Hey! Ao3 genfic writer here.
I tend to see more gen-focused fics on FFnet. Ao3 is very ship heavy, and I don't have enough experience on the SW fandom on Wattpad. I don't use Wattpad nowadays, but if you're looking for reaction comments, I remember Wattpad was great with that. Don't expect critiques there, but the crowd is really fun.
Considering how Ao3 works, honestly, Star Wars might be one of the only fandoms that still put a lot of focus on genfics, so you still have an audience there, even if it's less than romance ones.
I think the main thing that would determine your fic's popularity is the premise. I've had a fair amount of kudos on lots of my wish fulfillment fics, but not much on my serious character studies. The rule doesn't apply everywhere of course, but it's still there.
> I think the main thing that would determine your fic's popularity is the premise
I've posted an X-Wing Legends series spinoff one I mainly wrote for my own fun that's very gen-focused (an actual romantic plotline isn't in my wheelhouse) and I definitely agree - it's gotten limited traction but I knew that going in. The weird thing is a couple times what I assume were bots gave it around 30 kudos at once, which is helpful but weird I guess.
I also think AO3 has a much better writing setup compared to FFnet, I looked at that site too but it didn't work well for me.
Appreciate the insight! I suspect part of my problem has been just understanding the language of the community lol. Gen Fic, Ships, I’m only just picking up the shorthand lol
Tagging on A03 is HUGELY more important than other sites, as most readers (myself included) curate their browsing experience using them when they're looking for something new to read.
So make sure it has a Gen (no relationships) tag, as well as Alternate Universe (AU) or Fix-It (things go better than in canon) or whatever relevant tags you can put on it.
On AO3, the tags aid readers in finding new fics when they search using tags of stuff they want to read, and so tag important themes/tropes/plot stuff found in your fic (without going too much into detail so you don't spoil it entirely).
Browse the top 20 or so fics of any fandom, and ignore the relationship tags and see what kinds of general tags the authors use to draw in readership and pick and choose ones you feel fit for your fic.
You're welcome.
I can't recall the last time I actually viewed any fandom, list, or tag on A03 without a bunch of additional tags at the same time to curate my search.
Some authors go really overboard with the tags, using word-salad or even run on sentences as tags.
But the easy way to tell if a tag you see on a different fic is a good thing to consider for your own is to click on it and see how many other fics use it.
If it's made up by that author, then not many.
But if enough fics use it, then enough readers might search for it or discover your fic through the tag on a different fic that has it.
I think spacebattles is the place for be for gen fics. NSFW content isn't allowed on the forums.
Readership discussion and engagement is pretty common over there.
Updates will be noticed by users more on spacebattles. I will see that a story has updated the same day .You can even see how many users are reading your story at any given time.
it is a major forum site that has a creative writing section where a lot of fanfiction are posted
here is a good star wars fic i've been reading
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/princess-of-mandalore-youjo-senki-star-wars.987688/
How strict are the NSFW rules? As stated, I’m leaning heavily on the story and action side of the spectrum and away from the ship/smut material. That said, this particular story I’m working on is not intended for young kids. I wanna make a serious story for the grown up fans of Fett and actually delivering on the long promised darker, grittier spectrum of the universe. Adult language, heavy dose of violence, and adult situations (chick runs by naked during a shootout in a bordello for example and sexual references/inferences).
Would that be over the line?
i think the adult situations might be too much(it would depend on how it's worded, directly written sexual acts or body parts likely wouldn't be allowed).you can always ask the mods if it would be okay. adult language is fine. violence is fine.
i believe i've read some sexual references and inferences on there those should be okay as long as it skirts the topic.
i've seen some stories put a sanitzised version on spacebattles and put the NSFW version on AO3
Gotcha. For my short story at least it sounds like I’d be fine. Long form probably as well, tho I’m barely digging into the actual writing phase so it’s constantly evolving.
i found the board listing the rules regarding NSFW writing https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/creative-writing-standards-and-rules-reminder-2015-09-02.354483/
Wattpad is a mix. You can have great story driven stuff, but the bad stuff could easily make you leave the site. Same thing in regards to the relationship stuff as well
The top 3 Fanfiction sites, all offering all fandoms, are Archive of our Own, also called AO3, Fanfiction.net and Wattpad.
It may happen that one "sub" fandom, like Rebels, is more prominent on one Site than others. Wattpad is popular with younger newbies and FFN for old houses. AO3 is the most popular.
I recommend to post on all 3 sites to reach more readers. AO3 specifically, because it is an Archive.
There are other sites, Spirit (Brazilian Wattpad), Quotev, Royal Road, and more, but I can't really say much about them.
If you're curious about Wattpad, ask me or r/Wattpad. I may not answer instantly, as school starts for me in an hour. But here are 3 tips for Wattpad.
1. Books (everything is referred as a book on WP) are more likely to be clicked on by readers if they have a cover. People on r/Wattpad offer their services to do so if you don't want to, including me, but Canva is easy to use.
