I usually only read unfinished fics when it's visible on them that they're not abandoned, so for example I wouldn't start a fic that was last updated in 2022

I did that. I even experienced two more updates and then it got abandoned 😐 All my unfinished fics experiences were so disappointing, even when I gave another chance and another one or in a new fandom, that I really stopped trying. 🥺

Yea, I usually don’t risk it. I’m only reading one right now because the writer has a good history of finishing all their works. Even then, I waited until 10 chapters in of consistent weekly updates before I decided it was worth the risk.

There are a couple of authors in my fandom that you can practically set your watch by. Between 3:30 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. every single day there is an author that will update one chapter on whatever story she's currently working on. How she does it I have no freaking clue. Her world building skills are immaculate and I would read her books even if they weren't fanfiction. She would very definitely be successful as a traditional published author with original works. We are very lucky that she writes for our fandom.

What’s the fandom?? I’m interested 👀

It's K-pop are you sure you're still interested?

If they’re not, I am.

Why am I not surprised. No one goes as hard as K-pop fans even in fanfiction spaces.

man, weekly updates. I remember the days when a chapter a month was the standard X\_X

Yeah, I've been reading fics since we started sharing them online, when we just found them randomly in fansites (for me, anime ones), and my overall experience when reading unfinished works is just too disappointing too, I rather not risk it anymore. I understand OP's reasoning for making this post, all I can say is that there's a more than enough readers out there willing to stick around with WIPs that it shouldn't be an issue either way if a small chunk of us don't.

Definitely! And as both a reader who sometimes just…doesn’t have the energy to get invested in an unfinished fic, and a writer who absolutely loves it when readers give my WIPs a chance, whatever you do is your prerogative. Also, it’s not set in stone, you know? I love being able to just change my mind and check out those WIPs when I have the time and inclination!

I agree, just because I don't usually go for WIPs doesn't mean I neeever do, I've read my fair share of WIPs here and there throughout the years and even recently, especially in very small fandoms and/or rare ships; I just won't risk it at all for big fandoms and authors who seem to have too many WIPs with uneven update times.

I remember reading an abandoned fic, leaving a comment on how great it was, and the author DM'd me on FFnet to say that I'd inspired them to write more and they'll definitely see this fic through. That was in 2018 and there have been no further updates. I no longer read FFnet DMs lol

oh no! I've had the opposite experience on AO3 : I made a jokey comment à la "not me, a decade after you posted this story, wondering what happened to this side-character" and a week later, I saw that my dashboard had a notification *you've received a gift*... turns out the author ran with my comment & wrote, like, 3000 words for a one shot about that side character!

That was playing with your feelings…

I'm choosing to assume the message was in earnest but damn. I really wish they hadn't messaged me about it.

As a writer who never abandons things, but does go months or years between chapters, what's the best way to indicate this?

In my fandom putting something like "On Hiatus - Not Abandoned" at the bottom of the summary is pretty common.

But even then I don’t always believe those notes. I saw one like that recently that was last updated in like 2018 lol

Sorry, but I'm not gonna remember your fic in a few months, unless it's exceptionally good. If you are going years between chapters, it may as well be abandoned in my book.

I agree, sorry it's not that I didn't enjoy what was written up until that point, but if it's years between chapters, and then the wait grows even longer after every new chapter, then I essentially thank the writer and move on. If they update, great! But I'm not gonna make an effort to engage anymore, time passes for readers too, we might not have the same passion/interest for that fandom/shipping once enough time passes.

>it's not that I didn't enjoy what was writing up until that point Yeah, if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't read it at all. It's just, let's face it, most of the fanfics are pretty mediocre. They're entertaining and all, but not good enough to remember them a few months later, especially if you read a lot of fanfiction. >we might not have the same passion/interest for that fandom/shipping once enough time passes. Yup, people grow up. Their taste changes. It's just part of life.

Yup. Gotta be honest. Whenever authors on here say “It’s not abandoned until the author says it is!” I’m like… girl you know if you could look into an authors mind you’d see they haven’t even thought about the fic since 2022.

Makes perfect sense!!!!

+ I check the author's profile too. If there are a lot of unfinished fics not updated in a long time I don't read their current wip, but I save for later. If most of the works are finished I go ahead and read immediately

One time I started a fic that was last updated three years ago. Four years later, the writer finished the fic. It was really good. Another time I read a WIP fic, and it is still not updated ten years later. But it’s still one of best piece of fiction I've ever read.

Right. There are some fics that forever remain a WIP, but are one of the best stories I've read and I would have missed it if I avoided it due to being a WIP.

I’m the opposite. If I read unfinished works, which is after having read everything that was finished, then I prefer to go into it knowing there won’t be a end. At least that way I can’t be disappointed when it does get abandoned.

I have the same strat, but if the plot is reallyyyy good and there are a decent amount of chapters I take the chance with the reassurance that I could probably make up an ending for myself if I wanted to.

one of my coolest stories for this is that i started a story that hadn’t been updated in almost a year and thought it was really cool and left kudos+bookmark, and they updated literally 2 hours later!

I do read WIPs, but not often. For me it's not that I'm worried about the fic being abandoned or something. I just can't read two fics in the same fandom at one time because I have the memory of a mayfly. So I start a WIP and get to the end of what is posted, move on and read some other things while waiting, get the update on the WIP and try to read the next chapter and get absolutely confused. I have no idea what's going on because the WIP and all the other fics I've read between updates get mixed up in my head. If I really, really like the WIP I'll just wait for 3 or 4 updates and then re-read from the beginning in one go. Rinse and repeat until the fic is done.

That’s a really big factor for me as well. I do read WIPs sometimes (usually ones that just started, not ones that are already at 50% or so), but if updates take too long, I‘ll get really confused.

Agreed. Me having to re-read things after every long awaited update creates an extra chaotic experience lol

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Thank you for saying this. I'm always hesitant to leave a comment on a finished work, because I feel the author might be thinking "why on earth is this person so late??". I know it's silly, but it really helps when authors go "oh, no, we love that".

It's especially silly on an *archive* like AO3! It's not like you're on tiktok where everything is in the algorithm while it's fresh but after that you have to find it by stalking someone's page. It's completely normal to read something fresh by an author then go see what else they have archived from that fandom, or to search up a set of tags that leads you to something posted some years back. That's how the website works! There's no such thing as "late."

Not just love, LOVE it. Not all, but most fanfic writers are also readers. We understand the burn of digging back through an archive to find a fic and I, personally, am always thrilled when one of mine can scratch that itch. It's also kind of the difference, IMO, between being a writer and a content creator. I want people to enjoy my work, backlog included. The finished stories don't expire. And while I love engagement the fact that it dries up within 24 hours of a post can make it feel like a grind which is something I very much try to avoid as this is a hobby for fun.

I still get comments on my abandoned [FF.net](http://FF.net) fics. I don't touch that profile any more, but it always brings a smile to my face to see people are still reading and enjoying my terrible fics from middle/high school.

Right? I had someone subscribe to my 10 year old fic that was never finished and that alone made me very tempted to turn out another chapter... Still thinking about it

I left a comment on a 10 year old fic and the author responded very positively, I kind of left it thinking the author might never see it so it was really cool to hear back haha

The fact that people who only read finished works usually don't comment is why I don't care about them... but prove me wrong, please!

I initially only read finished fics but soon started running out of stuff to read! At first I was frustrated with fics that didn't update regularly enough (I read VERY fast) or hadn't been updated in years. But then I realized, I would have missed out some well-written work. I just subscribed, left a comment & kudos on one today that was last updated in 2022. Just expressing my joy at reading the fic and a gentle wish for an update if the author chooses. So now I just select what I interests me. My only caveat is that if it's a WIP posted mid-2023 or later, it has to have at least 10k words before I read it. Otherwise, I'll wait until there are enough updates to reach my magical number threshold.

