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[drosophila]

Everyone so far posted awesome thoughts about fanfic popularity, tagging, smut, and audience. 

 

The little bits I thought I'd add, spoilered below.

 

Spoiler

 

First about overtagging: in cases where it doesn't match the level of smut/gore/violence or whatever it's tagged as, it might also be a precaution by the author. Last thing I want is someone commenting, "OMG, I read your fic and now I'm TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE." So I'd rather overtag than undertag, and that might be why other people are doing it as well. 

 

About popularity: IMO, nine times out of ten when I read through something, the writing is as fine as can be without the help of a professional team and painstaking finishing touches. In addition, there are a bunch of writers around here whose work I think is far better than widely popular fics, but they simply explore less sensational topics.

 

Soo, if you're worried whether you're a good writer, because fewer people than you like read your stuff, you're probably a good writer. If that worry is the only thing stopping you from going off and writing that original novel you've had the idea for since forever, stop. Go write that thing. If you need enabling encouragement to do it, go hang out on the smut thread.

 

If you want the experience of many people (who are not your friends) commenting, reading, and following your fic, I think the following recipe would've absolutely worked right after Tresspasser when lots of fans were just finishing the game, had strong feels, the fandom was very active, and the fanfic space wasn't saturated. I think it's probably likely to work now as well, given some patience:

• something light, fluffy, and funny
• something post-Tresspasser
• stay focused on the Solavellan pairing
• stay true to the Solas canon character, and also make sure to emphasize the cute, kind, adorkable aspects of him
• if you want to develop the Lavellan, do so very, very gradually. You can grow her personality, but the focus should be on Solas at first
• have a simple, focused, light plot, something like, "Let's redeem Solas with the power of hugs, nugs, cake, love, and friendship"
• multiple short chapters will help as well, but I think those are a good idea in general

There. Try the recipe, come here and share what you've made, and I hope it works out

 

Advertising: I wish I knew more about how to do this well. My only advice is the opinion that self-promotion is a good and important skill. Don't be shy about the beautiful things you made!!! If you can draw, that seems to help a bit.

 

 

[CapricornSun]

Mini art post.

 

Nice modern AU artwork of Lavellan as a kindergarten teacher and Solas as a hipster she meets

on a field trip to the history museum only to find out later that he is the museum director.

Spoiler

Source: http://solavellangar...rain-so-here-is

 

 

Lovely artwork of Solas.

Spoiler

Source: http://shingeki-no-w...bborn-elf-i-luv

 

 

Sketch of Solas.

Spoiler

Source: http://mass-effect-b...quisition-solas

 

 

Adorable doodles of Solas and male Cadash. 

Spoiler

Source: http://kelukana.tumb...st/137611285423

 

[Kyartah]

Hello again!

Phuuu spent the whole day to catch up on this thread   

 

Thank you @all for your great discussions and the sharing of your thoughts, artworks, writings, movies, pictures, and so on. You guys are great! 

 

I finally made it through DAO and DA2! Now a lot more I read here in the forum and hear in DAI makes sence to me. But I have to say, even as DAI-starter without backgroung knowledge the game was completely understandable and enjoyable.

Having now plaied all three games, I still have to admit that the Solas romance is by far the most catching and moving.

 

  Sorry Fenris, I really love you too but anyway ... Solas forever!     

 

I'm actually wondering if we (Blaketfort-readers) tend to have a slight hang towards masochism    

 

Sooo time to replay DAI with my special world-state. I'm so excited!!!

[FreeBird]

Hello together,

 

this thread has been my morningly read for months now, but I never posted anything. I really enjoy it, so thank you all.

 

I have to share something really funny with you. I've made some screenshots of my inquisitors earlier this day for the screenshot thread http://forum.bioware...8#entry20026720. I used DAI Cinematic Tools to free the camera and so I saw a lot of interesting things and situations that were hidden before. One situation was really great. So I wanted to take a picture of my poor heartbroken Lady Lavellan taking the (hopefully not) last smooch at the end of Trespasser. 

 

And while mighty great Solas had already stood up again and continued to talk blabla about everything's bad and such, my poor honey Lavellan was still frozen in her kissing position, puckering her sweetest sugar lips, as if she wanted to kiss forever.

 

I loved that view. Here you are.

 

[Solas]

Welcome Freebird

[thaali]

I lied.  I'm posting the new chapter now even though I said I'd only post Saturdays.  I just had a lot fun with it when I wrote it so couldn't wait

 

Of Rifts and Elves Chapter 8 http://archiveofouro...apters/13289614

 

Solas POV on it http://archiveofouro...apters/13289758

[Ellawynn]

Spoiler

Thanks for bookmarking, and your kind words. Things do seem to get buried on AO3 super fast. I thought about cross posting on fanfic.net, but (and I'm a bit embarrassed to say this) I couldn't really figure out their system. You have to upload a file and then edit it into a chapter to post or something kinda weird like that? From my own lurking over there I know those folks do provide more constructive feedback. I might just have to give it another go.