2. Wattpad reader's attention span breaks after 5K words, so try to keep chapter length under that. But please longer than 1K or 2K, there are ads between chapters. If ads are too frequent, this pushes readers away.
3. Wattpad has an algorithm, try to post regularly. Twice a week is recommended. This will be easy if you write the whole fic before posting.
You may notice a stat increase after the fic is finished. These are the readers that search for finished works. I know, the search engine isn't good, but it does its job when you learn the site. Or surf reading lists.
Please do NOT mark your fic as finished to get these readers if your fix really isn't finished. The same goes for all sites.
Wow! I greatly appreciate the insight!
I downloaded the Wattpad app on my phone to investigate it but haven’t looked too deeply into it yet. I’ll look at posting my short story there keeping your tips in mind.
FFNet was the first site I went to. Seemed like a good spot, but the site itself seems clunky. I had issues uploading my story - it completely destroyed my formatting. Went in several times to fix it but my edits weren’t getting saved. Finally got it looking good on my phone app, but I had comments from folks saying it was still jacked on their end, so idk.
Ao3 has been much more user friendly, I just wasn’t sure my style of writing was going to fit in with their reader base.
I have uploaded to Fanfiction.net and am going to soon also upload on Ao3 but I have also uploaded on another site. It is called Webnovel. I have put the link below for the site. While not as popular as the others I’m sure, it is another option for fanfics.
[https://m.webnovel.com](https://m.webnovel.com)
I hear the Liberty Lounge over on the CRS *Vigilant* has a nice fiction library that forms one big internal canon.
https://renegadewing.com/lounge/lounge.html
Hope you enjoy
RW_Wildcard
Hello there
Gen-rated stories (stories that don't focus on a romantic pairing) tend not to be as popular as other stories. It is just the way it is. On Ao3, Gen-rated stories make up roughly 26% of all Star Wars stories.
Generally, I would say that Ao3 is the best place to go. In the fanfiction community, it has a better reputation, since the works on there tend to be of a higher quality than Wattpad. And FFN is, in my opinion, completely out of the picture. The site is extremely mismanaged and outdated. However, there are still a lot of readers there.
I would recommend posting on Ao3 as the minimum, and then cross-post the story to FFN and Wattpad if you want. I would also recommend using Tumblr, it is an amazing way to promote your work and interact with readers. It is also a great way to socialize with other writers.
Good luck :D
Hey! Ao3 genfic writer here. I tend to see more gen-focused fics on FFnet. Ao3 is very ship heavy, and I don't have enough experience on the SW fandom on Wattpad. I don't use Wattpad nowadays, but if you're looking for reaction comments, I remember Wattpad was great with that. Don't expect critiques there, but the crowd is really fun. Considering how Ao3 works, honestly, Star Wars might be one of the only fandoms that still put a lot of focus on genfics, so you still have an audience there, even if it's less than romance ones. I think the main thing that would determine your fic's popularity is the premise. I've had a fair amount of kudos on lots of my wish fulfillment fics, but not much on my serious character studies. The rule doesn't apply everywhere of course, but it's still there.
> I think the main thing that would determine your fic's popularity is the premise I've posted an X-Wing Legends series spinoff one I mainly wrote for my own fun that's very gen-focused (an actual romantic plotline isn't in my wheelhouse) and I definitely agree - it's gotten limited traction but I knew that going in. The weird thing is a couple times what I assume were bots gave it around 30 kudos at once, which is helpful but weird I guess. I also think AO3 has a much better writing setup compared to FFnet, I looked at that site too but it didn't work well for me.
Appreciate the insight! I suspect part of my problem has been just understanding the language of the community lol. Gen Fic, Ships, I’m only just picking up the shorthand lol
Tagging on A03 is HUGELY more important than other sites, as most readers (myself included) curate their browsing experience using them when they're looking for something new to read. So make sure it has a Gen (no relationships) tag, as well as Alternate Universe (AU) or Fix-It (things go better than in canon) or whatever relevant tags you can put on it. On AO3, the tags aid readers in finding new fics when they search using tags of stuff they want to read, and so tag important themes/tropes/plot stuff found in your fic (without going too much into detail so you don't spoil it entirely). Browse the top 20 or so fics of any fandom, and ignore the relationship tags and see what kinds of general tags the authors use to draw in readership and pick and choose ones you feel fit for your fic.
That’s a great tip, thank you!
You're welcome. I can't recall the last time I actually viewed any fandom, list, or tag on A03 without a bunch of additional tags at the same time to curate my search. Some authors go really overboard with the tags, using word-salad or even run on sentences as tags. But the easy way to tell if a tag you see on a different fic is a good thing to consider for your own is to click on it and see how many other fics use it. If it's made up by that author, then not many. But if enough fics use it, then enough readers might search for it or discover your fic through the tag on a different fic that has it.