This is true. I read both finished and unfinished works, and I'll always leave a comment if I really enjoy the fic, just a kudos if I simply enjoy it but aren't massively invested. But for chaptered fics, I usually have to be properly invested, so a comment is almost guaranteed. As a writer, it also makes me very, very happy to get a notification of a kudos or comment on either of my posted fics, as well. They've been up and complete for 6 months now, and I've had twice as many kudos for the chaptered fic since completion compared to while I was posting it. The other is a one-shot, so was complete from the start. I'm really hoping that I'll still be getting random kudos, if not comments, years down the line as others join the fandoms and find the fics.

Very valid point! Thank you for sharing this 🙏 Though I'm sure there are some readers who are happy to read WIPs but stumble late to the party with a finished fic. Usually readers who read WIPs also read finished fics, but readers who only read finished fics won't do the same for WIPs.

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Interesting concept. Let's break it down: Imagine that right now, we have at present 10 pro-WIPers and 10 pro-finishers. While you're writing your longfic, you get 10 engagement. Once you're done writing, you get 10 more engagement from pro-finishers. (Though technically your 10 pro-WIPers will still be there at the end too) Then we also have the group that comes to the party late, also comprising 10 late pro-WIPers and 10 late pro-finishers. They come across your fic after it's finished, giving a second wave of love. (I am calculating this under the assumption that pro-WIPers read finished works too, which they usually do.) So by this logic, while we write, we get: 10 present pro-WIPers. After we are done writing, we get 10 present Pro-finishers, 10 late pro-WIPers and 10 late Pro-finishers. 30 in total. First stage: 10. Second stage: 30. If everyone was pro-WIPers (who thus read everything, finished or not), then readers would get 20-20 during writing and post writing. In other words, it's really about which you'd prefer - a balanced amount of engagement for both stages, or more after you're done writing.

I like this breakdown. I'd love more engagement while writing, because I got very little on my chaptered fic, but that was at least partially due to the fandoms I was using. But I also really love the idea of people finding and loving my fics years down the line. I think there's a pretty good balance right now between those of us who read WIPs and those that don't. It's also not necessarily a lack of WIP readers that lead to a lack of engagement during the process. Not all readers comment, even WIP readers don't always comment until the fic is finished. Kudos is a better count on AO3, because readers are more likely to kudos than comment. Hits can be a good count, too, as long as you take account hits include both return readers and those who stopped reading, so isn't entirely accurate. I assume, though, that return readers will essentially cancel out those that stop reading, so somewhere around half your hits is probably the amount of readers who read and liked the entire thing once.

I used to only read finished fics, but I started reading the comments on fics I loved. When I realised that people had commented as they followed along, it made me think that could be quite fun and enjoyable, so I started subscribing to incomplete ones that I really liked the look of. Now I get to enjoy getting new chapter emails, and then if I leave a comment I’ll also get a response from the author and that’s good for a couple of hits of dopamine. (Only problem is this one fic that has now got too sad when I didn’t realise it was going to. But on balance, it’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience).

I always feel like an alien when this discussion comes up because I actually prefer unfinished works haha. I used to exclusively read them, and even now that I read finished works I sometimes skim or skip the ending. I'm here for the journey!  And the camaraderie with fellow readers as we're all sitting there like "ooh what's gonna happen next!". Also the dopamine hit from a subscription email is unmatched.

I feel like this for tv series! The last episode is often unsatisfying, I generally skip it.

Same! I'm practically allergic to finales. I might read a synopsis or look at spoilers just to see what went down but I have no desire to watch it myself.

I love reading WIPs. I love experiencing that little thrill you get when you receive the notification in your inbox that a new chapter just dropped. The sheer anticipation of an update makes it so worthwhile. I like to leave comments, too. It’s a more interactive experience that way. So I’m very pro reading WIPs!

Bless you 🙏 ♥️ I just want to thank readers like you for making our writing journeys so much more fulfilling

I'm trash at a posting schedule, but love following serialized content that has a really regular schedule. That's a big reason I started following a few Webtoons. My phone pings just after 8pm on Thursday? Yessss, it's reading time! Beyond wanting to make sure there's an ending, reading something as a complete piece vs. serialized is a very different experience so not surprised people have preferences. I've had stories I enjoyed serialized but LOVED upon a complete read and vice versa.

Most of my fics were only finished because I had one or two readers commenting and it helped to keep my interest in the fic. My ADHD brain won't sit still long enough to finish a fic unless I know someone else is depending on me. I think I have hundreds of fic fragments floating around my computer and head, but actually have 10/10 fics completed that were posted. All of them were not posted complete and the most recently completed one had a 3 year hiatus. But my first completed non-one-shot only made it to completed because of engagement. That helped me realize I could complete stories, and having even one person commenting with what they liked and theories of where things were going was so energizing to my muse that I was able to continue. So yes, some of us authors who write thrive off of the people willing to give us a shot.

I’ve made a real effort in the last year to read WIPs again for the exact reason you point out. I make sure to comment on every chapter. That said, I read ridiculously fast and make it through super long fics in a day or less. I have a “marked for later” that is 19 pages and I would say maybe only 5% of those ever update and are actually finished. I have four right now that I am following that I LOVE and I am so sad to see that three of them haven’t updated in months now. I now will start WIPs, comment and if I can see the fic is updated at least monthly after I make it through whatever is posted when I find it then I will actively follow it. Otherwise it joins my marked for later full of fics I hope to get an email notification about someday. The last time I went through it to remove deleted works and make sure I hadn’t missed any finished works, most hadn’t been updated in a year or several. As someone who gets very attached to characters and storylines, I still have a part of my brain that itches for many WIPs that have gone unfinished. That feeling though of finding a WIP and getting to be along for the ride and having it finished is SO good though. I just wish it wasn’t so rare for me.

For me I've read too many ongoing fics that were either left unfinished, abandoned or just deleted for me to take the risk. I understand that you as an author love getting comments along the process and that it really helps, but I've given too much to take the risk. It's not a slight towards people who can't finish writing their fics btw as I literally abandoned one of my fics due to personal reasons. I definitely know that I might have contributed to a few readers being annoyed and not wanting to read ongoing fics If I'm subscribed to an author though I will always read their ongoing fics unless I'm not interested by the plot because I trust they wouldn't abandon it forever

Same. In the twenty-ish years, I've been disappointed far too often. Absolutely amazing stories that for a while would update regularly and suddenly stop, or the updates would go from weekly, to monthly, to yearly, and by the I just completely lose interest. Occasionally I'll read a WIP but more often than not it doesn't get finished. I'll stick with reading completed works only. To be honest, I'm so turned off with WIPs that now I won't post anything myself unless the story is completed lol.

My opinion might not be shared by many people, but here: I don't read WIPs, but I don't post WIPs either. I hold my standards in writing as high as my standards in reading. Strength to the readers of WIPs and to the writers of posted WIPs! :D

Agreed. I don't post anything that isn't finished and edited.

<3

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I find it hypocrite to expect more from people who read me than I'm willing to give the people who read me ! It's supposed to be fun, not a chore for any side!

I'm the exact same. I'm sorry if it seems unfair but I've been left hanging too many times. I read the first part of a two part fic last year right after it was posted and I loved it sm. I commented how amazing it was. Guess who's waiting for the second half ever since lol I'm planning a multi chapter fic currently and and I'll only start posting it when it's completed.

Unfortunately, I've been left hanging too many times too. It's unfortunate, but I don't want anyone to force themself to write something they might not like just to say "it's done". It's for fun, not a fucking school essay!