 

I know posting super short little bits keeps you on top, but I like to read longer chapters myself. I also thought it would be good to push myself in terms of word count. Eh, I don't know. Maybe I'll try the short thing next time.

 

I know it's best to write for oneself rather than others. I've even offered that advice before. I just need to know if I should bother trying to write. I've gotten too much positive feedback from my family over the years. I don't trust their praise. Before I spend the next year or two or three writing a novel, I want to be sure that I'm not just deluded about my abilities.

 

Oh, and I didn't mean to pick on Feynite. I leave positive comments on Looking Glass for most updates. The E rating just doesn't really match the level of violence or sex, at least so far. I don't understand why they don't want critique. Looking Glass has thousands of readers. I'd love to get a share of that feedback, insults or praise. Its a tremendous resource that I wouldn't want to waste.

 

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

 

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled Solas thread. Have you all seen The Copperkidd's Inquisition Frostback Mountain art? It's too cute. Here's a linky.

 

 

Fanfic-y things.

 

Spoiler

Eh, in Feynite's defense, I'm pretty sure she's labelled it explicit because she intends to bring in smut sooner or later. You could argue that she should just wait until then to change the rating, but then you run into the problem of getting readers invested and then risking their wrath when they find out there's smut. You could include a warning about future smut, but then people will ignore it/ask you not to include it, really, it's just a hassle that's easily solved by putting the E tag on from the get-go. Also, from what I understand, she doesn't want feedback because it makes it harder for her to find motivation/focus on furthering the story, rather than going back to fix the mistakes or just giving up outright. *Shrug* I mean, it's not like she's getting paid. She writes it for fun in her free time. It seems to basically be a hobby for her. I can understand wanting to keep negative feelings from getting mixed up in what's supposed to be just a pasttime.

 

But anyway.

 

The only real advice I can think is to find (or set-up) a workshop. I don't know if you can find one online, but there's no way you're the only writer desiring feedback - if you can find a group of writers in a similar position, get everyone to agree to trad writing and give feedback on each individual piece, you get a good batch of comments and provide help to other writers.

 

Really, one could probably be set-up in this thread (Or the writer's thread.)

 

And I also just... I don't think there should be any shame in losing motivation because you're not getting the attention you want. I feel like there's almost a sort of stigma to admitting you wanted a few more comments or views, like you're not doing it right if you're not doing it for yourself. But... I dunno, it seems natural to me, to get discouraged because no one seems to care. I obviously wouldn't recommend just giving up, but I don't think there should be in shame in wanting people to notice your work.

 

[NightSymphony]

A little art break

 

Sweet Dreams, Vhenan. ( Listed as NSFW but I don't think it is. Everything is covered by a blanket.)

http://ninaxxg.devia...henan-585454873

 

Solas Hates Tea.  (Then why is does he look so happy to be drinking it?)

http://morrigaincrow...s-tea-585472031

 

What we all wanted to do at the end of Trespasser!

http://uuyly.deviant...n-DA4-585418774

[Brass_Buckles]

Ooh I know that (dream) feeling..

 

*cough* Abelas *cough*

 

 

 

And my first Solas dream.. I need help .

 

If you have Dragon's Dogma on Steam, my main pawn is based on Abelas.  I named him Sorrow.  I didn't make him bald though.  He's blond.  Anyway.  If you friended me and had Dragon's Dogma  I'd let you use my pawn.  Yeah I know, barely relevant...

 

I've said this before. I would have enjoyed Trespasser even more if my character wasn't just catching up on information I already knew. If we were able to discover Solas' identity at the same time as our characters it would have been much more intense. Having months to formulate theories and plan our reactions when our characters met up with Solas again was a bit detrimental if you ask me.

 

 

Ok, I always thought Abelas reminded me of someone...I finally figured out who. He looks just like CNN's Anderson Cooper, to me anyway.

 

A rant-esque thing about fan fiction is under the spoiler tag. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Spoiler

You guys, I'm feeling a bit mopey about something that I suspect you all have relevant insights about. In 2015 I was motivated by Inquisition to write my first ever fan fic. I actually ended up writing two. I felt like it was an amazing writing exercise. My family has been waiting for me to write that novel I promised I'd write for a decade, but depression and negativity have gotten in my way. I think writing fic has gotten me back on the right track, and I certainly don't regret doing it. However, I'm disappointed by the feedback. I know that my second fic is superior to my first, so I can't understand why my first fic has more kudos, comments, and hits than my second.

 

I'm beginning to think it has a lot to do with rating and smut content. Fics with smut always seem to get more readers than fics without. I'm not going to throw in out of place smut for the sake of getting people to read my stuff. It makes me want to write off the whole idea of contributing to the fan fic community. Anyway, I spent a lot of time writing A First Day Chant, and I'm just disappointed that so few people gave it a read. I don't need phony pats on the back; criticism would have actually been more helpful. Now it is just receding deeper and deeper into the AO3 archive where no one will ever find it. I've even considered adding an epilogue (which would be ridiculous) just to shuffle it back up where people will see it.

