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Shipping fan fics better then others?
I've read a few fan fics (and I'm writing my own but it's my first time doing anything like it so it probably isn't very good) but I've noticed that the fics that are based off shipping (of any type) seem to do better. Is it just a coincidence and for some reason the more experienced writers are all writing about shipping or is everyone just naturally a pervert and gets exciteded when reading how May, Dawn, and Ash had a three way last night? ( I havn't actually read that anywhere I just thought up a grotesque example.)
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I don't think that it's the more experienced writers that make shipping do better, but that shipping is generally easier. I'm not saying that any beginner can do it, but shipping usually has a writer simply pick up on something that already exist or is implied, and expands on it. For example, an AshxMisty ship wouldn't require too much character development on the authors side because both of these characters have set personalities that any Pokemon fan should know. My fics usually have very little to do with Pokemon canon so I need a lot of originality too keep my stories going.
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Shippers are crazy.
I'm not exaggerating. Really, they are. Some will search the depths of the sea to find a good fanfic or fanart. Likewise, they're the most likely to get read or responded by said crazy shipper compared to the average, run of the mill trainer fic. It also depends on what you mean by "better." Better as in "gets more reviews?" better? Because that points back to my previous statement. Or do you mean better as story quality? I've closet-read a few stories here (shhh!) that weren't shipping and they've been pretty good. Like Gummy said, shippings are usually easier to write (though because of that, it can churn out some pretty crap shipfics too) since you don't really need to develop much on character development (and if there is development, it's only toward each character's relationship toward one another). That being said, shippings are generally more easier to get into. Everyone likes to SQUEE at cuteness every once and awhile. /me runs before she gets shot. |
Side note, but...
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Just saying that working with canon is probably not what makes shipping more popular in general. Neither is this, for the matter: Quote:
In other words, what happens concerning characterization (and plot) is essentially what Breezy said. Point is, it's not the comfort of canon that appeals to the authors. In fact, there's a number of fics that deal with canon but aren't romance, and not all of them get the same attention. Rather, there's something else at work here. If you (the OP) mean better in terms of quality, not necessarily. Fics of any genre can be good, and I can probably name quite a few that are generally seen as such. (Dragonfree's epic, for example. Pokémon Rebirth: Ultimatum, for another. And DGexe's, which will constantly be mentioned as a good example until people other than myself actually start reading it.) So, I'll have to say that, no, not every experienced writer writes romance. Likewise, shipping fics can just as easily be piles of crap, littered with bad characterization, bad plot, and/or bad use of language. Personally, this is why I generally stay away from romance. It really all depends on the author, and it's not necessary for an author to stick to one genre, if that makes sense. Romance is just a preference, not the defining factor for why the author writes well. If you mean better in terms of more people write them, that's just because of what Breezy said. It's not so much the genre itself as it is the people. Shippers are incredibly vocal, and they love to play with ideas to get their two (or three or however many) favorite characters together. So, they'll write craploads of shipping fics to explore all the possibilities. If you mean better in terms of getting more readers, pretty much the same concept is in effect. Shippers flock to fics about their favorite pairings. (I've proven this once by putting up a fic called "His Angel" on FFNet and labeling it AAML. It got quite some feedback.) Likewise, they'll do so in droves because shippers are possibly the most passionate set of fans you can find in any fandom. So, really, it's not so much the genre as it is the fact that with every fandom, you'll find a lot of shippers. Does this mean that every fic that's good or popular is a shipping fic? Not at all. In fact, let's hope not. I'm not kidding about the majority of shipping fics I've read having bad plot and characterization. *facepalm* Can someone please point me to a shipping fic that doesn't make me want to cringe and/or spork the crap out of the author (aside from Silver's)? Thanks. |
well wat i really meant wen i said "better" is they really make me visualize and get into the story (which maybe it means im jst a hopeless romantic but ive nvr noticed myself to be romantic b4 evn in my fic that im currently writing i have plans fo rromantisism but im still questioning how im going ot do it... infact now that i thnk of it i was most into harry potter during the later books when there were relationship problems thrown into the story... i really hope that it was just because it added more to the story and not that im a hopeless romantic lol)
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So, you're saying that shipping fics are better because they have better description? Every fanfic should have that, good enough that you can get into the story and visualize what's going on.