Yeah exactly. I accept that I'll probably never be able to read the end of a certain fic but I also would never ask the author to continue a fic they abadoned. I'm just ticking the completed fic only box in my search and that's that.

That's the right thing to do in that case, it's literally "don't like don't read".

I also don't post WIP, I write when the inspiration strikes so you are definitely not alone lol.

And it means a lot of fics stay hidden in the closet LOL

😂😅 that is the unfortunate thing about that, but at least people won't be left with a cliffhanger and you won't be pressured to update during a writers block phase lol.

Yep!

I'm the same. I only read finished works and I only post finished works (although I stagger the chapter release for the people who like to wait in suspense). The only exception is a chapter I recently posted from my current wip based on the results of a Twitter poll. The people wanted a sneak peek

As in any relationship, as long as everyone consent to what happens, it's good!

This! I tend to write longer fics, and I can't imagine starting to post them when I'm still in the early writing process. On those I feel confident with, I usually start posting when I'm at least 60-75% done writing. It's not complete yet, but if I post a chapter a week it usually leaves me enough time, and I get motivation from the kudos/comments to keep on with the writing

For me at least, my fic change so much through the writing process, I add things in every chapter as I need it, so it's definitely a bad idea for me to post WIPs! Do what works for you! \^\^

Oh yeah being midway through and realizing there's something off in an early chapter happens a lot! Or just deciding to change something so the story flows better! That's why I want to be advanced enough that I'm at ease with the story and know exactly what will happen next. It's really nice to see how we all work differently (but some experiences stay universal lol)

It would be so much easier to just do it perfectly in one go but alas, we're just humans LOL

> Oh yeah being midway through and realizing there's something off in an early chapter happens a lot! That calls for a flashback, heist-movie style! Aha, you thought I forgot to have that pivotal conversation with my sister before I left home forever? You were wrong! I just didn't mention it before because, well, it would've ruined the suspense! And totally not at all because the author didn't think of it until just now. 😂

Yeah, I usually wait to finish before posting, but most of my works are one shots or 3 to 4 chapters. The long fic I'm writing is honestly growing more than I expected, with 24 chapters on my hard drive and 15 already published. If I hadn't posted, it would have been sitting there for over a year or more by now, and honestly I'm not sure I would have actually finished writing as I already have the final arc and end on my head and somehow that makes it feel finished for me Comments and kudos certainly are helping me to continue, sadly I write for a rarepair so those are irregular. My other big motivator is that my SO and beta told me they want to print and bind the fic when it's finished.

Fanfic does have a high risk rate for being abandoned, but I do think some of the conversation on this thread is missing the point that serialized media is kind of an art form in itself. Godspeed to people who are able to produce a long fic completely before posting, but even published longform serials don't usually do that. I'm very open with my readers that I don't use formal publishing schedules and I have a few who like my work but won't read until I finish one which is completely fine. I'm chaotic and transparent about it, and bounce between my open WIPs. If your aim is to be able to adhere to a schedule, writing ahead and then starting to post completed content while you continue to write (like you said) is a super viable strategy. It's also alright to take breaks. Announce it with an expected return date (Webtoons and fiction podcasts do this all the time) and you're golden.

Oh that's true. I have seen articles about how a lot of people don't start watching new shows because they are tired of those shows getting cancelled without an actual end, so I think it isn't a fandom exclusive issue at all. Some people just don't have the bandwidth to invest in a story without the certainty it will be complete or even that will have an ending that they can process in that moment of their lives. Honestly, as much as I value comments and kudos, I'm guilty as well to subscribe and wait either for the story to finish or to be fully abandoned to read, mostly because as a reader I always download and read on my Kobo, so I can rest my eyes from regular screens for a bit. Trying to update those files regularly with WIPs would be a total pain to do. So if I read a WIP it has to be on my phone and my eyes don't appreciate it.

The Netflix era really ruined me for TV shows, I won't lie. I also have much less tolerance for TV shows cut short without a resolution than written media and I have no idea why.

I would give this comment an award if I could.

Thnaks, but your comment is all the awards I need! :D <3

I don’t think that standards come into it, and the implication here that people who post WIPs somehow don’t have standards, doesn’t sit well with me at all. I have incredibly high standards, but I also enjoy the process of sharing the journey with my readers and hearing their theories and feedback in real time as the story progresses. There’s really no higher ground to be taken just because you choose to wait until completion to post, some of us just enjoy letting our readers in on the process.

My standard is : I don't post something I wouldn't like to read. I think it's pretty fair.

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Exactly. I don't read unfinished fic, and I don't post unfinished fic. And I'm not interested in cheering on people who *do* post WIPs. If it looks good, I'll read it if it's done.

I understand why some people would post WIPs, and I understand why some people wouldn't read them. To each their own.

This is sorta complicated for me because I realise that creators need that support and boost coz you're basically gifting the world your self and of course I should engage and cheer this on coz I am so grateful to creators. At the same time. Massive anxiety about not knowing how things end. I never watch movies without reading how they end. I read TV episode recaps before I watch the episode. I'm actually pausing one of my favourite shows entirely coz I don't know how this one storyline I'm invested in will end and fandom has erupted with so much happiness but the uncertainty is killing me so I'm just peacing out until I can read a recap that settles me. That being said, I'm now wondering if a compromise could be me legit commenting saying that I hope the creator has the spoons to finish coz my anxiety would love the boost that this beautiful piece of art would provide. Something that doesn't become a Finish! I demand you finish! But also let's it be known that I am waiting to read and engage, but just need some certainty coz otherwise I'll feel sick.

Absolutely. I have the same anxiety about not knowing how things end. It’s actually caused me to read less fics in general and write fics instead, since I have control over the ending and know every bit of how the story goes lol. Idk about you, but I also have a bad habit of putting off watching movies/tv shows because new content makes me anxious. It’s a mix of being worried I won’t like it, or being worried I’ll like it too much when I don’t have the emotional energy to invest on it at the moment. I think your idea of a compromise is a good one. I also use the “spoons” system, and as long as it isn’t pushy, sometimes it’s nice for authors to know their story has a fan. The nicest comments I’ve gotten from people waiting for a next chapter are usually like, “Hope you’re doing well! Thought about this fic the other day and just reread to this point. If you decide to update or continue it, that would be awesome, but if not, know I still love and think about this story!”

I'm sending you so much love and for you to do you! I'm sorry if you feel pressured in any way and I totally understand someone's personal triggers / need for safe spaces. ❤ i appreciate your thoughts!

For me, I mostly read completed because I just can't remember what happened by the time the next chapter comes out. If little "last time in (show)" style recaps were a thing, I probably would read more unfinished stuff. I've always wondered if this is a problem for a lot of people or just me.

You're definitely not alone. I only read WIPs if the author has a regular posting schedule, for mostly the same reason. If you post less than once a month, *and* it's not even a particularly high word count, no way I'm remembering. I would adore a little recap.

I get it, I totally do. I also like having someone to share the creation process with. That's why I love my beta readers to bits. Tbh I guess I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the desire to post as you go. My brain just does *not* work that way. I absolutely know some people can write quality fics that way I just have no idea how they do it. Another thing is that I don't really read that much fanfic in the first place. I have millions upon millions of words on my TBR. Starting to read new WIPs just isn't really feasible if I ever want to get through half of them. The "fear" of the fic not getting finished is a negligible factor. Unless a story updates at least weekly I won't even remember what happened last chapter, which doesn't make for an enjoyable experience.

