about my stories… lol.
Claudia Bouffard October 9, 2013 at 10:05 pm
Okay, Ooza I can understand you’re understanding with regard to FF.net’s removing Adore, Adore because as you said you did knowingly violate the TOS.
However, what I did not like was the approach that FF.net seemed to take in regard to once again pulling fics. I perused the list that the three “self-appointed” fan fiction police have targeted. Yes, I noticed that several of the stories that appear to have been removed, or are “targeted” for removal are stories I read. I do not believe this places me in any specific category, other than the category of an adult who enjoys reading erotic or romantic erotic fictions. Should these stories be on this site? I really cannot answer that question other than to say, if all of the “M” rated stories were removed from FF.net, I do believe that a significant amount of the cash generating “clicks” to their site would be greatly reduced. I do feel that there are safe-guards that could be incorporated to prevent the “young minds” from accessing these stories, or better yet, the parents of these “young minds” could possibly school their offspring in what is appropriate and what is not appropriate reading material.
With that being said, I must take issue with the manner and method in which FF.net has removed these stories. It appears to me that FF.net has taken the “easy way out”. It seems that they have allowed a small number (I was pointed to three people in particular) of people to dictate which stories are pulled. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to which stories are flagged and eventually pulled. I have an extensive list of stories that are WIP’s or completed stories, and many, if not all of them, are quite similar in content. Obviously the stories are completely different, but many of the lemons contained in these stories are quite similar in nature, and are written along the same vein as to how descriptive the lemon is presented.
So now my question is what exactly is the criteria that is being utilized to determine which stories are left alone and which are flagged for elimination? It seems random at best. This may not be a popular opinion, but if you are going to eliminate some stories for violation of TOS, then all stories which violate TOS need to be eliminated. I know all were not pulled for lemons, but also for the posting of song lyrics.
I don’t seem to be able to comprehend the methods utilized, and I am sure I never will. My only hope is that many of the Twilight authors will voluntarily pull and post at places such as FP, AO3, or even on FT. Yes, it is true it is nice for the exposure that a writer can gain from posting on FF.net, but I do believe that it is time for the other more lenient, adult sites be promoted.
Well this was a long-assed rant, but I have thought a lot about this; and honestly, I am getting tired of trying to search the internet to see where the “nomadic” Twilight FF writers relocate to once they are unceremoniously removed from FF.net.
Thanks for listening.
ooza October 9, 2013 at 11:53 pm
I would really like to see the inner workings of their site. When and how do they decide to pull stories, if it’s pressure from advertisers or someone else, etc. When the mass removals happened a few years ago, everyone blamed some group on FFn for reporting them, but I think the “leader” (sounds like a cult) came out and said they had nothing to do with it and they have better things to do than report Twific. So who knows? I just hope everyone who wants to read the end finds the story again. :'(
Evelina October 11, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Hi
I just want to say that I will follow my favorite authors anywhere…
I adore Adore, Adore and can’t wait till you update… :)
ooza November 25, 2013 at 11:48 am
<333
Nix October 11, 2013 at 2:02 pm
Wait, wait. Pocket Fiction?! WHAT IS THIS MAGIC?!?!
ooza October 11, 2013 at 2:27 pm
IT’S MAGIC!