 

I'm probably just having a bad day, but what do you all think? Should writers just expect less interest in smutless fics? If I write fan fic again should I be sure to included schmexy times? Is it a feasible strategy to rate something M or E to string people along and then never actually deliver the goods (Feynite's Looking Glass doesn't seem very explicit to me, just saying)? Is the key to getting readers just writing super long fics so that your stuff gets shuffled up to the top of the search results more often? Do people get a lot of readers from tumblr followers or something? Meh. Probably just a bad day, like I said.

 

Not going to spoiler this response.

 

Blunt answer?  Smut does get reads.  I have almost as many hits on my smutty one-shot side story as I do my (much longer) T-rated main fic.

 

Ratings will also lose you some readers.  Some readers do not want smut--most do.  Because my fic is only rated T, I don't get as many readers.  People pass it by, if they even see it when it updates.

 

Theme will lose readers.  My fic is filled with sadness.  Most people don't want that.  Some people eat it up, but not many.

 

You're also likely to get more readers if you're writing a pure romance, even if I personally prefer plot-oriented fics that don't just rehash the main story (or if they do, they change enough that it's not just a summary).  A lot of people care more about the fluff than the story, when reading a fanfic.

 

People say tumblr helps; I don't have a tumblr account.

 

And you know what?  None of that matters if you feel like you're cheapening your work to get more reads.  Absolutely none of it.  I'd rather have a few readers who enjoy the whole fic than a lot of them who are there only to read smut.  If you write what you like, at least a handful of people will read it.  Some of those people will see if you wrote anything else, if they really, really like it.

 

Spoiler

Thanks for bookmarking, and your kind words. Things do seem to get buried on AO3 super fast. I thought about cross posting on fanfic.net, but (and I'm a bit embarrassed to say this) I couldn't really figure out their system. You have to upload a file and then edit it into a chapter to post or something kinda weird like that? From my own lurking over there I know those folks do provide more constructive feedback. I might just have to give it another go.

 

I know posting super short little bits keeps you on top, but I like to read longer chapters myself. I also thought it would be good to push myself in terms of word count. Eh, I don't know. Maybe I'll try the short thing next time.

 

I know it's best to write for oneself rather than others. I've even offered that advice before. I just need to know if I should bother trying to write. I've gotten too much positive feedback from my family over the years. I don't trust their praise. Before I spend the next year or two or three writing a novel, I want to be sure that I'm not just deluded about my abilities.

 

Oh, and I didn't mean to pick on Feynite. I leave positive comments on Looking Glass for most updates. The E rating just doesn't really match the level of violence or sex, at least so far. I don't understand why they don't want critique. Looking Glass has thousands of readers. I'd love to get a share of that feedback, insults or praise. Its a tremendous resource that I wouldn't want to waste.

 

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

 

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled Solas thread. Have you all seen The Copperkidd's Inquisition Frostback Mountain art? It's too cute. Here's a linky.

 

I also like to read longer chapters; that's probably why I usually write decent-length chapters. Wouldn't call mine long, though, not really.  Sometimes, you might find that you need a short chapter, maybe even just a sentence or two.  That's fine.  If that's what you feel you need, do it.  If you write drabbles?  That's great too.

 

And as others said, you shouldn't feel bad if you don't get the readers you hoped for.  I don't have many readers at all.  It bothered me at first, but I'm okay with it now.  But yes, it's disappointing when you put so much effort into a work, and it seems like no one appreciates what you did.  It can be painful, even.  You can feel unappreciated.

 

Yet, there are benefits to a lack of popularity.  I don't have to feel obligated to update when I don't feel like it--the fic I'm currently writing will be finished (probably in the next couple of days even!), and if I start another one, maybe it will or maybe it won't.  If I fail or the ending falls flat, I disappoint fewer people.  And again, with a small audience, you know at least that whoever is reading it probably really does like it. There are 27 people who have bookmarked my fic, and I'm grateful for all of them.  So what if I don't have 20,000 hits and 200+ bookmarks?  At least 27 people thought my fic was good enough that they wanted to keep track of it for later.  I'm flattered.  I'd be flattered if only one or two people were regular readers.

 

Long post short, if you are enjoying writing, keep doing it and stop worrying about readership.  But don't let it keep you from writing other stories (like the novel you want to write) if you also enjoy doing that.  And yes, it's probably a good idea to join a writer's workshop or find friends to share your works with for honest feedback.  Family and close friends may praise it just because it's yours.  So find an honest writer/reader (sometimes people can give excellent critique without being writers or artists themselves!)  friend who'll tell you where it's strong and where it needs to be ripped to shreds and reworked.

 

And I'm sorry if anyone wanted that spoilered.  I don't really see the point in spoiler tagging something that might help someone else.