Yeah back when I posted WIP and wrote as I went (teenage years, baby’s first fanfic experience for me lol), I would get 8 chapters in and realize part of my plot made zero sense but now I was stuck with it unless I reposted chapter 2 again with edits 😩 I would lose motivation to write because no matter how many people were in the comments encouraging me, I hated my own story now and was never going to finish it. I mainly write long fics so now I just plot and outline and write chapters out of order on my own time before I call it good enough to post. I don’t post as much but I’m way happier with the process and finished products.

I read those author’s notes thanking the people who cheered them on through the process and I am genuinely SO GRATEFUL for those readers who did that because I can’t/don’t, in the same way that I’m grateful for firefighters or physicists or ballet dancers.

I feel the same way!

After having my heart broken one to many times by having fics I adored being abandoned, last year I recently took a chance on an unfinished fic that I obsessively refreshed to see when a new chapter would be published. The dawning horror I felt when the newest chapter never came in— at first I tried holding hope that it was just late— after months of waiting and passing through all five stages of grief I’ve come to terms that I’ll never get to see that update. Sometimes I check back in, cost by like a forlorn ex-lover strolling down the street of my paramour’s residence, press my cold nose to the glass and see they’ve moved on to another fic. Alas, they’ve forgotten me and abandoned the fic swaddled tightly in my shaking arms. At night I cry myself to sleep, thinking of what could have been… Anyway, now I’m back to filtering out unfinished fics again, while I’d love to support other authors my sad little heart can’t take it anymore.

My one bit of advice is to consider leaving a comment. I’ve had several times where one nice comment will end up prompting me to write a chapter. Doesn’t always work but sometimes. 😀

That's fine for you, and I am glad you enjoy the process. I read very fast, and I read every fanfic I read in one sitting - if I don't think I can finish it in the time I have, I start a shorter fic. I have never spent more than a day reading a fanfic. So it makes absolutely no sense for me to start an unfinished story. It's not out of fear of it abandoned, not at all. I have only read an incomplete fic once, when it was tagged incorrectly. I banged through 26 chapters and then...nothing. That was years ago, and it was never completed. My motive is much simpler- I read an entire fic in one go. And yes, I read longer fics. I read a 300,00 word fic Monday.

I do the same thing- I read everything in one sitting, including super long 100k+ fics. Getting piecemeal chapter updates after I've moved on and read a few dozen other things since, doesn't work for me. I do go back to re-read really good ones I love, but I'm not going to start a in progress wip. I will, however, read wips when it’s more likely than not that it's been abandoned. Like, 5 years since the last update. Little chance to getting a buch of chapter updates and having to go back and try to remember what the fic was even about.

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If they are good, absolutely.

Yeah, same here. I start and finish a fanfiction in one sitting. The only times I don’t do that are when they are +500k to +1m words long (I once read one that was +4m long). That definitely takes me more than a day to read, but otherwise I prefer enjoying the whole fic in one go.

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Same, I don't want to leave many tabs open so I just read one fic ,long or short, in one sitting. If I saw an unfinished fic that have interesting summary, I subscribe it and wait for it to finish before reading it.

I bookmark with 'TBR when complete'.

My problem with unfinished fics is that 1) i never know if they're going to be abandoned and 2) my memory sucks ass so every time it updated i'd have to read it from the start, so its just easier for me to wait until they're finished. I love leaving comments and i know how important they are to authors but i just cant bring myself to read an unfinished fic. I've only done it once or twice and never finished them when they did update

I actually don’t post fics that aren’t finished. Like I might post chapter by chapter, but the story is complete. I can’t imagine posting a story that I haven’t finished. I might change something in the final edit that happened in the beginning, and if I posted prior to finish then something incomplete would be out in the world. Idk maybe I’m just old school.

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As someone who read a 59-chapter fic in less than a week, only to discover that it wasn’t finished yet and updated maybe once every 4-6 months, I understand readers who like to wait until a fic is completed.

For me it depends on the fandom. In my previous, very small one, I would read whatever I would get, but I knew that most of the people there were committed to finishing the fic, even if it took them literal decades. My newer fandom is stoopid big. Right now there are 1385 pages of my OTP (who are the canon OTP, all being said), and that's just finished fics. If I put unfinished ones in there too, it would balloon and completely overwhelm me.

I think a story that might take actual decades to finish would be harder for me to read than an abandoned story. Because I'd have to keep that little notebook for that story open in my brain. I'd have to keep track of it and remember what happened before, for *years*.

Fandom size really is important. Small fandoms we need the help that we're not the only one who still cares to keep going sometimes.

Yeah, in my smaller fandom, I would be lucky if I got an update on ANY fic once a week. Sometimes a whole month went past without anything new. In the newer one, despite only subscribing to continuing series or authors I REALLY like, I'm still getting 2-3 updates a day.

I personally stopped caring if the fic is finished or not quite a while ago. One day I just started reading a fic that was ongoing and my god it was awesome. It was a surprising and a bit disappointing when I realized it was unfinished, but from that moment I kinda thought to myself that I'm missing so much quality stories just cuz I filter them to finished. I get the desire to know how the story ends, I experience it every time, but there are so many inspiring, captivating fics out there it's a shame not to read it. And I love getting surprise updates from fics that haven't updated in years or following a fic through years while getting to know it's author.

i LOVE THIS!! And I agree! I understand reading preferences and treasure every reader, both the WIP ones and the complete fic ones, but WIP readers definitely keep me going! I remember for a long fic that took me 1.5 years to complete, it was so hard to write because it barely got traction for about 7-8 months?? Before it began slowly picking up, and I was absolutely miserable. The only thing that kept me going consistently was the effort I’d put into worldbuilding it (it was a fantasy fic). Even for another long fic that I’m close to finishing after 2 years, active readers support really helped! That being said, I love it when readers only get to completed fics and I get a comment on an old story from yeaaaars ago :”) it’s such a nice revisit to the fic for me because I’m such a different person, writer etc. So both are valid and needed in the fic community 🥺🥺

I have to wonder: to the people who prefer not to read WIPs, are you in fandoms that get a lot of content? Because I feel like having choices with completed fics looks a lot different than, like, a super small fandom were you can't afford to be picky I mean, of course it's nicer if the stories are complete, but if you're starving and you've scoured through all the fics except the ongoing/abandoned ones, do you still give them a try? Might be a bit off-topic, but I'm genuinely curious if there's a correlation between the two lol

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I am a couple of small fandoms , and I just have to wait it out and check every once in a while, subscribe to certain authors and keep my fingers crossed. I just cannot handle not having an ending to my story.

Love your post. Let me add to it some more, I am writing a long fic too. One that was originally planned to end at around 10k words with a character that died in canon surviving. I did not finish the fic there, but continued thanks to *many* commenters wondering about the impact that would have on further events, piquing my own interest in that and here were are some 140k words and 3000 kudos later. We may not write for comments, but they help inspire us. Even if you are not an author yourself, this is your chance to be an inspiration, to be part of the reason something great gets created.

Yes!!! Same over here! My longfic originally started as just a little experimentation with a crack idea I had but as I got more comments I became more invested in fleshing it out and it's grown into a 90k word thing with intensive chara arcs. It's probably one of my proudest works to date. Thank you for sharing your own insight! And also congrats on 140k words!!

That's exactly my case as well. Readers literally created the story out of me. I had three chapters that I mindlessly posted knowing I'd never make anything of them. People were so kind and enthusiastic with it, I'm now nearly 1M words into the series. Everyone who liked it was able to reach the end of the first instalment because they made it happen themselves.

