sword_logic: Two multiplayer models from Halo 3 standing with their backs turned against a backdrop of grass and rock. The one on the left is wearing white armor; the one of the right is wearing dark gray armor. (S11 au)
sword_logic ([personal profile] sword_logic) wrote2019-08-13 07:10 pm
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fic talk: on summaries

i was going through my comments on S11 au a few weeks ago as a pep talk/ego boost and i came across some feedback i had completely forgotten about: "At first the fic summary was vague enough to make me almost skip over it, I'm so glad I didn't."

man, i am so familiar with standing on that particular edge — seeing something that's got a handful of tags and a vague, one-line summary, and hesitating to click on it because there are too many variables. but i don't know, i'm torn on whether or not i want to change the current summary. not to be that guy, but i am pretty terrible at summaries; i never know how much of my hand to show, whether to use a quote, or if i should go with dry humor.

i feel ok about my current summary, though this is where i confess that i... am not entirely sure how to explain my understanding of the p vs np/p equals np problem, or why i chose that particular "the solution and the solving" bit to start off the summary. it's like sword logic. i get it at such a weird level that i have no idea how to explain it. (side note: i have come to dread people asking me to explain sword logic. it's just. [todd voice] it just works.) anyways: point being, i like my artsy "the solution and the solving" interpretation. the quote, i think, does a decent job too.

but! i do also like the summary i made for the tumblr crosspost: "In which Maine is alive, Wash gets dragged out of a firefight unconscious, and something is rotten in the state of Chorus." it's succinct, a little dry, and it lays out a decent picture of what to expect. maine, wash, chorus, ???, profit. and it's the classique in which summary. (though if i do end up changing the summary to this, i think i'd go with "the meta is alive," because... well, that's how the fic starts off, innit? that shift doesn't happen for a while.)

i'm so deeply on the fence about this. man, i wish i were better at summaries.

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anneapocalypse: Ariane Clairière, an Elezen Warrior of Light with light skin, green eyes, and dark blonde hair. (Default)

[personal profile] anneapocalypse 2019-08-14 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Summaries are difficult for longfics. It's often so subjective what's going to catch someone's eye, and I definitely don't think yours is misleading. (There was once a fic I passed over for a long time because it had [juggernaut ship] and [other ship I actually care about] both tagged and only [juggernaut ship] mentioned in the summary so I assumed that [other ship] was only a background ship. It turned out to be exactly the reverse and a great fic but BOY HOWDY was that a misleading summary!)

The "In which" summary also works very well. I think the big difference is the "In which" serves a taste of the plot, the quote serves tone, and the "solution and solving" bit serves theme. None of which is more right or wrong for a summary, and it's really a subjective thing which readers are going to be grabbed by which one.

So: do what you like the best!
sword_logic: Illustration of an elf wearing dark clothing. He has long, messy black hair falling over his face, and long and pointed ears. His eyes are dark, and he is smiling slightly. (Default)

[personal profile] sword_logic 2019-08-16 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
glad to hear it's not misleading! :') and yeah, man, i definitely have been strongly dissuaded by a vague summary (esp. alongside minimal tagging) only to eventually take the plunge and end up really enjoying a fic. i super don't want to be That Fic, though. :B thanks for the insights! i've definitely been trying to think of informative tags to add, too, so i'm gonna continue to sleep on both.
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