I suppose there a three different types of fics in terms of length, the first being the short fics that are 1-10ish chapters long, then those that are longer but not abnormally so, finally there are the ones that reach over forty chapters and become excessive. The majority of featured fanfics are of the third type, about forty chapters in length (and with a whole bunch of other featured-fic traits). The reason most of the featured fics are like this is simple, the more chapters there are the more readers they can pull in for that one story and the more the comments they can get and the more views and more of everything to get featured.

Then there is the first type, those really short fics. Those have few comments and almost no subscribers. These fics don’t get subscribers because people usually find them after they are done. They don’t get many comments because 1) there are less chapters, 2) people might be shy to comment on something they didn’t sub to, or 3) they feel like there is no need to show that they read the fic because the author doesn’t need the motivation to update another chapter.

There also seems to be a misconception about Oneshots not really telling a full story. Everyone, Oneshots can tell a developed story just as well as a fic with 150 chapters.  While Oneshots and short fics might not get into deeper details, they do tell the story and often tell it in an interpretational way. By leaving small loose ends, the author allows the reader to think. These are the moments when readers are actually reading and not just registering a spoon-fed story.

No lie, short fics are my favorite types of fics. They tend to have a bigger impact and focus on the plot better.

So the purpose of this chapter is for everyone to learn to love short fics.

Benefits of reading Short fics?

1. If you read at least one chapter, you will have already read the whole thing or a large portion of the fic.
2. No long wait for the fic to be finished, unless the author simply never writes it.
3. The fic focuses on the plot and doesn’t stray.
4. The reality is left open for the reader to think about.
5. You can finish them quicker.
6. There aren’t fifty annoying update notifications for the same fic.
7. The plots are usually deeper and more emotional
8. Or the cracks can give you a good laugh immediately
9. Nine seems like a nice number

Love the oneshots, understand them, and give them a chance.

To be honest, it is hard to go from writing long fics to writing short fics. Incredibly hard. After awhile it is easy, but the initial change is difficult. Gives those authors a chance, they need the support. We get insecure with every new adventure but because oneshots don’t garner much attention, we feel apprehensive about writing more.

Here is a reason I prefer short fics to long fics. The more exposure I have to something, the easier it becomes to find little flaws. A story that moves me to tears by chapter thirty can later have me cussing out the author by chapter fifty.

Long fics drag on so much. Most of the ones I have read could have ended faster but the author kept it going. Some of them got more ideas, others didn’t know how to end, a few wanted to get their fics featured, and even more a combination of the before. With every new chapter we can spot how the author thinks and what they consider a satisfying chapter. It shows how much effort they can put into one chapter from the length. The content of the chapters become less relevant and more of a filler. Seriously, skip those parts or just make sequels. Being featured isn’t that important.

Those long fics also get really repetitive. I remember that one featured fic, A-Z with SHINee or something, there was no surprise to it, just , , - every single chapter. Granted, that is how fics are, but that is a rant for another day.

And, um, um…

It’s really difficult to do a rant off the top of my head for something I don’t really feel passionate about. Believe me, I love oneshots and I really wish that more people would read them on AFF. I’m doing this because I read the best oneshot ever and it was so awesome but it was on livejournal and that’s why people read it. On AFF it wouldn’t have gotten this much attention. For many reasons, but mostly its length. (It was just so beautiful and even now I am kind of a babbling idiot).

So the next time you find a Oneshot, Twoshot, or other short/long fic, read it and at least leave a comment.

While I am at it, why don’t we try a writing exercise to show the amount of effort it takes to develop one idea and present it in a reasonable length. This is what I do when I feel like writing but I don’t feel like updating a fic or ranting. I call it prompt writing. Obviously, there is a prompt and I write about it. Maria is the one who suggests the prompts to me and she makes really stupid prompts. Some examples are, “Um” and “Castles”. I will choose better prompts. Here are five.

1. Balloons
2. Pressure
3. Discovering fears
4. Paint
5. Clowns

So what I want everyone to do, and I’ll do this too, is write a oneshot/twoshot/drabble based on these prompts and either post them as blogs or as an actual fic series and send me the link in the comments, on my wall, or in a PM. It can be romance or non romance or whatever with any idols or OCs. The plot is open, there just has to be a clear use of the prompt.

I hope that a lot of people participate because I really enjoy reading what people offer me and I ate some pie. I’m kind of in a sugar high right now. The deadline is the end of April. Even after April I still want to see people trying this out. I will definitely give you guys the links to mine.