[CapricornSun]

Art post,

 

Adorable art of Solas and Lavellan kissing from feynites' Bagel AU.

Spoiler

Source: http://chococonut.tu...m-feynites-have

 

 

A WIP of Solas and Lavellan kissing.

Spoiler

Source: http://lystandthefan...d-to-make-quick

 

 

Cute doodles of Solavellan reading.

Spoiler

Source: http://solavellangar.../readin-doodles

 

 

"Vhenan." Solas shaking dat booty with a teacup on his butt.

Spoiler

Source: http://solavellangar..._related_post=1

 

 

Nice traditional artwork of Solas.

Spoiler

Source: http://mouwrost.tumb...tures-but-i-got

 

 

Cute little pixel gifs of Solas.

Spoiler

Source: http://otoishis.tumb...st-if-u-want-to

 

 

Beautiful inked artworks of Lavellan, Solas, Cole, Sera, and Josephine.

Spoiler

Source: http://perfectlydraw...st/137665331680

 

[Cee]

Sometimes people just spoiler tag longer posts to save the long scroll, not for content.

 

As for fanfiction, timing, and being in front of the right eyes at the right time, a certain person or a few who can share and create word of mouth buzz. sometimes these factors work in addition to good writing but sometimes good writing can be left behind without all these perfect storm factors, smut or not.

[Kadan]

Sometimes people just spoiler tag longer posts to save the long scroll, not for content.

 

As for fanfiction, timing, and being in front of the right eyes at the right time, a certain person or a few who can share and create word of mouth buzz. sometimes these factors work in addition to good writing but sometimes good writing can be left behind without all these perfect storm factors, smut or not.

I think Cee is right I think that timing has more to do with it. Second would be if you have enough people that spread word of your fic around it's going to be seen. Otherwise it's at the mercy of a fickle crowd. Those of us that write understand the work and emotion that go into writing, but not every fanfic reader is also a writer. I read a number of things that are super popular and wonder what it was that I missed that made them so popular, not saying they are terrible, they aren't. Others I see as amazing works of written art, and they are severely overlooked. Anytime you stretch out of canon and into alternate fic stuff I see more complaints from readers. Canon fics are still wildly popular and then it has to do with the pairing. I see a lot of demand for Dorian pairings, Iron Bull and Dorian or Quizzy/Dorian. Then again that might have something to do with the expectation of smut.

 

Honestly I think it's like a roulette wheel, you just never know where that ball is going to land. Sometimes you win big, other times it's just a small number, other times it goes bust.

[Gwyvian]

I've said this before. I would have enjoyed Trespasser even more if my character wasn't just catching up on information I already knew. If we were able to discover Solas' identity at the same time as our characters it would have been much more intense. Having months to formulate theories and plan our reactions when our characters met up with Solas again was a bit detrimental if you ask me.

 

 

Ok, I always thought Abelas reminded me of someone...I finally figured out who. He looks just like CNN's Anderson Cooper, to me anyway.

 

A rant-esque thing about fan fiction is under the spoiler tag. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Spoiler

You guys, I'm feeling a bit mopey about something that I suspect you all have relevant insights about. In 2015 I was motivated by Inquisition to write my first ever fan fic. I actually ended up writing two. I felt like it was an amazing writing exercise. My family has been waiting for me to write that novel I promised I'd write for a decade, but depression and negativity have gotten in my way. I think writing fic has gotten me back on the right track, and I certainly don't regret doing it. However, I'm disappointed by the feedback. I know that my second fic is superior to my first, so I can't understand why my first fic has more kudos, comments, and hits than my second.

 

I'm beginning to think it has a lot to do with rating and smut content. Fics with smut always seem to get more readers than fics without. I'm not going to throw in out of place smut for the sake of getting people to read my stuff. It makes me want to write off the whole idea of contributing to the fan fic community. Anyway, I spent a lot of time writing A First Day Chant, and I'm just disappointed that so few people gave it a read. I don't need phony pats on the back; criticism would have actually been more helpful. Now it is just receding deeper and deeper into the AO3 archive where no one will ever find it. I've even considered adding an epilogue (which would be ridiculous) just to shuffle it back up where people will see it.

 

I'm probably just having a bad day, but what do you all think? Should writers just expect less interest in smutless fics? If I write fan fic again should I be sure to included schmexy times? Is it a feasible strategy to rate something M or E to string people along and then never actually deliver the goods (Feynite's Looking Glass doesn't seem very explicit to me, just saying)? Is the key to getting readers just writing super long fics so that your stuff gets shuffled up to the top of the search results more often? Do people get a lot of readers from tumblr followers or something? Meh. Probably just a bad day, like I said.

