#1

Your poster (so I'm not gonna read)

Most of you, put your hands on your hearts and tell me you've never judged a fanfic by its poster, or even lack thereof. You see a shoddily made poster that looks like it was made in MS Paint (and for all you know, it might have), and you instantly think; "Ugh... This fic isn't for me." 

We're all guilty of this at least once, but honestly? It's not our fault. I remember back in the day when roleplays and fanfics were all about the content, and not the pretty graphics. But recently, what with the amazing advances in graphic design programmes (and how much cheaper they are) things like pretty posters for your fanfic are becoming easier to come by. People offer them for free and they make a great way to display the general feel of your fanfic, along with display your characters immediately at a glance.

Viewers can now click on a fanfic, look at the poster and think; "Ugh, this one features ___, no WAY am I reading this!" Or realise; "Wait, is that blood on on the poster? Is this is a crime fanfic? Nah, I hate crime!" And click away to look again. Just like book covers, posters are becoming more and more aesthetically pleasing, featuring pretty stock, varying textures and fonts, making them give us the initial first impression and quick judgement we as Human beings naturally make.

But that doesn't make it right... Right? 

Fanfics are primarily all about the content, not the poster. But then again, it goes without saying; When you choose to use a poster, you are supplying potential readers with a means to judge your work, without even reading it. By using the poster to represent your work, you are confirming that this poster is a reflection of what your work is about, be is crime, love, idols, sadness, fantasy etc. 

We may be at fault for judging, but we are only doing what the author is urging us to do. Everyone makes immediate snap judgements based on appearance, so why is doing so on posters any different? Well, it's not, and that's what I've realised in the world of fanfics:

If your cover isn't pretty, people won't read your work. 

As always, there are always exceptions, but like most things ill talk about here, I'm being general, not singling people out. 

Whats your opinions on Posters?

"We take it for granted we know the whole story - We judge a book by its cover and read what we want between selected lines.”

- Axl Rose