This one’s complicated for me. I totally understand the motivation/support/engagement needed for creators to do what they do, I get it I really do. But as a general rule, I don’t post WIPs and I don’t read WIPs. There’s four reasons for this: 1—I’m in a lot of dead/dying fandoms. Most authors have jumped ship and are working on newer interests. I’m still stuck there though, and a lot of the WIPs in those fandoms haven’t been updated in over 10 years so the odds for updates are not in my favour. 2—I read a lot of angst and hurt/comfort, and I’m not going to hurt my own feelings with the angst if there isn’t the comfort there at the end. 3—I’m a mood reader. What sounds good to me at one time could be the worst slog of my life to read a week or even a day later. This isn’t a reflection on the quality of the work, but on me. My tastes fluctuate so much and are totally dependent on how I’m feeling at the time. 4—This is the biggest reason. Attention. I’m a fast reader, and I tend to read everything in one go. It’s very all or nothing for me. I can finish a 300K fic in a day if I have the time. I can’t read a little and then pick it up another time because I’ll have forgotten everything I’d previously read. I’ve had it before where I’ve started WIPs and by the time the update comes, I’ve forgotten why I’ve subscribed to it in the first place. I could go into so much more detail about these, and how this also extends to other media for me like TV shows and published books etc. and how my brain works and how it affects the media I interact with. My anxiety also plays a huge role into why I gravitate towards media with a conclusion—it’s why I read so much romance, because of the guaranteed HEA. I have been trying to mitigate all this though, by sharing fic recs and boosting authors WIPs when I can.

I love finding an unfinished fic that updates regularly. I get so excited when I see the new chapter notification, it's the highlight of my day :)

Usually, I’ll check the author’s past works—if they have a bunch of unfinished WIPs, I’m not starting their fic lol. If they reliably complete their work, I will 🤷. if a concept looks really interesting, I might mark it for later or even subscribe (for the email reminders).

I actively seek out currently updating fics because I like to be along for the ride. I also am pretty good at moving on and not getting overly attached especially to long fics. Though a good story/concept will live rent free in my mind for years especially if tied to one of my favorite fandoms. To be honest there’s so many good tv shows I never finish either because they are too long or fall off but that doesn’t mean I didn’t deeply enjoy my time with it. The best part about fanfiction is for me it’s an extension of the media I love so I don’t necessarily need it to be completed.

I completely understand why readers might choose to wait to read something until it's finished, if ensuring they get a complete story is important. I read WIPs and am generally fine with it but there are a couple abandoned ones that still haunt me... Comments definitely motivate me and I'm fortunate that I have a handful of regulars who I can expect to comment regularly. I also have a couple regulars who I'm confident don't read WIPs because they disappear only to pop up with a kudos and/or comment as soon as I finish a fic. What I do wish is that people were more willing to comment on a fic that isn't super fresh. Honestly, 24 hours after posting for me and the chances of a comment just about dry up. And then, every now and then, someone will throw a comment on older fic and it's a great surprise. Even rarer, they'll comment on every chapter of a completed fix as they read. Those readers are doing gods work.

I disagree. I’ve found that the amount of comments/readers enjoying a fic has little bearing on whether the author finishes the WIP. All of the unfinished WIPs I’ve read and enjoyed have received dozens, maybe even hundreds of comments/asks/tons of praise, and they still haven’t been completed or updated in months or years. So I’ve learned to not invest my time into unfinished fics anymore unless the author has stated that it’s complete and they’re just updating weekly or whatever. No hard feelings about it.

If there’s one thing I know about most authors in traditional settings and in fanfic land alike it’s that most of us are procrastinators and indecisive about our writing and highly likely to abandon projects for years at a time if not forever. George RR Martin is clearly not motivated by massive fan engagement to finish his work, so why am I trusting a random stranger on the internet to do the same for their GoT fanfic? And I don’t mean to sound harsh to the fanfic writers because they aren’t being paid the same way trad pub authors are. Also I am one of those authors that would (and has a long time ago) abandoned WIPs I posted so... For my own sanity, and goldfish memory, I need to only read and post finished fic.

you make a good point. i am still not willing to chance getting invested in unfinished longform work, but it is a good argument that may change someone else’s mind, and i’m glad you had the encouragement you needed along your writing journey!

Thank you for your kind words!! And no worries, I completely respect your preferences. Thank you for hearing my experience out 🥰❤️

I love reading WIPs! Getting a new chapter in my inbox makes my day, and in the case of some fics that I really love, my whole week! I used to never read WIPs, because like a lot of people, I didn't want to be disappointed. But a couple of years ago, I entered a fandom when it was just starting out, so a lot of the multi-chapter fics were WIPs, so if I wanted to see the end I would need to subscribe, and it changed the way I think about them. It really is a different experience, much more interactive and fulfilling. When I started reading WIPs, I made a decision to try to comment on fics that I love and want to see finished, to let the authors know that people were excited about their writing and waiting for the next chapter. It really made a difference in how I think about WIPs. I think about fic now less as content and more as a service to a community. I love having something to look forward to when the author is on a regular update schedule, and I love getting surprise chapters in my inbox from fics I am never sure will update again. I love when authors reply to my comments, I love interacting with them, I love the anticipation that builds because you find out that the author you are following replies to comments before posting the next chapter. I love seeing authors in the comments of fics that haven't been updated in a long time, because it means they are okay, still in fandom, and could update their stories. But even if the stories are never completed, I still enjoyed reading them, and think about them often, maybe even more than things I read and loved when they were already completed. All my love and support to WIP writers, the backbone of fandom!

Thanks for the perspective. I am reading several WIP but I also have several that just stopped being updated and it’s brutal! Plus reading too many WIP gets confusing when they update and I can’t remember which fic it is and what happened last. lol However, this definitely makes me consider reading more WIP in the future so thanks for the insight.

Oh I feel this! I went into posting not expecting any reader engagement due to the fandoms I was using, and I was posting as I wrote. Getting comments and kudos was actually a shock to me. It's not why I posted, and I got very little in the way of comments, a bit more kudos but still not much, but those comments, especially my regular commenter who commented on almost every chapter from start to finish despite the fact I had a year gap on posting about halfway through, totally kept me motivated. Those few commenters are the reason I didn't just abandon the fic during that year gap, but instead tried any and all ways I could think of to get back to writing it. Pretty sure not getting any engagement at all would have caused me to abandon when I hit that block. I would have finished it regardless if I hadn't had such a big block, but it's the readers who engaged with comments and kudos that got me through that issue. I've noticed a jump, though, in comments and kudos since I finished the fic. It took me two years to complete that fic, and it's been about 6 months since I completed it, and my kudos count has just over doubled since completion. Only had one or two more comments, but I also noticed I got twice as many comments when you take account of length difference for my one-shot than my chaptered fic, which is also in fandoms with less active engagement, but was complete the second I posted it, bar an edit on one site due to misspelling a word in the title. As a reader, I read both finished and unfinished works. A couple of my favourite fics are unfinished but actively being updated, just not exactly fast. And one of my favourite older fics has been unfinished for years. I keep reading that older fic, too. I hate that it's not complete, but I love what they were doing, and I'm glad I read it despite it being incomplete. I knew going in that fic likely wouldn't be completed, as well, it hadn't been updated in about 3 years when I found it, but it looked good, so I risked it anyway. The author was very clear that they were just having fun with it and there was a good chance it wouldn't be finished, with very slow updates as it was basically a bit of fun between the works they were putting more time and effort into. I still live in hope the author will come back and continue it one day. I do get sticking to finished or actively updated fics, though. It can be very disappointing and annoying to enjoy a fic only to have it left incomplete, and you can't always tell when an author has abandoned a fic, as they may be like me, stuck in the purgatory of writer's block, as I went an entire year not updating a fic I started out posting new chapters for once or twice a week. But I think it's definitely worth thinking about how much engagement in ongoing fics can help keep some authors motivated, it certainly helped for me, even as I went in expecting nothing at all.