Just to expand on this, do you mean the feelings portrayed in the fic are better? If yes, that's because shipping fics mainly focus on the feelings between the two characters. There's really not more to shipping fics than who's with who and how do they get together because that's the main focus. It's like that with published romance novels as well. The romance novels I've read (and I'm shamed to admit that I read a lot) focus more on the feelings between the two characters than, for example, the fantasy novels I've read. The latter have more than just the two characters. But I guess when you say that you enjoy romance in the things you read is because it's some way that you can connect to the reader. It makes the characters more human when you realize that yes, they do have the same feelings you do on something that pretty much everyone in the world goes through. |
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So, yeah, it's even more of a matter of opinion at this point. I'm just saying that not all (or even most) of the good literature out there has to be romance or filled with romantic relationships in order to be interesting. It depends on what appeals to you. |
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thats the odd thing... the fics ive read and really gotten into have almost ZERO description! *sighes and smacks himself in the head* i guess Xanthine is right... i guess i jst sub-conciously prefer romance which is unbelievably pathetic... |
On second thought, there might actually be discussion here. I hate modding while sick.
You know, you don't have to justify why you like something. So what if you like romance in stories? If you like it, you like it. That's all there is to it. There's no need for you to try to explain why you like shipping fics better than the other fics, because you try to come up with reasons that aren't there...or that start wank. (>___________>; ) But I'll reopen this thread and go to sleep, because...yeah. I'm not making sense here. |
I just stopped by to say...
someone mentioned lil' ole' me! *squeels like an idiot* Ahem. On subject though...There's nothing to wrong with prefering romance. I had a friend who loved romance to death... and vampires. I think she was a Twilight fan. Oh dear. This example didn't work out at all... Well, end point, there's nothing wrong with liking romance stories. Everybody's got a preference. *nodnod* And this is why you don't post at 11:17ish PM. D: |
Dammit, Astinus... I wrote a long post to this thread yesterday, and then you closed it before I managed to post it. And then you open the thread again when I've gone to sleep... It's almost as if you did it on purpose ;_; *sniff*
Anyhow, I wanted to barge in and let you all know my viewpoint to this subject. Why? Because I'm so awesome it simply must be interesting! You see, a few months ago I went trough all kinds of trouble on my quest to find great fanfics. Almost half of all the stuff I found were shipping fics. I have to admit that generally they were a lot worse than other fics I read. Half of the shipping fics I found were very good when it came to description but had no real plot whatsoever. The major events of a shipping fic with multiple chapters were something like Ash's Pikachu getting so exhausted it has to be taken into a Pokémon Center or the lead couple somehow getting locked inside a broom closet. The repetitiveness and the similarity of shipping fics were something that really put me off. Then again, most shipping fics have somewhat well-written characters, even if they don't have anything to do with their canon counterparts (another thing that generally makes me dislike shippings. I mean, come on, since when was James a rebel with leather jacket and deep feelings for Jessie, ones that he has no problems confessing? Sheesh). Also, just as Breezy said, it's wonderful to squee at cute relationships every once in a while (or more often). I like shipping the most when it's integrated with adventure or some sort of thinking. I get really bored when I have to read chapter after chapter how Misty can't confess her feelings to Ash and vice versa. I want something to really happen, I want to see some progression in the relationship and the characters. Generally the shipping fics I've seen have not provided me with those things. That's why I'd almost say that I think shipping fics are a tad worse than other fics. Well, if we don't count our average "hey im writin the anime as a fic!!!1!" fics in, that is. However, shipping, if done well, can really be the one element of a story that lifts the whole thing from being good to being great. |
Yeah, nothing wrong with liking romance. I generally don't like romance since I'm more of an action/suspense oriented person, but everyone has preferences.
Pretty much the thing with romance is sometimes it can get the way with plot. Like everyone else said, there would be more of "oh, does he love me?" instead of progression. However, I do give credit that romance dives into a bit more emotion, but emotions have to be portrayed well. I don't like it the feelings are the same and nothing changed really much. That's kinda why not too many people like it. Don't let that get to you, though. If you like romance, that's fine. Like I said, preferences. |
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