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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 23rd Feb 2017 at 2:40 AM
The appeal for stories in the community
Hi there! Just a general question here:

Is there still an audience for Sims 2 stories? I've seen some great stories come and go, all with great response. I'm just wondering now if people still read this stuff.

I have a bit of an idea and I'd love to start working on it to eventually release it. Is it worth it, or would it be just a waste of time? Has this audience, if still remaining, moved to Tumblr now, similar to the many other social aspects of The Sims series?

Are there any stories currently that (still) have a large audience and following?

Thanks!
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Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#2 Old 23rd Feb 2017 at 3:12 AM
That depends. There are stories on here, Live Journal still has ongoing stories. How much following would depend on how good they are and how much time people have. I follow a few and some youtubers who do let's Plays, but I am always behind.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Link Ninja
#3 Old 23rd Feb 2017 at 4:26 AM
I did mine on tumblr and then moved it here, but I mostly did the story as a way to keep being creative and stretch my sim-pic taking interests.

My theory is do it because you enjoy it first, and enjoy entertaining others secondly. Also yes, people still read stuff on here, they may or may not give feeback. Tumblr is kind of a wild west and your posts have to be organized because of the format tumblr is in - otherwise someone might stumble into the middle of a chapter and not know where the story starts or ends but you can always submit to some sims 2 story blogs when you are done that can pick up viewers - networking and promoting your story on tumblr by connecting with other simblrs gives you more exposure to more possible readers.

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

Mad Poster
#4 Old 23rd Feb 2017 at 1:14 PM
I read the stories here regularly and find it highly enjoyable
Inventor
#5 Old 23rd Feb 2017 at 1:30 PM
To be honoust. I don't read the ones that are in that Sims 2 Stories section here.
I do read the ones 'what's happening in your game right now' from time to time.
There are so many things I concentrate on that I actually don't have that much time or interest left to read full chapters of anyone's story.
Undoubtedly there are people who do read them and enjoy them if written and done well.
The most important thing however is. Do you enjoy creating them for your own pleasure and fun pastime. If the answer is yes, then don't hang up too much on the given if you would get a big audience or even an audience at all.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 23rd Feb 2017 at 3:03 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 24th Feb 2017 at 10:01 PM.
I think there's still an interest for stories, but it depends a lot on where you post it, and on the quality of the story. If you want to make one and enjoy making stories, go ahead.

I wish I had more time to make stories, but Real Life and all that... My own ongoing story sees about 2 updates a year for the moment, but I do work on it in the background. The view count does indicate people are still reading it, so I'm not planning to stop, even if Iit's on a bit of a hiatus at the moment. When I've had some time and an unrelated idea has popped into my head, I have done a few short stories that maybe take an evening or two to put together, but I prefer making longer and more complex stories.

A lot of my favorite sim stories see too few updates nowadays, so there's very little reading going on. I do occasionally watch Let's Play videos on Youtube, and various other sim-related things. I'm usually not a big fan of voiceover/dubbed/texted Youtube series (there are a few I've liked, but those tend to be the exception), but can enjoy a well-made Machinima (as long as there's not some horrible music on it).
Top Secret Researcher
#7 Old 24th Feb 2017 at 9:27 PM
I love reading Sims stories. The above comments are right about writing them because you enjoy it not worrying so much about readers. Do it anyway for your own enjoyment.
Top Secret Researcher
#8 Old 24th Feb 2017 at 9:32 PM
I mostly just read stuff on Tumblr and the 'what's happening in your game right now" thread. I agree with the above comments too, write something because you enjoy doing it. It'll probably get some readers anyway but do it because you want to . The readers are icing on the cake.

I share my Sim stuff on my Simblr because I like to keep track of what's going on in my game and the stories I have going for them in my head, when someone likes a post or interacts it's icing on the cake to me I'd still do it if no one was interested, just for me. Being creative is a wonderful thing

My Simblr
He/They
Mad Poster
#9 Old 25th Feb 2017 at 12:27 AM
If you tell a story, and tell it well, it will always have more readers than you are aware of. Because people are shy about "bothering" authors. Like that's a thing! It is good to have audience feedback, and when doing this sort of thing, for which financial recompense is impossible, audience feedback may be the only payment you get. Yes, you should tell it for yourself; but a story is only half-told until someone hears it, so your concern is understandable. You might want to experiment with different posting venues, find the one that you can use most easily and where people are most likely to read.

One important thing to do to promote your story is to participate in the community where you're making it available. Read and comment on other people's stories so they feel they know you and want to go return the favor. This will also draw the attention of other people reading the same story - even if you're not speaking to them directly, they'll see you liking the same things they like, and being insightful about it in comments, and those who are looking for new things to read will come check you out. Make sure you put a link to your story in your sig or whatever - something that makes it easy for people whose curiosity you rouse to find it.

Also bear in mind that writing and posting a story is work - fun work, most of the time, but still work. The more consistent you can be, in quality and in productivity, the more consistently you will be read. If everybody knows that you post on Monday mornings, every Monday morning, they'll start checking you out regularly on Monday afternoon - or, once they get hooked, on Monday morning, hitting refresh till they see what they're waiting for appear. Relatively few people can do that when they're not getting paid, though, so don't set impossible goals.

And look yourself in the face when you do your cost/benefit analysis of work involved vs. satisfaction of getting the work done. It's a hobby, not a job, so it's important not to let yourself get stressed about it - but every story has a point at which the author is sick of it and the only way to get through to the end is to slog for a bit. Be aware of your slog tolerance! Don't demand too much of yourself; but don't underestimate yourself, either.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#10 Old 25th Feb 2017 at 12:39 AM
Part of it is also not wanting to leave a lame comment, but unless you stop and think about something specific to comment about and you simply read, you end up at the ending wanting to say "great story!" which is lame, so you delete that and don't comment at all.

Has never done that *twitch* >cough< nope...

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#11 Old 25th Feb 2017 at 12:48 AM Last edited by simmer22 : 25th Feb 2017 at 1:18 AM.
Another important thing is that you as the author enjoy writing the story, and that it's a story you would want to read. Keep in mind that the story will be tailing after you inside your brain for days, months, even years. If you don't enjoy writing it, you're in for a rough time.

My brainchild has been with me for almost a decade, and I'm still not sick of it.

I think it's very nice getting comments on my stories, even if it's the "great chapter" kind - but I like it even more when I can have small discussions over details and story arcs with the readers, and I don't mind a healthy dose of constructive criticism. I also love hiding clues, easter eggs, red herrings and various other little trinkets into my story, so I enjoy it the most when people think they've found one, but are on the completely wrong track. And if they're on the right track, I occasionally do a little "evil" sidetracking, and throw them off the trail, just for the fun of it. Who doesn't love a little mystery?

The trick to a good comment is to respectfully and in a nice way tell the person what you liked/disliked, what worked great and things that didn't work at all, things they could change to make the story better, and maybe also some tips on things like grammar, building sentences, and perhaps also how to take better pictures if it's a Sims story. Anything, however small, could help the person with their writing skills. English is my second language (and mostly self-taught after the basics learned at school), so personally I pick up all such tips with gratitude. Some people might be discouraged - but they shouldn't be. If the person cares enough to comment, they usually read the story, and found at least something they liked in there.
Mad Poster
#12 Old 25th Feb 2017 at 12:49 AM
But the writer then thinks you didn't like it. Insightful analysis is great; but "Great story" is water in a desert.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
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