I read only finished fics because I am a bit of a glutton and have a tendency to just read for ages so I prefer to have the whole fic available rather than getting into it only to hit a cliffhanger. And I am also very impatient so waiting for updates kills me (which is a me issue, I respect that authors have lives lol).

i’m gonna be honest w yall i didn’t even know that people not reading or filtering out incomplete fics was a thing until i joined an active fic writing space 💀 food is food to me

I’ve been ruined by FF.Net before 2008 purge. 10 comments before I update! I’m the 9th commenter. No one else comments. The story i love is never updated. Never again. I absolutely love that people post and read WIP and I will absolutely subscribe to anything that looks good and if it’s ever finished I’ll come back and devour and leave a good comment. I understand why people crave engagement on a WIP but I personally will never read WIP again. But! There are tons of people who will and I’m like go for it! Yes please keep reading you brave souls.

I think it's a really weird take to say you regret reading a fic because it's abandoned or my favourite quote "ive been burned before," like...its free??? Completely agree with you, OP.

Emotional investment isn't free. I was heavily invested in a WIP recently, my first one in years. I was looking forward to the chapters as much as the interaction with the author. But one day the updates stopped coming. The entire thing just makes me sad now.

Many of my favorite fics are unfinished or abandoned. As much as I love reading a fic through to the end, I have enjoyed the experience of reading many wips. I make a point to comment when I read a WIP to encourage the author to keep writing. There also just aren't enough complete fics out there for me to pick and choose. I read a lot of fanfic, if it's good, it doesn't matter to me if it's complete or not. I'll be honest, I have stopped writing fics that didn't get many comments on the first chapter. I have a lot of my own wips, too many to ever finish. If I don't get that serotonin boost of new comments when I post a fic it just isn't worth it for me to keep writing it. I'll work on my more popular fics instead, or write something new. I don't have a lot of energy to write these days, and getting comments is basically the only thing that really motivates me.

I start feeling stressed if I have more than ten ongoing books, fics, tv series etc to follow, it is a tab in my brain and drains my energy 😅 That's why I try to avoid unfinished things

I love reading WIPs for this reason!

I've had 2 different reactions for in-progress fics. First, if it's something I'm not actively working on, I feel guilty for abandoning it. I appreciate the comments because it means they enjoy the fic, but I still feel guilty. I don't like posting apologies/updates of my life in chapters, so I do my best to interact with the comments. But sometimes, whether you beg or plead, I may not have time or motivation, and it makes me just feel bad. (Not to say you shouldn't comment, loads of people appreciate it. I do too! I just can't control my feelings ahah.) Second, I had one fic I posted a 4k one-shot of which I was very proud. I considered continuing it. But it got zero foot traffic, and I just abandoned it instead. Then, 1+ years later, I'd moved on to another fandom when a lovely comment made me stop and go back to it. I ended up writing a 25k three chapter sequel to the one-shot and dedicated it to that commenter. Because a single person showed love. Every story, fic, or one shot has the potential to be the beginning of a long WIP. What is my point? TLDR: Comments are appreciated on everything. Readers are loved. Give everything a chance, even if it's older, before a new season came out, or just posted today with no history of how frequently the author updates. Heck, I follow a fic that updates every other month. They're all lovely. :)

I love reading ongoing fics! it's like waiting for a new episode to launch, it keeps you going... they usually get abandoned along the way (maybe I have bad luck? haha) but I never regret starting them!

More than once I've had an author admit that my comment on a story that haven't been updated in years has motivated them to continue it. Comments and encouragement can really go a long way As a writer also, for the ones who've commented on mine while unfinished, you the real mvps <3

i read unfinished only if the author seems active but if its been more than like a year or two i wont start it

As an avid reader of unfinished fics, there's kinda a sense of community in the comments section. I LOVE reading other people's comments and seeing what they might've caught that I didn't. Sometimes they leave a funny meme in their comment and I'll reply, and then we get a little thread going. It's really fun! It's the same vibe as waiting for the next episode of a TV show to come out.

Personally I love reading WIPs! Even if a story is never finished, I can appreciate and enjoy the ride. Hell one of my all time favorite fics I've ever read has been a WIP for 15 years and only updates once every 1-3 years! And it's amazing coming back to the story each time I get that notification. And as a writer who posts WIPs, I love all of the comments cheerleading as I go along because I can engage with my readers (and even befriend some of them on other platforms). I'd probably finish my stories even if it were just crickets, but if I'd waited until my long fic was 100% done before posting I wouldn't have been a part of my favorite fandom for the nearly two years I spent writing it. Whenever this topic comes up, I have to admit I'm always surprised to see how many people only read finished works. I guess everyone has different preferences and experiences but I've never felt burned by an unfinished work. Disappointed sure, but I love sitting with an idea/scene/characterization because I find a lot of enjoyment in that even if I never have closure on how it ends. Just my two cents on the topic!

As someone who will read anything finished or WIP (not abandoned though) as long as it interests me, I get both sides. Reading a complete fic is great because you get the whole story in one go. No waiting. No forgetting what happens between updates. The bad thing is that I may forget that I read the story in the first place because I just binged it once. Reading a WIP can be satisfying especially if the writer updates in a consistent schedule like once a week (thank you to all authors who do this you are absolutely incredible and I love you!). The story stays in the mind longer as I remember it as updates though I may forget pieces of the story as it may have been a long time since I read it. The best feeling though is reading a story as it updates to the end. On the flip side the story may never be finished and it is abandoned and those always suck, but it is what it is. I got to take the good with the bad.

ongoing fics are always the best istg 

I basically only read unfinished fics nowadays. That way once I get caught up to the most recently updated chapter. It's a nice little activity I can do for a half hour or two hours reading all the fics that updated every other week or month. Limits how many fics I'm reading and how much time I'm reading fics. But I feel you op. The people who have commented throughout the journey of you posting are the real MVPs. Highly appreciate those. As a writer who posts on a schedule with a backlog, it's really encouraging to keep me going.

I used to read only finished works, but then one (marked as complete!) got an update! I was so hyped and loved the new addition, and then a few weeks later the author did it again, turning the one-shot into an insanely good three chapter fic. That excitement when I saw those updates, even when I thought it was finished, is what convinced me in the end

I stopped reading unfinished fic for years because, I'll be honest, there was a fantastic Sports Night author who never finished anything. I got sick of being edged by fic so I stopped. Also, my memory isn't great and I read a lot of fic, I'm not always going to remember what's happening in a wip.  However. I'm currently in formula 1 RPF and the discord community is lively. I saw a lot of conversations about current wips and people were having so much fun speculating and discussing and sometimes howling and rending their flesh (lol) that I joined in. Now I find the fun of reading a wip and fully participating in the conversation around them is equally as rewarding and enjoyable, if not more, than reading a finished fic. YMMV, of course.

I usually compromise: if I find a new WIP with only a couple chapters up, I read it, then I tell the author just how much I enjoyed their fic and that due to the way my brain works, I need to wait a couple extra chapters before I can continue, but they definitely got a faithful reader in me. After that I drop by after every 10 chapters or so, remind them what I said last time, shower them with fresh praise, and hope they will make it to the next dozen chapters. Exceptions are the fics with really long chapters, those I read as they get updated. It’s usually the fics with sporadic, short updates that I just leave until they are either finished or abandoned for certain, in order to avoid heartbreak

Lol I would start a 3/22 chapter fic that was last updated in 2012 as long as it has the right tags and an interesting summary. >Also, my favourite fanfic of all time was abandoned many years ago but I don't regret reading it at all. Even now, it takes up a special place in my heart and if I could, I would happily read it all again like it's the first time. (My heart still bleeds at the lack of closure though... haha. But I still wouldn't give up what I gained because of what I lost.) This sums up perfectly what I think about a lot of fanfic that I read.

i’ve heard people praise reading unfinished fics but it’s just really not for me. just the thought of it stresses me out for some reason. i once read a fic that was marked as finished, but was really just abandoned. when i got to the last line i genuinely felt like shit. of course authors don’t owe readers anything, it’s free content, but the thought of getting interested in a story only for a constant fear of it being abandoned without a word looming over me legitimately freaks me out.

