Tracking WIPs

[magog_83]

Random question, out of interest.

If you have a paid account and can track WIP fics, how many have you got on the go right now? I was just discussing this on twitter and when I went and counted I seem to be tracking 109 (it was 112 but 3 were actually finished and I hadn't cleared them off the list). Some of these are actually unfilled prompts I am still following on the off chance, but most are fics.

I am also tracking 9 fics on AO3.



I think I partly use tracking as an unofficial bookmarking system, but I'm also someone who never quite gives up on a fic being finished, no matter how many years it has been. One day 'The One Where Arthur Knows Merlin Is Beautiful' will be updated. ONE DAY. I also use fics, whether finished or not, as daydreaming material and will often 'continue' abandoned wips in a hundred different ways in my head for fun :)

ETA: GUYSSSSSSSSSSSS 'SKINNY' WAS JUST UPDATED. ALL THE WAY FROM AUGUST 2009. THE GOD OF WIPS HEARD MY WHINING. (warning: fic is about model Arthur having an eating disorder).

http://kinkme-merlin.livejournal.com/2936.html?thread=1206392#t1206392

Comments

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

I think I'm tracking 2. Maybe three?

I am guessing I'm rather unusual in that regard though. I would much rather read something that was finished.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I'm very forgetful, if I don't immediately click track or bookmark a page I never remember how to find what I was reading and it drives me crazy!!

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

It turns out I'm tracking 4. I also have ADD when it comes to reading fic. If it's long, I have a hard time reading a whole piece. I just tend to leave tabs open until I've read something. I am much more likely to read something long on AO3.

I don't like reading WIPs though, so if I've got something unfinished, it's because I chose not to finish it:)

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

How odd is that - just after I posted this I get a notification that one of the first wips I ever tracked (abandoned in August 2009) has been updated!!!! The author hasn't watched Merlin since series one but apparently just found more of the fic on their hard drive. SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW.

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

\o/ *does a little happy dance for you* Awesome.

[inspiredlife.livejournal.com]

I'm tracking 47 right now. Some of them haven't been updated in over a year or two but I can't give up on them!

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Me neither! You never know :D I have half finished fics but I wouldn't consider any of them abandoned because I still intend to finish - so I always hope other authors take the same approach.

[ella-bane.livejournal.com]

I'm tracking a rather large amount too. HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I'm still surprised and rather amused by 'Skinny' (wip abandoned in 2009) suddenly getting updated. It's like someone wanted to prove our faith was not misplaced! ::clings to all my tracked wips::

[rane-ab.livejournal.com]

When I first started following KMM, I didn't have a paid account, so I got in the habit of just tracking all the posts, and that's what I still do now. (I often find prompts aren't always indicative of how much I'll like the corresponding fill (either way), so for me, it's the easiest way not to miss anything, though I haven't been reading that much, lately.) So I have no idea how many WIPs I'm following, though I was randomly scrolling through KMM's WIP tag a few months ago and suddenly realising just how many fics there are I like that haven't been finished. ;_; And yes, 'The One Where Arthur Knows Merlin Is Beautiful' is definitely one of them.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I tried that once but my inbox was so clogged up and I spent ages deleting them all! I follow the mxa newsletter too, and the delicious/pinboard bookmarks and anytime I see something interesting I track it, just in case.

I really REALLY want that fic to be updated. Probably more than any other fic on the whole kmm D:

[seenthewoods.livejournal.com]

WOAH WOAH WAIT I THINK I DID READ 'SKINNY'...

AAAAHHHHH I DID.

I don't track them myself, I just wait for mxa newsletter. Plus, like I said, I don't usually read wips.

BUT THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I use the mxa newsletter too, I love that they list kmm fills as well :)

Skinny was one of the earliest Merlin kmm fills I read and I've spent SO LONG wanting to know what happened next!!

