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I expect simple behaviours here. Friendship, and love. Any advice should be from the perspective of the person asking, not the person giving! We have had to make new membership moderated to combat the huge number of spammers who register
Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77180/#msg_77180
Talo Segura2020-08-07T04:54:45-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77181/#msg_77181
serial I will publish it happily and do so whenever it is sent. Not for a short story. It's not going to appear in the announcement email.
There are many things missing, but the site is a hobby, not a business]]>timmy2020-08-07T07:23:37-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77183/#msg_77183
Bensiamin2020-08-07T15:24:47-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77184/#msg_77184
"Bensiamin wrote on Fri, 07 August 2020 16:24"
I'll agree that having a synopsis would be a valuable addition. A short one (almost a teaser) when a serialization begins or for a short story, a longer one for a completed story whenthe serializaiton is over--for those who come to the story later. However, that said, my experience is that most writers don't a good job of writing their own synopsis becuase they're too close to the story and their motivation or vision of it. Those written by objective third parties are almost always better, but along with that comes a huge workload to read the story and craft the synopsis!
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Less work, still non trivial, is adding it to the site. I have no process for this so each has to be hand created]]>timmy2020-08-07T16:21:30-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77185/#msg_77185
The only easy way to add a summary, and I appreciate it is more work, is as a chapter, so STORY XXX by XXX synopsis, chapter one, chapter two, etc.
Wishful thinking, but what you need is someone to write you a new site, for free, and or some volunteers to help out with running it.]]>Talo Segura2020-08-07T19:15:21-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77186/#msg_77186
Rigby's index page as one of the rare examples of folk who have sent synopses
A whole new site is an interesting concept. The look and feel is slightly dated, but familiarity is important, and there are sme huge design readability subtleties here. Behind the scenes is a tailor made content management system. Converting legacy pages is always possible, programmatically, but the glitch and gotcha potential is immense. Thsi site is, well, enormous.
Under the skin it's well structiued, but itls also well search engine indexed, so the urls would need to remain identical.
Webmasterng is a back art!]]>timmy2020-08-07T20:22:40-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77188/#msg_77188
]]>Teddy2020-08-08T00:16:52-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77197/#msg_77197
here.
Thanks for the push, Talo!
Everyone's comments on these examples welcome! Summarizing 20 plus chapters in less than 100 words is a challenge!]]>Bensiamin2020-08-09T19:42:06-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77198/#msg_77198
I mentioned this lack of summaries/intro to stories on another site as well and if you think about it, coming to a story/book site online is like going into a bookshop or library. You enter and look around for the section that interests, fiction, drama, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, whatever. You pick out a book, attracted by the title (no one should under estimate the power of a title), next you look at the cover (there aren't covers on these older sites, there are on every new site) because that's the next important aspect. Then you read the blurb as to what the book is about. If you like it, you buy it, or borrow it, in any case you read it.
I don't think anyone has ever gone into a bookshop or library and picked up a book at random. Sure, you might read all the new stories published, like having joined a book club where each month you are sent a selection of new stories, but even such clubs ask your interests.
I would encourage every author who wants a readership to take the time to write carefully a synopsis for their story. It is not an afterthought, but a critical step in the writing process. Book covers are another idea worth thinking about. It's not difficult, grab a copyright free to use and edit image, edit it, add the title, resize it to fit the format (commonly 400 x 600).
If you have spent months writing your story, you should want to publish it to the world giving it the best possible chance of success.
]]>Talo Segura2020-08-10T05:43:02-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77199/#msg_77199
timmy2020-08-10T07:28:19-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77200/#msg_77200
"Talo Segura wrote on Mon, 10 August 2020 05:43"
I think your stories are so much better for having these summaries. The reader knows what the books are about and they provoke interest to want to pick up and read more.
I mentioned this lack of summaries/intro to stories on another site as well and if you think about it, coming to a story/book site online is like going into a bookshop or library. You enter and look around for the section that interests, fiction, drama, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, whatever. You pick out a book, attracted by the title (no one should under estimate the power of a title), next you look at the cover (there aren't covers on these older sites, there are on every new site) because that's the next important aspect. Then you read the blurb as to what the book is about. If you like it, you buy it, or borrow it, in any case you read it.
I don't think anyone has ever gone into a bookshop or library and picked up a book at random. Sure, you might read all the new stories published, like having joined a book club where each month you are sent a selection of new stories, but even such clubs ask your interests.
I would encourage every author who wants a readership to take the time to write carefully a synopsis for their story. It is not an afterthought, but a critical step in the writing process. Book covers are another idea worth thinking about. It's not difficult, grab a copyright free to use and edit image, edit it, add the title, resize it to fit the format (commonly 400 x 600).
If you have spent months writing your story, you should want to publish it to the world giving it the best possible chance of success.
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This may very well be necessary in the world at large, but I dispute that it is needed here. Anyone coming to this site will soon know the type of stories to be found. These are "Gay Teenage Male Romantic Stories" as stated on the Home Page. What further synopsis does any potential reader need? They can open the story and quickly decide if they wish to continue reading it.