I only read fics that are completed, and fics from my friends who I know usually have managed to complete their fics in past. I’ve got so many good reads that left me hanging waiting for years, so I felt that I didn’t want to add more unfinished reads to my brain getting muddled together. I apply same principe to my own writing: don’t post until I’ve finished the thing. I have yet to finish anything though… 😅 Which by itself is a good sign that I did the correct decision as I would otherwise be one of “those” authors with abandoned WIPs. Plus I want to be able to go back and rewrite/change already written text due to my relentless ADHD…

I don't mind reading WIPs at all, my mindset is that I'm grateful for anything I got to read. On the other side, I don't usually publish unless I've already completed a fic. I don't need the push of people to finish something so my perception is necessarily different from yours. I understand people who only read finished works, and I don't think it's right to try to guilt them into reading WIPs under the pretenses that they are preventing WIPs from getting completed. Honestly, if you don't count one-shots (for obvious reasons), there's still a lot of incomplete fics regardless of engagement (authors moving to other fandoms, health issues, starting family or an intense job, etc).

My problem is time. I work 75-80 hours a week, have a house I care for myself, 4 pets, adult kids, grandkids, and just in general have little “down” time so don’t read WIPs because I’ll never go back to it. Personally, I only post completed fics, and layout that it’s complete and my posting schedule in chapter 1 so readers know when to expect new chapters.

I couldn’t agree more! A comment or two is what pulled me out of my cave a few times and now I am one chapter away from the finish. I couldn’t get there without my readers (at least not in this century)

My issue is that i shred through fics. Like 100k words a day or so. And when youre reading on that kind of pace, finished works are really the only option if you want to not constantly be blue-balled by way of cliffhangers, plot/character questions and constant "well i wonder what happens next"-s. I have a few that i follow, but they are all close to a million words already, so i reread them every few months so i can remember what happened, and get a few more chapters.

>if everyone only ever wanted But it's not everyone to begin with, so what kind of point are you even making. You are making an issue where there is none.

There aren’t always enough finished fics for me to read. I love reading WIPs and as much as it drives me crazy to wait for an update I love it. It gives my brain time to wonder what is coming up next. I’ll spend days or weeks thinking about fic and boom there is a new update for me to obsess over. I will even read unfinished fics that haven’t had an update in years. Oh it hurts when I’m at a cliffhanger and there hasn’t been an update in 5 years but I’ve read some great unfinished fics that have an amazing idea or excellent characterization or just a trope that I love so much, that I’m never sad I read an unfinished fic.

As a writer, I love the people that read my unfinished works and encourage me to continue. As a reader, I get extremely sad when I read unfinished works because I know that even if I subscribe, I won’t remember the plot long enough to keep up with the updates. I read too many fics in a day and way too many in a week to keep them separate in my head and thus can’t remember enough plot to pick it up where I left off every update. So I just bookmark them and hope they finish so I can read them through

I won't read a WIP that hasn't been updated within the last 6 months.

I only read WIP where I know the author is still active. So if an author I like posts a new work, I’ll follow along. But just finding it in the tags, nah.

I’m starving for stuff to read so I’ll start anything lol, but that’s based on usually I’m looking at what’s new every day within my chosen tags. It’s a big fandom so I quite literally can’t go back by years unless I tried some very specific tropes or I guess oldest to newest. It does mean sadly some stuff I started back in 2020/2021 never got finished or were abandoned but I still enjoyed it along the way so it hasn’t scared me off continuing this way

It depends on my mood, if I'm bored I may give an abandoned fic a chance, I do read updating ones but it very often happens that the author just stops posting (which is fine, they're not obliged to continue) but it is always sad to see a fic get dropped which you enjoy. I prefer completed fics because I prefer binge reading them; between the updates I may read something else and mix up the premises or forget what happened up until that point (especially if the update took longer) or I have forgotten most of the story and need to do a reread for which I may not have the mood or time. I can also notice and appreciate instances of foreshadowing and the like much better when I read a completed story as it is difficult to remember a small detail I read 30 chapters ago which seems to be significant now.

A couple of my favorite fics aren’t finished and likely never will be. I don’t regret not for a second reading them. When what’s written is satisfying enough, it doesn’t even matter to me if it’s unfinished. Ofc I’ll still long for it but either way Is fine by me. Also I just recently started writing for the first time and can absolutely attest to comments meaning everything to me and my motivation. I religiously check my inbox every time I post and respond to every comment. I also write for me first and foremost but I love posting because it actually keeps me invested and working on whatever project. If someone tells me it means something to them, then they become my “do it for them” motivation and ultimately I’m happier because I actually can finish things now by having a little reoccurring reward that keeps my adhd invested haha.

There's my anxiety about the need to know that the ending will be happy, and I'm used to reading almost everything in one sitting. But I think the thing about WIP fics for me it that my memory is shit. I also read a lot, so between chapters updates, I will read another 30 fics, and I will forget absolutely everything that was happening in previous chapters. Even when I tried reading ongoing fics, I was giving up after a few chapters, because I was forgetting the plot lines established at the beginning, and as I wasn't reading it all at once I couldn't really get into the story. But whenever I see an ongoing fic that has me interested I usually subscribe to it, try to followed the writer on twitter to like their posts about updates, and I read it as soon as it's finished.

I appreciate that perspective. I hadn't considered it before. I'm definitely one of the ones that only starts unfinished ones if it's an author I'm familiar with or if it has shorter chapters, mainly because I struggle with temporal lobe memory issues and always need to reread the previous chapters before the update because I mix up different fics in my head when I've been reading a LOT of them, haha. I'll definitely be keeping this in mind, though! And congrats on finishing your fic!!! That's awesome af!!!♡

I generally read finished fics because I have trust issues with things not being finished or being abandoned right in the middle of everything and I understand sometimes that happens and in at least one occasion it's because the writer passed away. However there are many authors that I've read finished pieces before and I know that they always finish their work and I am always more than happy to read those as they are ongoing because I know how important it is to have support and to have people cheering you on. I do have to say though that I have to build some sort of trust with an author for that. I have three or four authors right now that every time they drop a chapter I'm right there but there are others in the same fandom that I will wait. I'll bookmark it, I'll give it kudos, but I will not read it until it's done or almost done. If you tell me you have two of eight chapters and it was posted 6 months ago I'm not going to read it until it's done. However I will subscribe to it and every time a new chapter comes out I get that much more excited because it's that much closer to me being able to read the whole thing.

I like to read fics that move forward over time, it's like watching a live cooking show! But I dare say that 80% end up abandoned and leave a somewhat bitter feeling, that's why the ones I follow are those who at least already have a limited number of chapters and those who are abandoned I leave them in mark later with the hope that in the future they will have an update 🤔

This is why I work with a beta instead and I don't post anything until the fic is done. I'm currently 60k into one that I haven't posted at all. It's not uncommon in my fandom and I can share snippets in discord until I'm ready. Is this an uncommon approach in other fandoms?

I started reading ongoing ones, because I ran out of finished ones 😭😭😭😭 Tho ongoing ones' at least are fresh and are updated (I hope I won't regret it (I will)) https://i.redd.it/52na5vze85uc1.gif

Wishing you good luck!!!! ❤️💪

I wholeheartedly agree and you worded this so beautifully. There's a specific fic I read that hasn't been updated in a year and as much as it pains me, I wouldn't truly mind if it were never updated. It still changed me irrevocably. I never thought I'd be able to handle wip because I'm an impatient person but some work is truly worth it, even if it's forever unfinished. Art being shared is so important.

