Here's a question mainly for the FoLCs who actively participate in the whole Kerth Awards Extravaganza.

I know several people - as well as myself - who are working on new stories. In deciding when would be the best time to start posting, it seems prudent to ask if people actually have any free time to read newly posted fics during the entire month of February and into March. I know that I have a lot of back reading to do, so maybe I would tend to shelve new stuff for later. Is that common? So, thanks for helping some of us decide if maybe we should just hold off for a while and let everyone just wallow in the bounty of Kerth Noms from 2003

There isn't an "other" option! My reading/not reading has nothing to do with the Kerths! When I am really busy, I don't really have time to read anything but the stories that most grab my attention, and when I am writting something big, I am usually too L&C'd out to do any major reading. Sadly, since both of these things tend to happen at once, I haven't really read anything at all since late November since I was sick. So I think I am trying to say that the Kerths really have no bearing on whether I read anything else -- I tend to be pretty organized and there is a significant period of time between the time when noms are announced and voting ends, so I hope to have more than enough time to read all the nominated stories and to read any new stories that intrest me -- as long as I am not too busy in RL!

- Laura

Sorry - Laura - good point about forgetting the "other". Oops - one of these days I will do a poll that actually includes all options.

And also, perhaps I should qualify since you did make a good point about things other than Kerths affecting your ability to read or not read.

How about this: Of the time you can devote to reading LnC fanfic (taking into consideration RL issues, your own projects, TV, etc.), during Kerth Season, do you find that your LnC reading time is occupied with Kerth stories so that you have none left to read new stories?

Does that help at all?

Lynn

Lynn, before I explain my responses to this poll, I just have to tell you that the 2nd option is absolutely hysterical!!!

S (who thinks there's a lesson to be learned here, but can't for the life of her figure out what it is )

LOL! Thanks, Lynn, that helps a lot . Okay, all RL issues aside (teaching responsibilities, research, classes, homework, my own writing, etc), the Kerths probably don't influence my other L&C reading .

- Laura

I gave a hybrid answer ... I voted Yes to the first question (I'm actually mostly caught up this year, amazing as that is!) but I voted "I'll catch up with any Feb/March stories that I missed after the Kerths", as well.

As a KCom member, my L&C time does tend to get redirected from reading/writing fanfic into KCom duties during this time of year, but that doesn't mean I skip those new stories all together. I read what I have time for, and the rest get added to my "to read" list. But as Laura pointed out, that can happen for other reasons beyond Kerths, too.

I think you pose an interesting question, though, Lynn, about whether fewer stories are posted during the first few months of the year. Based on what I remember from my years running the Archive, I'd say that's true -- there are fewer stories being posted in Jan-March than there are in other months. And Carol Malo and Pam did some stats on that phenomonom in the "are you nominating" thread, showing that this is apparently a continuing trend. There seem to be slightly more stories on the ballot from the second half of the year, but there also tend to be more stories *released* during the second half of the year.

To respond to your original question, though, personally, I keep reading fanfic during the winter months. What tends to fall by the wayside for me is my writing. My own fanfic tends to go into hybernation during Kerth season, waking back up in the spring.

Kathy

Usually, yes. This year was an exception though - I don't think I've ever had such an easier January. <G> Didn't have to hardly scrabble around finding stories to post this month at all. For the first time that I can recall we've been almost as busy in January than as in December.

I put it down to a combination of these mbs and the late Christmas Carol challenge in December (from yours truely - will have to try that little trick again next year <g>) which netted quite a few vignettes in December which carried on through.

Whatever the reason - hope it's the start of a continuing trend! A mad busy January instead of a dead one has been a lot more fun!

To answer your question, Lynn - don't think many people have thought of this one before you mentioned it, but I have no idea what the stats would be on it. If I wasn't so busy elsewhere at the moment that I'm not able to do much more than skim through the mbs at irregular intervals and haven't read any fanfic for a month or more, I'd probably say it won't affect my reading here at all. <G>

LabRat

I read most fic as it's posted - by that I mean that if I start reading a story and discover that it's one of the few genres which just isn't my type of thing, I may not read it, but I do tend to read everything else. So that means that I'm currently feeling just a little bit starved of new reading material right now.


Wendy

What Wendy said, Lynn. Already got my pitchfork primed and at the ready.

As to your poll, I answered yes both times. However, I am not organised and wise. Nope, far from it. I just do what I want, when I want - and that means if there's a new story being posted that I want to read, then I read it. Doesn't matter when it's being posted - Kerth time or non-Kerth time, holiday or work, rain or shine. If I can get at the internet and there's a story I like, wild horses couldn't drag me away from reading it.

Yvonne
(Whose Kerth philosophy is to participate imperfectly rather than not to participate at all <g>)

I voted yes... but not because I'm somebody that can manage his time wisely... I have my reading done... and I need my fix of fresh fic

P.S. Lynn!!! You withholding fic!!! Post!!!

I didn't answer the quiz itself. This is mostly because my answer is more complicated. Assuming I have time (which I don't right now, that must be the reason for my low K Quiz scores) then I catch up on back reading before I read anything new. This holds true even when it is something I really want to read, simply because school already takes up enough of my time. As much as I want to read new stories, that would mean using my Kerth reading time up. As is, I generally wait until noms are posted to do heavy reading. When I nominate, I do so with stories I did catch in the past year, then when noms come out, I really do my reading. This would be provided nursing school hasn't taken over my time, of course.

I don't think my answer was helpful one way or the other! Must work on that for the next time I post!

Jana