 

*drips into conversation*

 

Soooo. I used to write fanfics, a Bleach and an FMA one, as well as an original fic, on another forum. I didn't do smut, it wasn't my thing - what built my readers and what kept it going was angst. As long as I kept the tension up, I was good. For the original fic, I had one sort-of-smut scene early on, and then never did another, but I could stretch that chemistry on and on and on and divert people's attention with the plot until they started being way more interested in what was going on rather than when the characters were finally going to cave in and get together again. I ended up taking that one offline because I decided it's book material, so I wrote the book (and have been looking for a publisher ever since, sigh).

 

I really understand this frustration: for me, it's platform, I just don't have one that can give me access to a wider audience, and that's because I've wanted to be a writer by profession since a young age, so fanfics began to frustrate me, it was as if I was pouring energy into something that could never truly blossom (for copyright reasons alone that was true). So, I don't do fanfics anymore not because I didn't have a following, but because I wanted to do writing on a grander scale, not using another's world or existing characters but my own world and characters - and then I started to reconcile myself to the fact that I might not get published at all within the next decade or so, and I've reverted (ironically) back to where I started: posting this and that online and just expanding my corner of the internet milimeter by milimeter. I had hoped that some of my fans would stick around and look for my work, maybe spread it once I started sharing it, but I'm pretty sure that I've been going about this whole thing the wrong way since years.

 

I think, in a nutshell, the only things that truly can get you ahead are luck and a support network, and the larger scale you want to go in writing, the larger those two need to be. I never thought it fair, I've fallen into despair about this more times than I can count, but after a while you reach a point where you just do it because this is what you are meant to do - and people pick up on that, it's ingrained in your words, they enjoy it because you're not writing to get a following, but to just get more and more out there. Like an inkblot, it spreads and people start to notice.

 

Of course, I'm not one to talk, my success has been modest so far. But I just keep going, that's what I do, that's who I am. Maybe I'll just skip the whole publishing industry part and just put my stuff out there - my aim is to talk to people after all.

[Solas]

Where would the solas thread be without art break posts from the lovely Cap bless you vhenan

[FernRain]

I wish I could slip into the fade sleep like a dreamer. I tried getting an earlier sleep and I just can't fall asleep . Someone give me a situation to mull over .

[Addictress]

Solas' true identity was a huge surprise to me I'm not good at piecing it together. The end of trespasser was a shock to me

[9TailsFox]

Solas' true identity was a huge surprise to me I'm not good at piecing it together. The end of trespasser was a shock to me

It's impossible to 100% be sure Solas. He is not same as Blackwall, it's so easy to find out he is not Warden Nightmare demon just tell us he isn't. Solas just some  shady hobo who know stuff. We can speculate he is dreamer, it's obvious something not right with him but this is it.

[CapricornSun]

Another art post.

 

Beautiful artwork of Lavellan kissing Solas who's wearing a wolf mask. By siriusdraws.

Spoiler

Source: http://siriusdraws.t...ut-the-egg-but 

 

 

Looking Glass fanart: It finally happened! Lavellan and Pride kissing. (I'm so happy!  ) Based on the latest chapter.

Spoiler

Source: http://slayersangel....ally-happened-3

 

 

Solavellan Witcher AU: Aen Elle Solas and elven witcher Lavellan.

Spoiler

Source: http://theresa-draws...itcher-lavellan

 

 

Concept!Solas and Lavellan sitting.

Spoiler

Source: http://babes-of-thed...ejudice-for-the

 

 

Solas responding to an anon. By ChuChu. (Love this! )

Spoiler

Source: http://lothlenan.tum...st/137669141535

 

 

When the Inquisitor starts flirting.    (Solas, Blackwall, Dorian, Iron Bull, and Cullen.)

Spoiler

Source: http://a-wolf-thing....ts-the-flirting

 

[NightSymphony]

Hehehe..Sunny...Tala looks adorable all angry.  

[CapricornSun]

Hehehe..Sunny...Tala looks adorable all angry.

 

Hee hee! Thank you! I got bored with my previous avatar and thought I'd use her angry face for a change.

[paramitch]

FernRain, thanks for posting that on Last Court. How did I not know this existed?! Thank you! Meanwhile -- my 2 cents, as "fey" can also denote "dangerous" or "mercurial," both of which are perfect for both Solas (and Felassan, actually), or a kind of dark playfulness in which mortal peril is implied. Great word.

 

Little bird is gone now.  Just got back in from burying her.

 

Brass, to second Illyria and so many of our lovely posters here, I am so sorry for your loss. I know what wonderful companions birds can be -- a close friend just lost her budgie after 17 years, and it was the sweetest, smartest thing! I hope you're recovering, letting yourself grieve, and getting lots of hugs and support from loved ones. I'm so sorry. I've lost cats over the years since college and it's never ever easy. I just lost my darling fluffball Hermione (SO fluffy! SO cute!) last month -- she died right next to me at the vet's office unexpectedly while being treated for bladder stones -- and am still not quite okay. Sniffle. 

