been barely skimming my flist...

[rabidsamfan]

the past several days and I've realized that I'm so far behind I'll never see daylight.

And I had a thought...

You see, some people put their fic behind LJ-cuts, some people put long fic behind lj-cuts and leave drabbles out in the open (that's me, unless it's rated higher than G), some people don't bother cutting anything, some people conscientiously put a header on every entry and then an lj-cut, and it is only on very rare occasions that I see an entry that gives me a sentence or two as a teaser before the lj-cut.

And I have to say, given how frazzled and headachy I've been of late, that it's the last instance (and the very short drabblish things in the open) that I'm most likely to read. (Or even register as fic...)

So... what makes you click on an lj-cut?

Comments

[danachan.livejournal.com]

Would explain why you don't read my fic, then. I -- ah. I don't know. I can't say on very many LJ cuts. It mst depend on my mood. As for reading fic, I really don't read a lot of it. I probably hadn't thought all that much about it.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

If it was posted in the last month, I may not have even realized it was fic at all. ... Didn't you do a bunch of drabbles the other day, though? I remember seeing a list...

Gawd, Dana, I've been so flutterbrained lately I haven't even managed to get the stuff I get paid to read read. Many apologies. At least it's the weekend and I can try to catch up a little...

[danachan.livejournal.com]

Ack. Reading this, I realize that I didn't mean what I started my first comment with the way it, er, blatantly sounds. I say that I'm in a lot of pain, and I'm not thinking as well as I otherwise could be. (Doesn't stop me from communicating and doing other important things, of course.)

But I'm trying to recall what I've posted recently. I think my last batch was the stuff I put up for my birthday -- which went from drabbles and droubble drabbles to full length fic. (I wrote a whole lot for my birthday, eh.)

Don't feel bad! I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. Please don't feel bad. *hugs*

I still need to read your Bergil fic. I mean, sure, I keep up to date on your drabbles (I try, that is), but I've been meaning to read that one for ages now... ack.

I should go to sleep.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Me too.

*pats Dana and curls up in fuzzy blanket*

[danachan.livejournal.com]

Ah, see. You're a dear, you are.

[shirebound]

I usually click on most cuts, if it's explained what's under it. I'm always appreciative of a story rating/summary beforehand, being told if it's pics that are "dial up friendly" or not (I have dial up), or whatever's under there. I usually don't click on cuts that are cryptic or unexplained. Most of the folks I have friended -- who write fics -- write the kind of fics I enjoy reading, so I do my best to read as much as I can. I don't usually care if a fic -- long or short -- is under a cut or not, but if it contains character death, angst, etc., I'm very appreciative when those fics are under a cut, and explained beforehand so I can decide whether or not to click.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

yeah, a little warning is nice, but what I meant more was just ... I don't know... a glimpse of what's inside the package...

Something to kickstart my brain...

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

I personally appreciate all fics/quizes/long entries/pictures under cuts, G-rated or not (not everyone wants to read gen rated-G stories, for example, just as not everyone likes to read slash or violence or [insert clever other]) so that I can choose what I want to read and when. But I'm probably completely singular in that! ;-)

What makes me want to read under a cut? A good summary, pairing (if applicable). For a drabble, a summary isn't that necessary, but just a few words to give me an idea of characters involved.

Interesting idea about a teaser sentence, though. I've never done that, although I've noticed a lot of people do that...

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'm very shallow. If an LJ is consistently interesting I will always click under the cut, even if the cut text is nothing but a series of dots. If I have time, I'll click on any cut. I do appreciate knowing if there are pics so I can open in a new window. I wish everyone would cut long posts, but they don't. In fact, I'm more likely to click on a cut than I am to read a long uncut post. Easier to save.

[dreamflower]

I generally click on most cuts from people on my flist, but sometimes I don't always read everything. If it tells me ahead of time that it's something I'm not into, I won't always bother. I usually put all my fic behind a cut, and anything that will be very long; but I haven't figured out all the subtleties of cuts, so mine usually have the generic "Read More..."

[siouxieq.livejournal.com]

I have a similar philosophy to semyaza, if the cuts have been good in the past, I'll click. Sometimes I will skim over cuts labeled RL stuff if I am not in a 'sharing and caring' mood. I dislike it when people do not cut a large amount of text or any largish picture - (I can imagine what people on dial-up think of pictures not being cut!). I haven't ever considered putting the first sentence of a fic as a teaser, but it is possibly a way to seduce people to click.

[elycia.livejournal.com]

So... what makes you click on an lj-cut?

The promise of F/S will do it every time. :D

One track mind? MOI? ;-)

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

I usually click on a lj-cut when it's explained what I will see behind. It doesn't need to be a teaser. The characters involved and a tiny summary are enough already.

I usually put my fics behind cuts as well (even if it's only a drabble), because I don't want to bother anybodies friend's list with entries of stories they might not even want to read.

[mariole.livejournal.com]

If I know the author's writing, or the person who wrote it.

The thing I don't like are cryptic LJ cuts that are the only thing in the post. So I click on "YEEEEE!" and find out that my friend has not encountered a spider in the shower, but is squeeing over some toy she wants to buy, with only the link to the toy in her post. That one bugs me.

I generally prefer cuts simply because it makes it easier for me to quickly scan the page, although a couple of teaser lines for a fic sounds like a good idea.

[slipperieslope.livejournal.com]

Courtesy? Fear of boring people on my f'list? Balance?

I suppose 'it just seems appropriate' isn't the correct answer...

[slipperieslope.livejournal.com]

LOL

I have to slow down and read the stuff that is posted better that is for sure - I thought you meant when do I use a cut. See I read everybodys entries, cut or not, but evidently... not very well : (

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

I use lj-cut for my own part as well as for the readoer`s part, so that the entries won`t be too long. And I actually go more by who writes the post than what`s written, but if there is an interesting intro to the cut I check most lj-cuts on my f-list out (unless it`s fic I don`t read because of use of character or pairings etc)

*hugs*

I hope your headache and frazzlement goes away soon!

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

I'll click on any cut, no matter how vague, unless it's a meme or quiz. I rarely click on those... but I do appreciate them under a cut.