There may be more validity to your argument on the other site where you have posted it simply because they host stories that cover a much wider range.
However, even coming here isn't that much different to going to a bookshop or library. Surely in either you will read a page or two of any potential choice before deciding whether or not to put it back on the shelf or take it home to read.
Actually Ivor, no I wouldn't read a page or two, maybe I am not representative of all readers, but I like to find a story I'm interested in either by recommendation or reading something about it - before I open the book. Okay, I admit, I might read the first paragraph, but following through with your line of thought, I could get several chapters into a story I like to then be confronted by alien space ships or zombies having no idea it was sci-fi fantasy or the living dead. And I could name you the story, it was very disappointing - It wasn't on here, but it could have been, it was teenage romance. Even on other sites around 80% or 90% of stores are teenage romance.
The site has a label of teenage romance, but that still leaves a wide variety of stories from sexual fantasies through real life drama to sci-fi and fantasy. I may be wrong, but I think you would find all these genres of story on here and more besides. In any case, more info, a synopsis introduction is a plus which I believe will attract more readers. I would not say anyone must add a summary, but I would encourage authors to do so, and in so doing to promote their work which they have spent some time and effort creating and also let the reader have an idea about the book.]]>Talo Segura2020-08-10T17:20:58-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77203/#msg_77203
As with many other things, in think this is a matter f individuality rather than some hard and fast requirement. Some of us would prefer a synopsis. Some of us don't care. When I go into a bookstore or onto Amazon I look for a synopsis. If it's not there I spot read to discover if it's a book I'll be interested in. Sometimes I know I'm going to like the book without ever checking for a synopsis because I already know the author and either like his work or despise it.
It is much the same here and other sites like this. I'm a big boy, responsible for my own reading preferences. I like gay fiction. This is a place for that. It takes minimal effort to decide whether a tale is something I'm going to like, but honestly, I like most of the work posted here. Thanks Tim for the work you do to make that possible.]]>Teddy2020-08-10T17:44:09-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77357/#msg_77357
"Talo Segura wrote on Fri, 07 August 2020 04:54"
I've always thought there is something missing when new stories get published here. A summary/synopsis to tell the reader what the story is about?
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I can't speak for everyone, but for me personally, i couldn't think of a quick summary, my story is massive and i honestly could not think of a couple of lines that could summerise it, there was just too much to the story for me to do that.
Looking back now, all these years later. I guess i could type something like:
A young boy is uprooted by his parents, just after discovering possible confusing feelings for his best friend, of which he doesn't even have a chance to begin to understand. To a new country where he doesn't want to be, but a persistant boy slowly brings him out of his self induced isolation and shows him that not everything is bad about his new situation.
I think that's the best i could do, but even as i read it, it doesn't even scratch the surface of what the story is really about or what could potentially happen.
So i think it's harder than you thing, to summerise a story, maybe it's easier with shorter stories, which could be the case.]]>Matthew2020-09-21T14:35:03-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77360/#msg_77360
"Matthew wrote on Mon, 21 September 2020 07:35"
A young boy is uprooted by his parents, just after discovering possible confusing feelings for his best friend, of which he doesn't even have a chance to begin to understand. To a new country where he doesn't want to be, but a persistant boy slowly brings him out of his self induced isolation and shows him that not everything is bad about his new situation.
Now you've got me wanting to go read your story and I don't know for sure where to find it! LOL]]>Teddy2020-09-21T20:45:20-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77361/#msg_77361
I searched a little and found the story: http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/flaming-matt/the-life-o f-matt-summers-part-1/01.html
(Sorry, but I still don't know how to paste links properly on mobile)
Speaking as a reader, most of the time I don't really mind reading the beginning of the story to try and find out if it's something I'd enjoy. However, I think summaries are a welcome addition when I'm trying to decide if I'll start reading a series (especially if there's a lot of chapters). I am a bit intimidated to start reading a story with lots of books and chapters knowing nothing about it. I don't have the same problem when I catch something here in the "first chapter" and follow as it's being published (maybe I'm just weird?).]]>pandareader2020-09-22T00:57:27-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77362/#msg_77362
SYNOPSIS: This is a story about the love between two boys and how love conquers everything and shows that no matter what life throws at you, no matter how bad and brutal, you can over come that with the love of your family, friends and loved ones, it may not be easy and there will be setbacks, but in the end, love conquers all.
Now, you've got two people saying the summary interested them in your story and you did actually write the summary above yourself, although for another site. Without meaning to be smug, I believe this proves the point about a summary being important.
Edit: I suppose you might read - "without meaning to be smug" - as being smug about it. But really I would just like to encourage authors to go one more step and write a summary for readers. I do sincerely believe it adds a lot and it's a skill you need to learn. If you want an analogy, you've painted the picture, but now you need it framed and hung in the gallery!]]>Talo Segura2020-09-22T05:55:05-00:00Re: Something missing?
https://forum.iomfats.org/./mv/msg/9387/77366/#msg_77366
Matthew2020-09-24T20:25:44-00:00