One of the most common questions that continues to appear across forums, is "How do I attract more readers to my work?" The greatest issue with that question, is that there really is no formulated way that can increase the number of readers currently. Yes, as a writer we can perfect our narration, conceptualisation, and characterisation. We can use the loveliest of words to string together a sentence that defines lyricism, and even become experts on maintaining the right pace, and tonality, but little of that is useful here. Why? India-Forums is a very fun site for discourse, and serves its usefulness in keeping track of our favourite Indian shows, but the forum is really not designed with reading in mind.
The layout of the forums dedicated to Fan-fiction, Fiction, and expanded writing in general, is not entirely accommodating to them. We don't have a search function that is designated to the Fan-Fiction forum, or Writer's Corner forum in a visible way--yes, we've got the orange engine at the side, but that's not really adjustable. The way topics are viewed in a forum, is entirely dependent on the popularity of the post, and the number of views/comments it has received. That latter sentence is not necessarily a bad thing, but a filter that allows a forum to go from "Newest Posts", to Most Popular Posts", "Genres", "Ratings", "Reviews" or posts with specific "keywords" would definitely go a long way to promoting reading fan fiction. While I do have shows that initially drew me to the forum, it was not those shows whose fictions I read, in fact, I can barely remember reading any fiction from those shows. Instead, I happened upon the Fan-Fiction forum, and read the most recent stories available. It was something I did because it was far easier to do that, than click through page after page of posts, and glancing at them to see if their writers matched my preferences.
Often truly phenomenal stories, and/or authors fall through the cracks because of the current layout, and while it is possible to look at a forum index, very few forum members are even aware of such a thing--and even these indices are rife with problems. Clicking through hundreds of pages to find the one post you're looking for is beyond frustrating. It's a factor that has influenced how much time I spent on the forum post-show(s). I'd rather read a novel, than go through all of that, and I am sure there are others who feel that way. That's why recommendations, and friends requesting readership, impact the popularity of a story. Known authors as well. It's simply easier to search for their work, than discover a new one you've never heard of. Very few people are willing to go through every post to find your story. Believe me, I've tried that a few times. No. Just. No. I'd go so far as to suggest that this is why some authors prefer their work remain on the original show forums, because it is so much easier for a reader to discover work that interests them without being distressed by the amount of effort required to find it.
You want increased visibility, and readers? I'd suggest that in the long term some sort of global thread is created, that is specifically geared towards fan-fiction writers offering suggestions for how to implement changes over time, or to explain what readers, and writers are looking to have in their prose forums. (If one doesn't exist already. If it does, prominence helps. Flash a post topic across the screen the way we do celebrity updates.) Short term, here are the things that help me decide what to read:
1) Can I get through your first sentence, or paragraph without cringing?
I've already spent a considerable amount of time searching for your work, as pointed out in the first half of my post. If I cannot get through your sentence structure, punctuation, font, text format, and a few other things I'm nit-picky about (like tenses), I will not stay around.
When I first joined the forum, I had the time, and patience to read through poorly written stories with great concepts, but with age, comes less leisure time, and more responsibility. Make it worth us abandoning the asli duniya for yours. There's nothing wrong with wanting to hurry up, and provide your readers with work you've been working very hard on producing, but please, for dear God's sake, do proofread.
A sentence like this, "Hei, how wz ur time @ d office?" will not hold my attention for long if it appears throughout your story, neither will ones like this:
They is a part of her family. She have always visit them, but after she broke up with Arkle, she stopped. The bus past by the bridge. It was a big, giant thing, with giant stone columns. She let her thought left her, and walks into the bazaar.
If you are more comfortable in writing in a language other than English, please, do so. I think it would be great to have more diversity in language, and it will spare quite a few of us the stress that comes of reading something that doesn't have at least a fair amount of readable English, or critiquing on your grammar in a way that doesn't hurt your feelings. Once you've gotten your work written down in the language you're most comfortable with, find a friend, or fellow forum member who is comfortable with written English, and your chosen language, and push that chapter/story through a translator. If the translated version is not showing the essence of your work, forget about it, and enjoy a fan-base of readers in your own language until you are more comfortable with writing in "grammar-nazi"-worthy style. (Apologies to anyone offended by the use of "Nazi" here.) I know it's a lot of work, but if you're going to take the time to write, you may as well do it knowing that you've created work you'll be happy to look back on down the road.
2) Can I see a plot developing beyond this concept?
This question boils down to two things for me :--
a) Are the events you're writing about contributing to a bigger goal in sight at the end? That is does, 1+1+5=7? Or are you giving me 1+1+a-f*e$#+5=God only knows what?
b) Do the events leading up to your goal make sense at all? Reading requires suspension of belief, but a writer's task is to make the reader want to suspend their beliefs.
3) Are you using commonly accepted elements of what's in canon (canon means what the original show creators/book creators/movie creators have revealed to the audience), copying scenes without doing much to change them, etc., or is this entirely new?
If the work you're doing is based on what's in canon, and you are using those elements as a foundation for different aspects of your story, that's no big deal; however, if in my opinion as a reader, you are entirely dependent on what's in canon to push your story along, I may not stay. The general consensus about fan-fiction, is that it either expands on what's already been given, fixes what was "wrong" with the original, or relies on major events/concepts, or facts that your story would not be the same without. That is clearly understood. What I'm looking for as a reader, is how do you put your spin on these events, and make them yours? Is whatever you've chosen to do with those lines, scenes, or set histories something that I can truly imagine those characters doing, if I am a part of the fandom? And if you're only using the characters/actors as your inspiration, how much have you changed the world events/universe to make me forget about the original show?
