Shousetsu Bang*Bang readers' poll

[petronia]

For the comm's convenience (will be linked shortly). Feel free to respond.

[Poll #1158806]

Comments

in the future ...

[emblem.livejournal.com]

This is random, but: maybe post more summaries of stories, as opposed to just a blurb? Part of reading something like this (speaking ONLY for myself, and if this goes against your ethos then please ignore) is knowing what I'm in for and being able to pick what I'm in for. :D;;;

Re: in the future ...

[perseid.livejournal.com]

I feel the same. It's fantastic that more and more writers are contributing with each consecutive issue, but it's difficult to keep up when I don't really have the time, so it'd be nice if short summaries were included.

Re: in the future ...

[aetherbunny.livejournal.com]

Hah, that's what I meant in the comment. I don't have time to read through each issue anymore (if I ever did, I'm so, so behind) and it helps if I know what I'm in for.

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

I discovered SSBB because I discovered your fanfic on one of my rare excursions to FF.net and your profile lead me here, and well, YOU RUN THE MAG. XD; I probably would have eventually discovered it anyway, as it's getting pretty well known around the intarwebs.

I didn't answer a couple of the binary questions (short vs. long, touching vs. lol) because I really appreciate both equally.

re: question #1

[arboretum]

Other: I think I commented something to the effect of YES YES DO IT when you first floated the idea on your lj.

And actually, I like emblem's suggestion.

[cerisier.livejournal.com]

By "someone recced it to me", I mean I remember seeing you talk about starting it up here. *g* Perhaps that counts as other?

And of course answers on what I will not read are highly subjective, excellent writing trumps squicks any day, etc. etc.

[dipping_sauce]

How did you find out about SSBB?

I went with 'Other' because there was no option for 'When the idea bubbled out of Sabina's brainz'.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

I wasn't sure how to answer "how do you read SSBB" because it's changed from "read every story as soon as the issue comes out" to "read the first paragraph of every story, finish the ones that seem interesting" to "read the first four, become fatigued, skip to the last one and maybe read the rest later" to "read the authors I know and what's recced."

In summary: thanks for making this a checkbox question. ^^;

I do, however, check all of the stories for pretty pictures as soon as the issue comes out. If the illustrations are good, odds are good that I'll at least read the first couple paragraphs. (I can't believe "if I find the illustrations attractive" isn't a more popular option!)

[perseid.livejournal.com]

same ^^

[spywindow.livejournal.com]

. . . and by "content restrictions" I mean "content restrictions that are not currently present"; the current ones are serving me just fine. (And really, if you have any plans to modify them further, I trust that those will be fine too.)

re: question #1

[vonbrigthi.livejournal.com]

Heard about it from your brainnnnns. I like emblem's idea about summaries, though.

[bell]

Does non-con = rape? In my mind, they're different things, when it comes to fic, but there's only one categoy. XD;; (I took it to mean rape, so I clicked on that as a squick, but if you didn't meant to consider them the same, then I wouldn't have.)

[bladderwrack.livejournal.com]

...heard about it when you told us?

As for 'Touch me profoundly/Make me LOL' -- both, preferably, in short succession. And my favourite SSBB stories have done that.

[stardustenigma.livejournal.com]

I've mentioned it before, but especially now that SSBB is getting larger, I'd like to see a little bit more quality control. So many of the writers on here are AMAZING, I'm always disappointed when I find my time wasted by a story that's boring, cliched, or just plain bad.

If you do decide to create some sort of quality control, I'd be happy to help out.

Nara K.

[everapril.livejournal.com]

Are you implying filtering out stories based on content as opposed to grammar and quality of writing? I believe that the former is too extreme an idea confounded by personal opinion.

From what I understand SSBB is supposed to pay homage to a BL "phonebook" anthology, a medium which often embraces cliches coupled with the "happi endo" that many people find endearing.

Also, let's not forget that this a free, online literature zine - the perfect place for an unseasoned writer (which I consider myself) to share his or her unpolished work with an informal but active community.

I think the greatest help you do is to comment on stories you are not as fond of and offer constructive criticism.

~~~ Kay

[stardustenigma.livejournal.com]

No, I definitely DON'T want it filtered for content. I like the uncensored nature of SSBB. I'd like it filtered for quality of writing. I want to enjoy my smut without worrying about the plotholes a mile wide, or the characters who are so flat and cliched it hurts, things that not even the most stout-hearted forest of beta readers could hope to patch. The zine has had surprisingly few of these, which is great, but I think it's reasonable to ask for them to be cut altogether.

SSBB is an excellent place for an unseasoned writer to get some feedback, but isn't there at least a certain amount of talent that should be required for publication?

[radiophile.livejournal.com]

I'm ashamed to say that I haven't read or commented on SSBB for a long time (that backlog is getting longggg), but I have to agree with stardustenigma's comment above. Not to sound like a snobby elitist (because I of all people know that my writing isn't exactly top-notch), but I do think that the standards are quite lax as far as what passes for good writing.

That being said, I know that this isn't supposed to be an artsy fartsy magazine -- it's smut, and there's no beating around the bush. But I honestly believe that smut can be well-written, and that it should be well-written. Good grammar, proper spelling and obligatory sex scene aside, as a reader I'm always looking for more in a SSBB story. I've discovered some truly amazing writers here, and that -- not the actual smut -- is what keeps me coming back for more.

I totally understand if that's asking too much or an unrealistic option, though. In any case, I really do love and appreciate this community. It's made me want to improve myself as a writer, and I've made good friends here :3


♥ shuua (too lazy to switch accounts XP)

[xenoglossy]

Regarding the "I will NOT read a story if it contains..." question, I also try to avoid shota/sexual relationships between an adult and a minor, which there doesn't seem to be a poll option for. Unless that was supposed to fall under "underaged sex," which I didn't tick because if they're both teenagers, it doesn't bother me.

[everapril.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was thinking the same thing.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Most of my 'a or b' answers toward the end should have been 'both.' :D

[kira-cho.livejournal.com]

I think I'll regret asking this, but:

What's vajayjay?

[dipping_sauce]

Lady parts.

[tanrien.livejournal.com]

How did you find out about SSBB?
Stories are often "recced"/linked at del.icio.us; I found SSBB this way.