 

But: To me, it's part of the covenant of owning a pet. I'm proud to have sheltered them and to have had them as companions. The grief is equal to the love we felt, and somehow that's kind of horrible yet lovely at the same time. Again, sending massive hugs!

 

Flemythal calls him by his distorted name: Dread Wolf. It was an insult now that we know Solas' past with Mythal. Not even was it in Elvhen, but was in the modern Thedosian translation, instead.

 

Respectfully, I don't agree with your take at all. There is so much love and tenderness between Flemeth and Solas in that final scene. I think the only reason she calls him "Dread Wolf" is actually as a kind of teasing, affectionate salute -- and it's a great way to hit all us players with an "OH MY GOD." It has never been an insult to Solas. Nor do I think it was to Mythal. I think they shared a deep and platonic affection for one another and that she wholly supported whatever it is he's trying to do. The death of her mortal body to me is more like a self-sacrifice -- she knows what has to happen and allows it. I can't see the scene any other way.

 

I'm sooo bored, I have an exam this Wednesday in economics and I just can't get anything to stick inside my head! I doubt I will ever have to use this knowledge in my future line of work (why do I have to understand the intricacies of GDP or the financial market when I'm supposed to work in Human Resources?). Solas, if you are going to unleash total chaos, can you do it before my exam so I won't have to endure the torture? Or at least lend me a spirit of wisdom? 

 

This is me most of the time now:

 

 

So if you all notice that I seem to hang around here procrastinating to much, feel free to chastise me for it! 

 

Me too! Only I will never equal that colossal cuteness. Man, the bunnies, the cuteness! Sigh.

 

So was I! I remembered the first time I ended DA:I and heard Flemythal call Solas 'Dread Wolf', I was stunned. Shocked. Flabbergasted. Solas, the hobo apostate elven mage who was with us all this time was actually Fen'Harel the Dread Wolf of Dalish legends! If she called him 'Solas' during the epilogue, I'll be honest, it probably wouldn't have given me the same impact than if she called him 'Dread Wolf', and I probably wouldn't be as hyped up about the DLCs compared to what we got now. Don't get me wrong, I'd still be interested in wanting to know what the hell was going on with him.

 

I was flabbergasted, not least because I had somehow missed (in my first idiotic playthrough) all the MILLIONS of Fen'Harel references throughout Thedas! Yes! That was me. The wolf statues? No clue. The many many references to Fen'Harel? Huh, cool. Onward. The sly hints from Solas and Cole? Nope.

 

So I am embarrassed to say that the worst part of the reveal at the end of my first playthrough was that I literally went, "Who?" (I know. <sheepish> So, so, sorry. I'm so embarrassed.)

 

Then I promptly launched myself on the most thorough Wikia/Googling adventure and intensive exploratory replay of all time and was amazed at how much I missed the first time. Just amazed. But it did make it really fun. I will never forget actually getting chills that second playthrough so many times -- finding the first big Fen'Harel codex entry WITH HIM STANDING NEXT TO ME. All the wolf statues! All the sly little moments between Solas and Cole! Sigh. Good times.

 

My latest Inquisitor meet Malika Cadash (pictures fixed now)

 

So, so pretty! Such wonderful beautiful eyes!

 

A rant-esque thing about fan fiction is under the spoiler tag. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged.

 

I'm a RL fantasy writer, playwright and freelancer. I'm nobody special and not famous. I have some books on Amazon and stuff, but I'm not breaking any records out there, just FYI. 

But I do really feel your frustration. I felt the same way. I started posting a fan-fiction and didn't get much response at first so was sad and frustrated. But the thing is, these get so buried so quickly, I think those suggesting that you post and update frequently are really on to something. In addition, be generous with your own shares or kudos, and deliberately pace your stories with many (versus few) chapters. I know smut is popular but so is good writing and emotion. Just be patient and I do think your audience will find you.

 

I finally kept Sera and Solas together long enough to hear the dialogues where Solas gives her advice on how to run a revolutionary movement. In retrospect, I'm amazed at how many of the big reveals are sitting right in front of you the whole time.

 

I know! I love all the stuff Solas says that is in PLAIN SIGHT. Because he is actually quite honest about who he is at his core. I love finishing the game and feeling, "Okay, I'm not sure about how to feel about his motives, but I do not feel he ever actually lied about who he was." I think the Solas we see is the Solas he is. And that he grows to love us all, his companions, his true love (if you romance him). That's our weapon.

 

 

Soo, if you're worried whether you're a good writer, because fewer people than you like read your stuff, you're probably a good writer. If that worry is the only thing stopping you from going off and writing that original novel you've had the idea for since forever, stop. Go write that thing. If you need enabling encouragement to do it, go hang out on the smut thread.