E.g. Meera's Emerald Isles (ArHi), the very intriguing Dante's Labyrinth (ArHi), and 'Til Human Voices Wake Us (Maaneet) are all works I've read that turned the original characters upside down, or added new characters, but still got me to appreciate the work. In fact, I read fictions like those before finally deciding to take a peek at the shows, while there is only one story from my Choti Bahu days (DreamGirl), that is to date, still one of my favourite FFs. And no, it wasn't in perfectly crafted English.
The bottom-line--Where is your originality in this whole cook-up? (Dish from my country similar to kichdi.)
4) Are you entirely dependent on the show's characterisation, or do your characters have a life of their own?
This one is a bit tricky, and part of the reason original creators sometimes dislike fan-fiction. For example, writing a pragmatic, harsh, callous Arnav is not exactly original. This is the way he exists within canon. Khushi is known for being an optimist despite her own difficult past, and her trademark is a love for jalebis, and an unusually childish cheer for a woman her age. As fan-fiction writers, sometimes (and this relates to the point above), it can be easy to forget that these characteristics are not "ours". Arnav, and Khushi are written that way for a reason, and that is the same across all works of fiction. The original creators have crafted their characters to have certain character traits with reasons they slowly unveil throughout their work. Fan-fiction writers get to take that, and "run with it". That is, we get to automatically assume that our readers know why Arnav is like that, and why it's acceptable within canon, although in our own work, it may not be clearly explained.
Worst mistake you can make.
You need to own your characters. Make them breathe, feel, live. They do not perform an act just because you think they should, but they do so because it feels right to them. It is a concept I try to hold onto when working on my own fictions, and if I read of a character performing something in a way that is inconsistent with the way you've portrayed that character all along, I may stop reading. This can also relate to another major point--consistency in characterisation, but I won't go about breaking that down under this heading. The point is, I will not read your story simply because there is Yash, Aarti, Arnav, Khushi, Radhika, or Dev. Give me something that connects me to what you're doing with these characters.
5) How are you handling the perspective of the narration?
Perspective is important. You need to decide from the beginning if you will be writing in:
a) First Person--that is:
I went to the corner of the street, and watched the beggars passing by. Their clothing hung off their bodies in discoloured rags. Blushing, I ran my fingers over the new silk sari my Amma had bought me only yesterday, conscious of their unhappiness.
b) Second Person--that is:
You walk up the stairs, and stop. Casting a cautious glance around, you turn quickly and dash across the hallway. Beneath the faded bookcase that stands guard outside your ex-husband's door, you reach under the gap for the hidden key.
c) Third Person Omniscient--that is:
The world was often a dangerous place, and on this day, there were three girls, who would learn this fact without question. These girls, Anu, Pali, and Mika, sat quietly under a banyan tree. While Mika mulled over a terrifying walk home, further up the path, sat Shivram. His hazel eyes regarded the girls without a single thought. They could not see him from the southern side of the tree, and no one in the community had thought to warn them of an escapee who would be far worse than the uncle Mika feared.
Mika's uncle was a stolid man. Short, thick, toned body, with veins that clearly displayed themselves when he was angry. He had been known around Vrindavan for years as a man to never cross. Shivram was unaware of this, and with a record that proclaimed everything from assault charges, to attempted murder, and rape, he was unlikely to care. It had always been like that for the residents of Vrindavan. Nobody cared unless they were about to die.
d) Third Person Limited--that is:
Reigne turned away from the sight before her. A young boy, and his mother were arguing in the street. She had never been comfortable watching disrespectful children, and today, was not one of the days to test her tolerance. She sighed, mind replaying the lines of sadness, and anger that had begun to prominently mark the woman's face.
Things to note, and know:
- First Person narrator only knows exactly what you, as a person on an average day would know. You won't be at home, and magically know that your best friend is frowning because she's unhappy six miles away, unless she told you this information, or you have evidence to prove that. The character is the only narrator here.
- The Second Person knows what you, as the narrator, are telling them to see, hear, feel, etc. You are literally telling the reader what to do, and perceive here.
- Third Person Omniscient has no restrictions whatsoever. Think of it as the 'god' view. The reader knows everything because you have not restricted them to feeling, and knowing the emotions, perspective, etc. of one tiny character. You can comment on the world, like that last line in my example (Shivram was unaware of this...and...he was unlikely to care. It had always been like that for the residents of Vrindavan. Nobody cared unless they were about to die) that cannot be attributed to any one character in the example; and if you have a story that's more of a "commentary" on life, love, politics, or such topics, it can come in very handy, because the readers are not restricted to just your main characters' views on things. The character is not really the narrator here.
- Third Person Limited is what most of us use. In this one, the readers are allowed some knowledge of the world around them, but it is limited to what they can directly see around the narrator/relate to. The reader therefore cannot know of the earthquake hurting Riddhima, unless Sid/Armaan or some other main character just saw the news. This version is like watching a TV episode that follows only the main character. You see that person on screen, and learn nothing about anyone else until the scene changes, or the next episode is shown.
Aside from the pronouns, (she, I, you), those are the obvious differences of the various styles. Each has its purpose, and can affect the impact you have on a reader. Be very careful with how you have a character narrate things. If you are writing from Arnav's perspective, there should be no:
Khushi felt sad, and hurt.
Arnav wouldn't know that, but what he would know is:
Khushi staggered, and the look she gave him sliced away another piece of the heart he still forgot existed within him. The sparkle of tears glittered dangerously in the moonlight, and immediately, he knew he had hurt her.
Note the difference. Arnav observed something, and came to a conclusion versus Arnav magically knowing that 'Khushi felt sad, and hurt.'
There are other things, but this post is long enough as it is. If you remember nothing more from this post, just remember this :--
Reading is about suspending belief, but the writer's task is to make a reader want to suspend his/her beliefs."--Kittya.
being a middle class guy so by this how he will earn 5000 rs and that to in ten days
Cricket
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