A very loooong fic

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

 I'm working on a piece that was supposed to be a quite short story about Bertie and Jeeves meeting as children. Well, that went all right until my Bic pen kept rolling. The blasted thing is more than 70 handwritten pages (essentially done) and now I'm typing it up. The poor thing will probably be in the neighborhood of 20,000-30,000 words.

My questions to the fandom: Unless it's by an established author, would you actually read  a story of that length? Does anyone really want to beta anything that long? Does it matter to you that it would be done, complete and you wouldn't be left wondering what happened?
Be honest with me - I can always taking up spinning wool again.

Comments

[blackletter]

I love long fic and gobble it up whenever I can, established author or not--especially completed works. (With WIPs I often wait until they're done.)

Anyway, with school and my own long fic project eating my life, I may not be able to read it right away, but I'll surely bookmark it for later consumption!

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

Thank you for saying you'd consume it later. That's good to know.

[chaoticchaos13.livejournal.com]

Q1: Unless it's by an established author, would you actually read a story of that length?
A1: ABSOLUTELY YES! Long fic is amazing, I love to curl up with a pot of tea and some biscuits and nibble a Saturday away. Please.

Q2: Does anyone really want to beta anything that long?
A2: I can offer basic beta work, grammar, syntax, etc. though I live in the States so that will make a difference.

Q3: Does it matter to you that it would be done, complete and you wouldn't be left wondering what happened?
A2: While I don't mind serial fiction, I really do prefer to have a fiction complete before diving in to read, as it is sometimes frustrating to find an awesome story that has been abandoned by the author.

Bring it on!

helpful, too

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I mind where the beta lives, I only want to make sure I don't say elevator instead of lift, ect. I will take you up on your beta offer when I'm ready, which shouldn't be too long. I just have to type the blasted thing because I wrote it all out longhand.

[notchka88.livejournal.com]

I'm not offering beta services (mostly because I don't feel they'd be up to par), but I'd just like to reassure you that fic is always always welcome. Long especially. Can't wait to read it!

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's good to know there's an advance audience.

[smutnazi.livejournal.com]

The longer the better I say. Especially completed, because I know my own track record for finishing fics in a timely fashion. (often so untimely I get bored of the fandom before I'm done.) So if it's a completed epic, I will most certainly read it. I love long fics.

Like Chaoschick, I'll find a nice long fic to occupy a lazy day...and a nice long Jooster to while away a lazy day sounds great.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

The longer the better? Well, that makes me feel better. Thank you.

[feanix.livejournal.com]

Odds are I'd read it - there have been some other fics of a similar length that have been positively commented on because people were willing to read them. Have to say, the length can be challenging, but worthwhile if the plot is good enough.

I personally am happy for something that length to have a beginning, a middle and an end - no loose ends or anything like that, but that's just me.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

Loose ends? I detest those, too. I'l try not to leave any.

[lawnnun.livejournal.com]

Delighted to offer my services. Send it to ihavewillsmithinmycar@live.com, and I should have some feedback for you.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

Thanks in advance for your help. I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready.

[charie-caphine.livejournal.com]

~25,000 words is not long, it's *standart*! For an average HP one-shot, at least, though even the one-shot stories are often longer, to say nothing of the over 100,000 words long chaptered novels. I'd LOVE to see more of that sort of thing in J&W.
And what's this about the unknown authors? Every author was new once.

Of course it's much better when the story is published when it's already complete. Too many abandoned stories on the net, for one, and also there are people (me) who are incapable of remembering the previous segments if not read continuously.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

I've noticed people who post their stories all at once (I'm thinking of The Long Road, which was wonderful) seem to garner more comments. And I always wonder what happened in the unfinished stories I come across on the different fandoms. Some of them are very good, and I keep hoping the authors will complete them.

And every author is new once, I know. But I won't be new for long. A couple of people are trying to work out the bugs in my first story and I'll post that soon. It's a bit smutty, but I'm quite certain the people on this fandom won't mind.

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

Pretty much "ditto" to most of the above.

I'm not confident enough in my Brit-speak to offer Beta services (I'm still in need of them, myself), but I absolutely encourage you to post. AND, I am with the ones who prefer the completed posts - large or small - because it's so much better to have that yummy sweet closure crunch at the end!

Thumbs up! Looking forward to your piece!

[mxdp.livejournal.com]

I would read it, yes! And comment. ^^ But I'm no beta, I'm afraid. :/

[mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com]

Darling! For shame! You tantalise us and then do not post your work? This just wo'n't do, you know.

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

This is trufax. You build it, we will read it.

[mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com]

I can beta, and so can woe_in_a_hoodie I believe (we live together, you see). Woe is better at the brit-picking, though I'm fairly sharp with it. I'm good with advanced beta reading as well--syntax, flow, dialogue and description are my specialities, as is history.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

I will take you both up on this. Thank you.

[mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com]

Not a problem--there's only one thing you have to do: STOP DISCLAIMING YOUR WORK. No 'This is my first fic, so be kind' bs. No flailing, no wibbling, no letting on you're nervous. You can be as wibbly as you want, but you're not allowed to post that in the author's notes or the comm. Just get the story up, and keep your wibbles off the keyboard.

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

I promise I will not disparage my work. I promise I will not disparage my own work...rinse and repeat. Thank you for the advice.

[mellifluous-ink.livejournal.com]

Shall I PM you with my e-mail address?

[storyfan.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, that would be great.

[lady529.livejournal.com]

30 000 words isn't looooooooong fic, it's fic á la longish. I'm pretty sure most of us have read far longer fics, as least I have : )

The Lady 529

[emeraldreeve.livejournal.com]

As the writer of probably the longest fic. in the fandom, I'd love my fic. to have company. Mine may come to 100 chapters when I'm done, although I'm hoping to finish around 60 chapters or so. So please do! RL and my own writing make me a slow reader, but I will read it. I prefer finished fics. but as my own stories will be a WIP for a long time{although I'm always working on them}, I can't really ask someone else to finish theirs.

[pipariperho.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, in that case I won't wait to read your fic when it's ready as I prefer... Better start fast or I will read it few weeks if I wait any longer.

[ajat.livejournal.com]

When are you going to finish and post it ? *Eager*

...

Oh sorry, didn't read the whole post then ... Yep, I beta Plum stuff.