 

If you want the experience of many people (who are not your friends) commenting, reading, and following your fic, I think the following recipe would've absolutely worked right after Tresspasser when lots of fans were just finishing the game, had strong feels, the fandom was very active, and the fanfic space wasn't saturated. I think it's probably likely to work now as well, given some patience:

• something light, fluffy, and funny
• something post-Tresspasser
• stay focused on the Solavellan pairing
• stay true to the Solas canon character, and also make sure to emphasize the cute, kind, adorkable aspects of him
• if you want to develop the Lavellan, do so very, very gradually. You can grow her personality, but the focus should be on Solas at first
• have a simple, focused, light plot, something like, "Let's redeem Solas with the power of hugs, nugs, cake, love, and friendship"
• multiple short chapters will help as well, but I think those are a good idea in general

There. Try the recipe, come here and share what you've made, and I hope it works out

 

Advertising: I wish I knew more about how to do this well. My only advice is the opinion that self-promotion is a good and important skill. Don't be shy about the beautiful things you made!!! If you can draw, that seems to help a bit.

 

I am not spoiling this sucker -- it's too good to hide. I think all of it is superb advice, and well worth implementing. 

 

My only addition here? And which I have yet to really do myself because oh my God where did my day go?  Leave people hanging. Write shorter chapters with cliffhangers that leave people wanting more. Whether teasing them with a romance or with wondering simply what will happen next dramatically. Charles Dickens and Stephen King have built whole careers on this.

 

Long post short, if you are enjoying writing, keep doing it and stop worrying about readership.  But don't let it keep you from writing other stories (like the novel you want to write) if you also enjoy doing that.  And yes, it's probably a good idea to join a writer's workshop or find friends to share your works with for honest feedback.  Family and close friends may praise it just because it's yours.  So find an honest writer/reader (sometimes people can give excellent critique without being writers or artists themselves!)  friend who'll tell you where it's strong and where it needs to be ripped to shreds and reworked.

 

Wonderfully said. I totally agree. Ultimately, aside from whatever structure choices you make, write for you not for anyone else. And let it go.

 

Solas' true identity was a huge surprise to me I'm not good at piecing it together. The end of trespasser was a shock to me

 

Me too! Seriously. I about fell over. Then asked "Who?" Thus dooming me forever as a DAI fangirl since I was so dense I had missed the 1,000,000 clues about who Fen'Harel was, what the Dread Wolf was, what Solas was painting, why Mythal knew him, and all the way down to Solas's identity before then.

 

But it was SO much fun to replay IMMEDIATELY. I mean, I had to, right? And had to romance Solas ASAP, right? So what I think is very clever is that the game instantly gives you this incredibly strong and moving reason to replay, rethink, and romance. 

[Ellawynn]

 

 

My only addition here? And which I have yet to really do myself because oh my God where did my day go?  Leave people hanging. Write shorter chapters with cliffhangers that leave people wanting more. Whether teasing them with a romance or with wondering simply what will happen next dramatically. Charles Dickens and Stephen King have built whole careers on this.

 

(And in this week on Ella Over-Analyzes Fan Fiction...)

 

Spoiler

 

There's also this, too.

 

I mean, I obviously haven't read all the fanfic in the world, much less all the fanfic in the Dragon Age fandom, but I've noticed that a general broad problem a lot of writers have is with plotting. That they tend to just... meander through their plot, if they bother with one at all, without much regard for pacing. Which is not to say that rehashing the game's plot or doing a series of plotless one-shots is bad, because I've read some pretty great fics that are exactly those things, but the issue with those is that there are a lot of others out there, because a lot of other people are just doing snippets or just retelling the events of the game - standing out there is even harder. A good, strong, original plot can really bring people in, not only because that's generally the point of a plot in the first place, but also because it's something new rather than just a retelling of the old. 

 

For example - I think one of the reasons Message Sent got so popular was because of it's premise. It immediately introduces the romance that people will come to read it for (There's Solas, there's Lavellan, he accidentally texts the wrong number and ends up talking with her, they slowly fall in love.) while introducing a source of tension that'll keep them reading, too (Omigod, they're falling in love but they never met, when will they meet, how they will react, will they be happy, etc.) Aicosu doesn't have to pull cheap cliffhangers every chapter, because the story itself basically is a cliffhanger. The reader's constantly aware that they haven't met, that they could meet, and that the new chapter she just put out could be the one where it happens. It's what keeps them coming back. 

 

I don't see a lot of fanfics that just... immediately jump to the conflict like that, and maintain it so well by simple virtue of existing. Typically when I see a fic with an original plot, they make some missteps that end up undoing them (Which is understandable, it's amateur fiction provided for free by people just pursuing a hobby.) like taking too long to get to the main conflict, or failing to fully develop the stakes and the tension, or resolving the conflict too easily, making the resolution too boring, whatever. MS's opening move was a pretty good one, and I think a lot of otherwise good fics end up getting overlooked because they don't have that hook. Thinking long and hard on your beginning, how it introduces your main conflict, how it brings the reader in beyond the romance, and keeps them there when there's no romance to be had - those are all things that can keep people interested, and I don't see a lot of fics that really manage it.