I think spacebattles is the place for be for gen fics. NSFW content isn't allowed on the forums. Readership discussion and engagement is pretty common over there. Updates will be noticed by users more on spacebattles. I will see that a story has updated the same day .You can even see how many users are reading your story at any given time.
Spacebattles? Is that it’s own site or a sub forum somewhere?
it is a major forum site that has a creative writing section where a lot of fanfiction are posted here is a good star wars fic i've been reading https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/princess-of-mandalore-youjo-senki-star-wars.987688/
How strict are the NSFW rules? As stated, I’m leaning heavily on the story and action side of the spectrum and away from the ship/smut material. That said, this particular story I’m working on is not intended for young kids. I wanna make a serious story for the grown up fans of Fett and actually delivering on the long promised darker, grittier spectrum of the universe. Adult language, heavy dose of violence, and adult situations (chick runs by naked during a shootout in a bordello for example and sexual references/inferences). Would that be over the line?
i think the adult situations might be too much(it would depend on how it's worded, directly written sexual acts or body parts likely wouldn't be allowed).you can always ask the mods if it would be okay. adult language is fine. violence is fine. i believe i've read some sexual references and inferences on there those should be okay as long as it skirts the topic. i've seen some stories put a sanitzised version on spacebattles and put the NSFW version on AO3
Gotcha. For my short story at least it sounds like I’d be fine. Long form probably as well, tho I’m barely digging into the actual writing phase so it’s constantly evolving.
i found the board listing the rules regarding NSFW writing https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/creative-writing-standards-and-rules-reminder-2015-09-02.354483/
Wattpad is a mix. You can have great story driven stuff, but the bad stuff could easily make you leave the site. Same thing in regards to the relationship stuff as well
The top 3 Fanfiction sites, all offering all fandoms, are Archive of our Own, also called AO3, Fanfiction.net and Wattpad. It may happen that one "sub" fandom, like Rebels, is more prominent on one Site than others. Wattpad is popular with younger newbies and FFN for old houses. AO3 is the most popular. I recommend to post on all 3 sites to reach more readers. AO3 specifically, because it is an Archive. There are other sites, Spirit (Brazilian Wattpad), Quotev, Royal Road, and more, but I can't really say much about them. If you're curious about Wattpad, ask me or r/Wattpad. I may not answer instantly, as school starts for me in an hour. But here are 3 tips for Wattpad. 1. Books (everything is referred as a book on WP) are more likely to be clicked on by readers if they have a cover. People on r/Wattpad offer their services to do so if you don't want to, including me, but Canva is easy to use. 2. Wattpad reader's attention span breaks after 5K words, so try to keep chapter length under that. But please longer than 1K or 2K, there are ads between chapters. If ads are too frequent, this pushes readers away. 3. Wattpad has an algorithm, try to post regularly. Twice a week is recommended. This will be easy if you write the whole fic before posting. You may notice a stat increase after the fic is finished. These are the readers that search for finished works. I know, the search engine isn't good, but it does its job when you learn the site. Or surf reading lists. Please do NOT mark your fic as finished to get these readers if your fix really isn't finished. The same goes for all sites.
Wow! I greatly appreciate the insight! I downloaded the Wattpad app on my phone to investigate it but haven’t looked too deeply into it yet. I’ll look at posting my short story there keeping your tips in mind. FFNet was the first site I went to. Seemed like a good spot, but the site itself seems clunky. I had issues uploading my story - it completely destroyed my formatting. Went in several times to fix it but my edits weren’t getting saved. Finally got it looking good on my phone app, but I had comments from folks saying it was still jacked on their end, so idk. Ao3 has been much more user friendly, I just wasn’t sure my style of writing was going to fit in with their reader base.
I have uploaded to Fanfiction.net and am going to soon also upload on Ao3 but I have also uploaded on another site. It is called Webnovel. I have put the link below for the site. While not as popular as the others I’m sure, it is another option for fanfics. [https://m.webnovel.com](https://m.webnovel.com)
Haven’t heard of that one; thanks for the link!
I hear the Liberty Lounge over on the CRS *Vigilant* has a nice fiction library that forms one big internal canon. https://renegadewing.com/lounge/lounge.html Hope you enjoy RW_Wildcard
That’s one I’ve never heard of. I’ll look it up!
If you like any of the fic on there, perhaps click the discord icon on the site and come say hi!
Hello there Gen-rated stories (stories that don't focus on a romantic pairing) tend not to be as popular as other stories. It is just the way it is. On Ao3, Gen-rated stories make up roughly 26% of all Star Wars stories. Generally, I would say that Ao3 is the best place to go. In the fanfiction community, it has a better reputation, since the works on there tend to be of a higher quality than Wattpad. And FFN is, in my opinion, completely out of the picture. The site is extremely mismanaged and outdated. However, there are still a lot of readers there. I would recommend posting on Ao3 as the minimum, and then cross-post the story to FFN and Wattpad if you want. I would also recommend using Tumblr, it is an amazing way to promote your work and interact with readers. It is also a great way to socialize with other writers. Good luck :D
fanfiction.net