[sally_maria]

I've been tracking the memes as a whole since about meme 2 or 3, I can't remember exactly. It's like the old days of mailing lists with the fic arriving by email. (I just have to be a bit careful where I read it, as the warnings tend to make my inbox rather NSFW. ;-D)

It's about the only place I read WIPs these days, though it depends on the author. I subscribe to interesting looking WIPs on AO3 and Merlin/Arthur, and then read them when they are finished.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I did try that but there were just so many comments! I can just about manage the 10-15 emails I wake up to on my phone every morning.

I'm a sucker for an interesting prompt, even if it's a wip, and I keep hoping people will suddenly remember their fics and come back to them!

[capricornucopia.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's great about 'Skinny'. I haven't read it myself, but it's always great when a WIP you're following updates. \o/

I don't have a paid account (er, that is, I didn't--my current paid account is temporary :D), so I've never had the ability to track individual WIPs. I do the 'entire meme' thing, and it makes my inbox a nightmare, but it's worth it. :)

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

That's what put me off of tracking the whole meme, I spend so much time deleting the emails off my phone AND my laptop. It drives me mad! Then again, I do something just scroll through the kmm on flat just to see if anything new has come up lately so I do still try to keep up with it that way :)

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

I'm not tracking any. I wait for the newletter updates and go from there. Otherwise, I'd be over my head reading-wise.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I can imagine! You read practically everything so I can understand you not wanting to add to your reading list :)

[alilypea.livejournal.com]

I am following 23 separate WIPS on lj, god knows how many on AO3 and elsewhere.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with long lists to follow. Do you ever get that moment when you get an update emailed to you and for a second you can't remember which Merlin and Arthur/Esca and Marcus/Charles and Erik/ WHOEVER that this is?? I'm always reading thinking "wait, is this modern day coffee shop secret magician Merlin? Or Merlin whose secretly in love with his best friend and has a pet iguana Merlin?"

[giecast.livejournal.com]

I'm back! *hugs the internets* The Evil Report of Doom is done finally! Omg that's 3 weeks of my life I'll never get back. *collapses*

Anyway on to the topic at hand, I track whole memes. So I see everything that comes in. I generally don't read wips cos I'm impatient and hate waiting for the next update. I do make exceptions if my eye catches an update and it looks fun (like that one where Merlin writes gay romance and Arthur is his editor).

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

Good to see you <3 <3 You show that Evil Report of Doom who's boss!

Did you see the gay romance editor Merlin fic is finished? It was sooooo good. I loved every second of it :D

[giecast.livejournal.com]

Yes I saw! I had so much fun reading it and I'm a bit sad to see it's over. I love how Morgana and Freya and the others are all "omg how are you this dense???!!!!" hahaha. Oblivious Arthur is so adorable in his obliviousness. And I wouldn't say no to more Fabio!Gwaine either. =DD

[ladililn.livejournal.com]

I also use fics, whether finished or not, as daydreaming material and will often 'continue' abandoned wips in a hundred different ways in my head for fun :)

Oh, I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who does this! I feel like I'm writing fanfic of fanfic as much as I write fanfic of something original, at least in my head. :)

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

You are definitely not alone. Some of mine even get quite elaborate, but the prompts and half finished fics just make me want more and daydreaming it is the only way to get that sometimes :D I also daydream little extras for completed fics, like Student Prince (Arthur and Merlin coming back to St Andrew's as an official couple), or there are MANY girl Merlin or Arthur fics I have imagined What Happened Next for XD It;s too fun!

[ladililn.livejournal.com]

I do it for completed fics too, especially really long ones that really managed to worm their way into my heart. *g* Of course this includes The Student Prince except that I tend to daydream alternate ending for that one since I wasn't too fond of the way it ended. Also, it might be a little embarrassing to admit, but I have actually done this for your fics before--namely School Nemeses, which is one of my favorite Merlin fics of all time and certainly my favorite WIP. ♥ Hopefully that doesn't make you feel too weird, sorry if it does...>.<

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Sorry for not replying to your comment before! I was setting myself the challenge of not replying until I had made myself finish off the next School Nemeses chapter XD Anyway, I HAVE, so I am allowed to reply now and say thank you. I don't think it's weird at all, I am immensely flattered it would inspire daydreaming!