 

But, a good opening doesn't mean you're set. For instance, to return to Message Sent - frankly, the pacing's too slow, and the tension's been slowly dying from a lack of change. Things are finally starting to shake up now, but the tension peaked quite a while ago, and it's been on a downward slope since. A possible solution to that is to have a fascinating subplot to intrigue readers while the relationship is on the backburner, which seems to be what MS was trying to do - but the issue there is that subplot it went with (Getting Clan Lavellan recognized) is just... kinda boring, with unclear stakes and little reader investment. (Which is an issue with modern AUs in general, that they pretty much have to rely heavily on romance because anything else will seem mundane and lose reader interest pretty quick. I actually can't think of a single modern AU that didn't either rely on romance, fumble it's plot, or introduce some sort of fantasy element to spice things up.) A good follow-through would've been to work on the non-romance subplot, and get the reader invested in that while the romance got sidelined, so that Aicosu could alternate between (And draw out the romance) without losing readers.

 

(Which is not to say MS is awful, because I don't really think it is, and I'm sure the drop in interest is at least partially related to the slow update schedule as much as anything else. I'm just trying to provide some analysis of where things can go wrong or right.)

 

But, that's not what happened. Instead MS sort of fumbled an otherwise pretty good set-up by drawing things out and keeping the reader waiting too long. It's got other good points still, which is probably why it hasn't completely fallen out of favor, but I think it shows that even with all these ways of attracting readers, the most important thing to do is to just... be a good writer. If you only try to bring readers in, if study all these factors and employ them - put in smut, do a popular pairing, wait til fandom activity is high, etc. - I think it'll still mostly come down to quality. Getting attention is one thing, and it's (Relatively, compared to being good at writing) easy if you know how to game the system. Keeping attention is something few fics do, because they have to have all those perfect factors and pull them off well. I mean, there are fics out there (And I can name a few but I'd rather not start a fight with any fans that happen to be here) that are doing these things but aren't getting as much attention because, frankly, they just aren't as well written as Message Sent or Looking Glass or [insert popular fic here.]

 

So, there's the paradox, right? You have to write something you're maybe not so interested in to get readers, but because you're not so interested it's probably not your best stuff, which makes it harder to keep those readers, too. I think it's why the real popular fics are so rare - because you've pretty much got to stumble into it, write the story you truly want to write and find, hey, it happens to align with what a lot of the fandom wants to read. That's not something that happens a whole lot, you know?

[MCG]

I take it I'm not the one who's missing Solas without him in their life anymore ha?! I didn't romance Solas, my Inquisitor couldn't even if he wanted to, but I still love the mutual respect they had for one another. Seeing as he wasn't a character I thought I'd initially use often, he ended up being my favorite companion of DAI and in DA as a whole. I hurt a little bit when I think about what he goes through as a character and don't see him as a villain at all, I hope his redemption truly is possible.

[ladyiolanthe]

I'm reading Magekiller 2 right now, and there are so many bald elven slaves. They are still outnumbered by elves with hair, but they look enough like Solas that I can't help but giggle a little. I mean, I know that they aren't Solas - can you imagine someone trying to enslave him? I pity the fool. But it still makes me giggle.

 

I also wonder how many of the elves in Tevinter are agents of Fen'Harel...

 

Edited to add: OK, I guess it's just one bald elven slave.  He keeps reappearing, though.

[midnight tea]

I also wonder how many of the elves in Tevinter are agents of Fen'Harel...

 

Hmmm... Solas knows enough about what is happening inside Tevinter that he's managed to find out that the Venatoi is a powerful, secretive faction within the Imperium that at one point or another has fallen under the command of Corypheus. It's anyone's guess how much he found out about Corypheus though, considering that he didn't foresee the darkspawn magister to discover the secret of immortality. Amusingly enough, he might have thought that leading the Venatori to a dangerous artifact and presenting it to their leader would be a "two birds with one stone" scenario, where he both opens his orb and eliminates the shady organization withing Tevinter, ultimately making the Imperium a favor, lol.

 

Well... that ended the way it ended, which may mean that while he has people around Tevinter, there may not be that many. I suppose it depends just how much we think Inky picking Tevinter as a place with people Solas doesn't know is a hunch and how much it is informed decision.

 

Anyway - I actually personally assume that Solas doesn't really have too many people. He may have ones that are highly effective, but he probably picks quality over quantity and the amount of agents he has, at least at time prior or after Trespasser is relatively small, judging from how he dealt with the secret Qunari problem (btw. the fact that he's found out about the Vidassala's plan by the Qunari spies tripping over his own in Inquisition suggests that he doesn't have man prominent spies on Par Vollen).

 

He gets rid of problems by strategically involving people with greater power and resources (Inquisition vs. Viddasala's people) after all, and even if we assume that he's had all the best intentions, Inquisitor getting rid of the Qunari in his eluvian network has certainly benefited him - and he's accomplished it all by involving himself and perhaps one or two of his own agents.