Finding Fanfiction

[Salmastryon]

Finding fanfiction for a specific genreor series, that includes or excludes a certain pairing, or is just a good read can be challenging. Especially when faced with the thousands of fics that don't meet your requirements. So, I've got two questions to ask.

How do ya'll go about looking for new fanfiction to read?

And, is there anything that your looking for that you can't find?

[MsCongeniality]

Well, if we're talking about ff.net I will usually start at a series' main page. From there, I weed out the summaries that aren't interesting to me or that show no relation to the rules of spelling and grammar. Once that is done, I'll read through a few fics. If I find one I enjoy, I'll go to that author's page...first to check if they have any other stories in the same genre, and then I will check out their favorites list. Often, I will follow a series of favorites lists and find several stories which I then bookmark for later reading.

Alternately, if I can find a yahoogroup or forum for the fanfic of a particular fandom I will look there for recommendations. For example, in Inuyasha fandom many of the fics I read are ones nominated for Fanguild awards or were discussed/recommended at the Green Tea forums.

As for what I'm looking for but can't find...

- PSoH fic that doesn't make me cringe.
- ANY Last Exile fic worth reading.
- WHR fic with dark overtones and good characterization. (There are a few, but they are far between)

[Ganheim]

MsCongeniality said:

I weed out the summaries that aren't interesting to me or that show no relation to the rules of spelling and grammar. Once that is done, I'll read through a few fics. If I find one I enjoy, I'll go to that author's page...first to check if they have any other stories in the same genre, and then I will check out their favorites list. Often, I will follow a series of favorites lists and find several stories which I then bookmark for later reading.

That's similar to what I do. I also rely on "word-of-mouth" (which I suppose you could say is following other authors' favorites. That, actually, was how I found BakaBokken, and then this site).

[slizziechan]

Hummm.

Well, I liked to google for fanfiction. Most of the time I type in the search box, "THE NAME OF THE SUBJECT -Fan Fictions"

And if I skip the first two or three pages of finds, I can find a good site.

hope that helps!

[D-chan]

Like MsCongeniality, I first look at the summaries and see if they grab my interest. I take it from there, really, but after that I look for pairings or characters I like. Sometimes, when I'm dying for something to read, I'll venture into the summaries I dislike-- but unless it's recommended to me, I won't read anything concerning a character or pairing I dislike. I have an extreme bias there, unfortunately.

As for "looking for and can't find"... those are usually restricted to certain character or pairing fics. Such as, I'd love to read a believably angsty Goku fic (hard to find, so I'm plotting a big one of my own ^^; ), or a well-done Yamagi-centric story, or a realistically done Cleao/Majic or Homura/Goku (actually, I found the latter a month or so ago, which made me incredibly happy). The list is long, but with similar prejudices.

[elven dreamer]

Usually I do what MsCongeniality and Ganheim said: search through the ff.net fandom page and skip the ones that don't look any good. If I find a good author(ess) then I read everything they've got (of the right fandom) I might occasionally check their favourites page, but sometimes my friends will recommend a fic, or, more often, an author. Then I devour their works and begin again. ;D

[kitsuneoni]

Most often, I do what MsCongeniality does, just skimming through summaries and then checking first chapters to see if it's interesting.

If I find someone who's good, I like reading their stories plus what they recc.

Honestly, I mostly find better quality writing on more adult sites, where although the content is not suitable for all (which I don't mind and mostly prefer), there are many adults who are serious writers. There are of course the silly kids but they're easy to spot.

[narrizan]

well i found ff from google and then (at the time ) there were 110 pages for the saiyuki fics, and i sifted through them. yup...well no i didn't read every one, but heh! near enough,

but i soon found my own favs and stalked their sites,recommendations and i found MediaMiner and EchoesftW. Also LJ is a good place to find fics there usually is something that everybody likes on there.

there are now 134 and goiong up pages of Saiyuki fanfic and 30 pages of Getbackers and 3 pages of Wild Adapter/EC

sorry i'm a mineful of irrelevency (spellilng???) )when i'm tired

[Kawari]

Most of the time I do what MsCongeniality does or I search by google.

And to storys I don't or more specific can't find... that are fictions where the a character is blind or in some other way handicaped. Right now I'm searching for fiction in which Genjo Sanzo from Saiyuki is handicaped but so far... I've found only a few...not very much. But I suppose that's because this kind of fictions are very rare.

Kawari

[kanshu]

I'm looking for Erementar Gerad fanfic (preferably Rowan-centered ;D)...

Kawari: Welcome to the board!
I think it's rather difficult to find Saiyuki fanfic where any of the characters is handicapped, outside of the already existing injuries. It would make their journey quite a bit more impossible, with all the fighting they are doing. You might have to end up writing your own story for that.

[kawari]

OptiMoose, if I remember correctly you also read german fictions? At least I think you had one in your fav list at FF.net. When you want I could ask around for Erementar Gerad fanfics. Furthermore maybe you could search for them too.
But I can't promise you anything because this title doesn't ring any bells by me. I suppose it doesn't exist in germany, but anyway I could ask around.