September 29th, 2009 / 1:06 pm
Snippets

Fictionaut is officially launched. Feels like the facebook of lit: everything hyper-linking to another thing, each page view, each comment, each user, each group. You can share it, pdf it, fav it. I don’t mean to sound critical — I mean, we at htmlgiant thrive off the inertia of our comments and the other viral aspects of the web — it’s just that, well, I think we’re getting a little widget crazy. Each wonderful story feels inundated with a viral capacity that distracts me from the story.  Sorry to be a drag, and much respect to all the users/contributors, I just feel weird.

18 Comments

  1. alec niedenthal

      “fuck” is my immediate reaction. i had no idea this existed until now. i have to wait in a queue? am i trying to join a private torrent site or something? is there an iphone app for this shit, too? there’s so much mildly internet-savvy writers have to keep up with already. by the time i’m fully addicted to fictionaut–please, are there status updates?–i’ll have forgotten how to read a book.

  2. alec niedenthal

      “fuck” is my immediate reaction. i had no idea this existed until now. i have to wait in a queue? am i trying to join a private torrent site or something? is there an iphone app for this shit, too? there’s so much mildly internet-savvy writers have to keep up with already. by the time i’m fully addicted to fictionaut–please, are there status updates?–i’ll have forgotten how to read a book.

  3. darby

      i still kind of have reservations about work being readable at fnaut and also whereever it may/will be published.

  4. darby

      i still kind of have reservations about work being readable at fnaut and also whereever it may/will be published.

  5. alec niedenthal

      yeah, what’s the point of buying lit journal and such then? i’m not sure of the specifics re: fnaut, but it seems a little odd.

  6. alec niedenthal

      yeah, what’s the point of buying lit journal and such then? i’m not sure of the specifics re: fnaut, but it seems a little odd.

  7. Jimmy Chen

      i keep on refreshing browser to see the ‘minutes ago’ time increase. why?

  8. Jimmy Chen

      i keep on refreshing browser to see the ‘minutes ago’ time increase. why?

  9. Nathan Tyree

      Time increases? Why was I not informed of this earlier?

  10. Nathan Tyree

      Time increases? Why was I not informed of this earlier?

  11. Vaughan Simons

      I thought writing was supposed to be a solitary activity? Socially networked writing? That gives me a headache.

  12. Vaughan Simons

      I thought writing was supposed to be a solitary activity? Socially networked writing? That gives me a headache.

  13. Amelia

      I don’t know about others, but I posted a short excerpt of a story, so people would have to go buy Annalemma #5 if they want to read the rest. I wouldn’t post a whole story if it were published elsewhere, print or online.

      I just joined this fictionaut thing yesterday; still checking it out, not sure how I feel. The page view and “favorites” functions make me anxious. I seem to have accidentally joined some manner of workshop.

  14. Amelia

      I don’t know about others, but I posted a short excerpt of a story, so people would have to go buy Annalemma #5 if they want to read the rest. I wouldn’t post a whole story if it were published elsewhere, print or online.

      I just joined this fictionaut thing yesterday; still checking it out, not sure how I feel. The page view and “favorites” functions make me anxious. I seem to have accidentally joined some manner of workshop.

  15. Amber

      Yeah, I’m kind of creeped out by the social-ness demanded of this site. Other writers are “contacts?” That just feels way too…business card-y and elevator speech-y. And would people judge you on how many “contacts” you have? Ohmygodthepressure…thank jesus I’m not cool enough to actually join the site anyway. Whew.

      I’m just going to go get drunk as fuck, all by myself, and write myself into unconsciousness, just like writers used to do.

  16. Amber

      Yeah, I’m kind of creeped out by the social-ness demanded of this site. Other writers are “contacts?” That just feels way too…business card-y and elevator speech-y. And would people judge you on how many “contacts” you have? Ohmygodthepressure…thank jesus I’m not cool enough to actually join the site anyway. Whew.

      I’m just going to go get drunk as fuck, all by myself, and write myself into unconsciousness, just like writers used to do.

  17. Ben White

      Well until it was open to the public, only the relative handful of people with accounts could see stories, so it was half old published stuff half new in-need-of-feedback stuff. Now that it’s open, it’s likely to be mostly rehashes of old pieces or stuff people don’t intend on sending out (probably the former). People won’t put unpub’d stuff on Fn anymore because it violates the holy we-want-it-fresh-from-your-harddrive rule of publishing.

      At least if people put out ancient things that are hard to find digging through random archives, it might remain interesting. But seeing someone post the same story that came out today in [blank] review will get old fast.

  18. Ben White

      Well until it was open to the public, only the relative handful of people with accounts could see stories, so it was half old published stuff half new in-need-of-feedback stuff. Now that it’s open, it’s likely to be mostly rehashes of old pieces or stuff people don’t intend on sending out (probably the former). People won’t put unpub’d stuff on Fn anymore because it violates the holy we-want-it-fresh-from-your-harddrive rule of publishing.

      At least if people put out ancient things that are hard to find digging through random archives, it might remain interesting. But seeing someone post the same story that came out today in [blank] review will get old fast.