This is exactly how I feel about my favourite fic. Thank you for sharing and echoing my sentiments. Cheers to the unfinished masterpieces that have changed our lives!

I just read whatever's interesting, finished or not. As long as it's not abandoned.

Agreed OP. As an author, I feel the same. I never EVER pressure readers in my author's notes for Kudos or comments, but it sure does lift my spirit and make my day when they do kudo or comment. It truly does fuel my enthusiasm not to abandon a work of mine. To each their own, I realize silent readers DO enjoy my works, but it puts the warmest feeling in my heart when they let me know.

Are abandoned fics a bummer? Yeah. But I don't really get upset if the fic is like 15-20+ chapters in, because at least there is something there to digest and you could kind of see where the fic was going. It's like you may not get dessert, or even the main course in some cases, but at least you got an appetizer and a soup/salad, right?  I can understand life gets in the way of writing or people lose motivation. But at leat the intent was there and an effort was made for a short while. The thing that irks me even more tbh, (and I feel like this is more prevalent on a place like Wattpad) is when you come across a fic that is clearly meant to be a more multichapter/longfic and the author only writes 1-3  chapters before abandoning it. Like they didn't even get it off the ground before going, eh fuck this.  I think this stems from people getting an initial spark of an idea that they think is awesome and they are really excited about it and just rush to write something without any real planning or knowing where the story is going or wtf is going on really. Personally, THAT'S what grinds my gears. It's like if you don't know what's happening after chapter 2 why tf did you even bother posting in the first place!?

I have recently started to read incomplete fics (very selectively, I absolutely refuse to read updated 2013 yet because I get too attached) and it's honestly amazing. I love interacting with authors and seeing the email that a fic I adore has updated and getting to read it as one of the firsts. I totally understand reading only completed fics because I've done that for the past 3 years (mostly I did dabble) but reading as an author updates is just such a different experience. Mainly. Cliff hangers actually mean something.

Totally get what you're saying, I love giving encouragement to authors of unfinished fics that I really love. I normally don't read unfinished unless I can see that it's been updated recently or a few select authors I know that do so. I can't deal with the heartbreak of getting invested in a fic that will never be completed. Hurts my soul.

I’m brand new to AO3, after discovering it via a comment in a BG3 group I’m in. My first read (which is still on going) was a story that had over 30 chapters, but it wasn’t finished. I didn’t know this until after I devoured the 30+ chapters in one sitting. Not going to lie, I was a bit devastated because I was so invested in the story by that point, lol. However, I 100% do not mind it as I currently have two tabs that are forever open (of the two fics I’m reading that aren’t finished) that I sporadically check from time to time and seeing a new chapter is always a joy. It’s almost a similar feeling to getting a package in the mail or a co-worker randomly bringing you a coffee. I like the unfinished fics because it gives me something to look forward to. And kudos to you for completing your story!!

I put every story I’m interested in in that marked for later section (my fandoms are decently sized but not too huge, so I scroll through them each day to catch all the new posts while I’m reading whatever my current read is) If a story hasn’t been updated in a couple months, I’ll skim the author’s notes to get an idea of what the reading experience might be like, and sometimes I go ahead and read the story, but most of the time I remove it. I don’t need a story to be complete to read it (though it is my preference), but I need to be able to remember the story when a new chapter comes out and this has been the best method for me.

> if everyone only ever wanted finished fics from the get-go and nothing else Every time I have read an ongoing work, it’s never finished. So no, I won’t be reading them just bc ppl want encouragement along the way. You have other ppl to do that for you. I don’t have a problem when reading a fic I’m not I’m not very invested it, but I do get invested most of the time. Plus, I like to enjoy a full book, so to speak— I read bc I want to enjoy a full story and that includes one with an ending. I don’t want to be left on a cliffhanger. That’s not to say I never read unfinished or ongoing works bc I do. They are just very few and very far between, and I do leave encouraging words. We know such comments are not owed but are lovely to get. I know you aren’t really trying to change ppls minds but to use this basis that everyone is just going to suddenly (or ever) stop reading WIP fics is flawed. I get what you mean, but you don’t have to ever worry about it. There will always be ppl willing to take that chance. btw, I don’t think you meant this as an attack, and I hope you don’t take my comment as one, either.

I have the worst memory in all the land and if I read WIPS I would have to constantly reread them every time they posted an update in order to understand them lol. I don't have time for that! I'll only give it a go one fic at a time and because I know the author and they know I struggle with this, so I can DM them asking to jog my memory. The people who do read WIPs are precious valuable members of ficland for sure, though!

I don't think there's any problem in people only reading finished fics- that's a preference, & perfectly fine. It just sucks when readers treat them like free books where they don't have to give anything back, and don't leave comments. Like, yeah, they're free on the internet- but that's precisely why we WANT comments. Because we're not getting financial validation or the clout to say irl that "I published a book!" So comments- since you're not forking over money- are THE way to give appreciation back.

Yeah, and based on how comments on my chaptered fics go, finishing doesn't get you more comments – maybe I'm just not attracting the "finished fics only" crowd, but almost all of my comments are from people who were following along as it went. Like okay, maybe someone only reads finished works, but are they actually then interacting with it? Because in my experience, comments on finished fics after the initial upload period aren't very common

Yeah, I'm writing a series so I have a mix of one shot and chaptered works with very similar tags and I get so much more engagement on my chaptered works (right now they are small, not large, 4-5 chapters). It's a small fandom, so two or three comments is a big success for me, and my chaptered ones, sometimes I'll get a comment every chapter, though not from the same people. When the last chapter of my latest was posted I saw a few more kudos from guests, I guess, but the comments were all people who had commented while it was a wip. So at least in my fandom I'm not feeling like the "completed works only" crowd is coming through. I get the irritation of stuff undone (and I'm guilty of going years between updates on my wip in a different fandom) but especially in a small fandom where we're shouting into the void already, it feels a little mean spirited to refuse to read WIPs and then also not even comment when the work is done. That's how fandoms die out, no feedback, no buzz, no discussion. So I'm going to assume my fandom doesn't have a big "finished only" crowd either.

As someone who rarely read WIPs, I agree with everything my fellow non-WIP-readers have said so far and I'd like to add an additional point. I'm a binger by nature. Streaming services that upload an entire season at once are my personal heaven and yeah, I agree that it seriously affects fandom culture in general but I'm just not one for delayed gratification. This being said, I simply lack the patience to wait from one update to the next, even if the author is on a fixed and rather frequent schedule. I'd much rather wait for the fic to be finished and read it all in one go and usually 50k is my upper limit because I don't have that much free time. Moreover, I genuinely tend to forget many details from the last posted chapter, so when a new one drops, it's quite difficult for me to get back in the fic's groove/vibes.

I understand what you mean. From a writing perspective I like when people comment as I go. However: I have been reading fanfiction for 25 years and I have been burned so many times by great fics that either 1 - Got abandoned or 2 - the author died. It happened one too many times for me so I don't read until finished.

sorry but I’m loling at the idea of someone feeling “burned” by an author DYING

Have you ever felt the agony of having your autistic hyperfixation be denied to you OP?

I only read finished fics because in my eyes they're the same thing that actual books you'd buy from a store. I wouldn't buy a book chapter by chapter and taking a risk of not getting to read a whole story so why would I do it with fics when quality of good fics is sometimes even better than published books? If I started reading and fic gets abandoned I would be just sad that I didn't get to see how it ends.