I think there is a lot more variety in exchanges and that having lower minimums probably draws in a larger pool for otherwise niche topics. A lower minimum also allows for a shorter overall event timeframe, which allows for more exchanges overall and the grinder continues on. (Like, even before I walked away from posting to AO3, I was pretty much done with exchanges because they'd stopped being fun and instead became a real soul-grinder.)
I've never seen a length definition for "story", before. I think there was a vague divide of 1k being the line for "fic" vs "ficlet".
I appreciate that a lot of fests have loose guidelines where it's just "write a thing" and if it's a six-word story or a haiku or whatever, that is fine.
Over the years, I've realized I don't have a lot of longer ideas in me. Most of what I want to explore isn't anything big. "What if [x]?" tends to be 800 words, not 80k+ and that's okay. I wish I'd realized that sooner; I'd have fewer eternal-limbo WIPs!
As for reading, most of what I'm really into right now doesn't have (English) fic-writing fandoms, if transformative fandoms at all. I'll read random recs or things friends write even if it's not a fandom I know well, but that's about it. Even then, I'm probably not going to click on anything above ~10k if it's not something I'm incredibly interested in.
I guess, the older I get, the less time and brain-power I have for a lot of things and I appreciate stuff like IddyIddyBangBang having a 5k minimum, and all the fests that are just 'do whatever!', because that's about what I got in me.
no subject
I've never seen a length definition for "story", before. I think there was a vague divide of 1k being the line for "fic" vs "ficlet".
I appreciate that a lot of fests have loose guidelines where it's just "write a thing" and if it's a six-word story or a haiku or whatever, that is fine.
Over the years, I've realized I don't have a lot of longer ideas in me. Most of what I want to explore isn't anything big. "What if [x]?" tends to be 800 words, not 80k+ and that's okay. I wish I'd realized that sooner; I'd have fewer eternal-limbo WIPs!
As for reading, most of what I'm really into right now doesn't have (English) fic-writing fandoms, if transformative fandoms at all. I'll read random recs or things friends write even if it's not a fandom I know well, but that's about it. Even then, I'm probably not going to click on anything above ~10k if it's not something I'm incredibly interested in.
I guess, the older I get, the less time and brain-power I have for a lot of things and I appreciate stuff like IddyIddyBangBang having a 5k minimum, and all the fests that are just 'do whatever!', because that's about what I got in me.