Yay! Woke up this morning still feeling kind of frustrated, but after reading everyone's replies (they were surprisingly kind and understand, I was expecting to get shouted down for my bout of roaring ) made me feel better. I don't want to be a dream crusher...haha. But truthfully, it probably would be more productive to be a part of the 'answer', is there a place on Dokuga where others can volunteer Beta efforts? I only like reading but don't have enough patience for writing...

On the forum, under fanfiction you'll find a link names "beta" you may post there stating you offer your help as a beta

Walter205 wrote:
I will say that the Quarterly Dokuga Awards serve as a basic filter for what you're probably looking for in terms of a 'good' story. If you've gone through the winners, then go through past winners and/or past nominations.

This. I have done this many times since I became a member here. It's super awesome.

I am also a picky reader. My mind gets boggled easily by poor grammar and stories littered with type-o's and plot holes. I also tend to ONLY read completed fics...although there are a few exceptions because of high quality and/or entertaining works.

Generally speaking, though, whether it's a fanfiction or a novel from a store, if I can't make it through the first chapter, I'm done with it. There are probably some really great stories out there that I have passed up because of that, but I'm certainly not hurting for reading material.

I agree with everyone else that there should not be a filter here based on spelling/punctuation, etc. There was a time when I was just starting to write, and I'm sure such a filter would have stymied my creative spark.

When I first read this, the only thing I could imagine was the horror of having a story put on this 'spamstory' list. Just think of what it would be like if one of your stories, possibly one you worked on for more than a month, was voted as bad and that was that. No, it would be terrible.

What would get you on the list? A misspelled word? The wrong use of it's? A fanfic where everything in sight dies?

For the first few, that is just what happens when writers are trying to get out more chapters quickly, or if they do not have a beta. I do this myself because I don't want someone to edit my work. The last can be avoided by just looking at the category. I know not to click on dark fics cause I can't handle it.

This is just my opinion. Please do not be offended, I do not mean to criticize you. I just want you to understand.

Thank you.

Frankly, folks, this kind of a "filter" will never be a part of Dokuga. Not as long as *I* am an Admin here, at any rate.

First, as others have pointed out, it's unworkable to begin with. Filtering for one person's tastes will not work for another. Attempting to build a filter that will work for all would be so cumbersome and expensive, it's far past our capabilities.

Second, again as others have pointed out, such a thing would be discriminatory in the extreme... and Dokuga doesn't go for discrimination. This is a hobby for most, a haven for many, and a bright spot in otherwise hectic and hurried lives for still more. I, for one, would vehemently oppose anything that would make the experience here any less welcoming.

There is no place on this particular site for something of that nature. I am glad to see that so many agree with that philosophy, but I wanted to take the time to assure everyone that, while I am still an Admin here, this won't ever become reality.

With that said, I am very glad to see all the alternative suggestions that our members have come up with - they are truly the backbone and the heart of this site! Thank you all!

~~Wiccan~~

I just wanted to add another way of finding some good stories.

I like to go to my favorite stories, click on the author, and look at the author's favorite stories.

There is a good chance that you have similar tastes =P

Naomi wrote:
I like to go to my favorite stories, click on the author, and look at the author's favorite stories.

We can DO that?! :O! *goes to look*

I do that on FFN.net, sorry I should have made myself clear.

I wish we could see the favorite stories on profiles like we can favorite art. It would be a nice way to find more stories. I was considering posting my favorites on my profile after a discussion in the chat where we were trading favorites.

Maybe make it an optional tab that you can turn off if you don't want people knowing your favorite stories

I think that would be a good idea as well..but depending on how the site is set up it might be more of a hassle for the admin than it would be a help to us.

Most people here have an account on FFN.net too, so you can do it there =P

How an author approaches their own writing is their own style which is kewl. What works for one won't necessarily work for another. Everyone is different, which is kewl too. I think honestly that if you want recommendations, post a note in the Fanfiction Recs forum and either post links to your Dokuga favs, or rec someone else. It's all good. Some authors advertise their ficlets in the Self Promotion forum, take a nip in there and look around.

Or do what Naomi suggested go to FFNet and check out the author's favs on their profile pages, nods most Dokugans have an FFNet page, plus you can always PM the author and ask if they do.

There are ways to find favs, and or recommendations, or just surf the fanfiction sites, and snoop around. That's how I found alot of my favs on FFNet. I haven't done as much here on Dokuga, since I'm still fairly new here.

I mean I've tripped between fandoms for years, and had various favourites, past and present. I could rec a couple hundred fics off the tops of my head from various authors, but I won't do that here as most of them are Non-Sess-Kag, and Non-Inuyasha, so I'll let it rest. My point is that finding good fiction is like researching, you gotta look around, and not be afraid to trawl, and check stuff out. You'll eventually develop a flavour for what you like and what not, and it'll be easier over time to wade.

~ Pyre

Woo, that was a lot of reading. (especially Pyreite, Freya and naqaashi)

I don't think there is much more to say after all that has been said. I agree with all of it, but I do sympathize as well. Every writer starts from a rough spot, and it's commonly said that a published author's first story is frequently their worst.

The issue with a filter is that you're celebrating well-written fics by excluding poorer ones. To a lesser degree, this already happens with awards, but in a positive way. There's something in your face about a filter.

So here's a rundown of ways to find a good story (a compiled list of what's already been said)

Recommendations on the forum
Searching for a fic on the forum
"S/K Stories that got you hooked" on the forum
"Unforgettable Linens in Fanfiction on the forum (still funny )
"Your First S/K fic" on the forum
Previous award winners and nominees
Favorite stories of authors on FF.Net

And I love you guys

most of my favorite fics I found from the fanart of the fanfictions. Like Unspoiled. I actually didn't want to read that one at first. But after seeing all the great art of it I finally did and it is defiantly one of my favorites.

I understand where you're coming from completely with this idea. I get really annoyed when I have to search for over an hour before I can find something worth reading. However, knowing that my own fanfiction doesn't reach greatness in level I wouldn't want fanfictions to be screened. But what I normally do when I want to read something and know that it will be good is I scan the Dokuga Awards lists, both new and old when possible and search for something I haven't read. My list tends to be even shorter however given that I only read completed works and so I have to wait for the good ones to be completed.

While yes, I sometimes feel like I've read all the "good" stories, I'm usually not referring to their plot but rather their spelling/grammar/word mix-ups. If you feel the same, there's a few ways to work through it, like correcting it before you read it. If I only have a little bit of time and I run across more than three glaring mistakes within the first paragraph (their/they're/there, to/too/two, breath/breathe, follow/fallow, etc.) or seven before I reach the fifth paragraph, I will usually leave the story to come back to later unless it's captivating and I will continue as far as I can. But when I have more time, I will copy the whole story into Word and make mass corrections by using the CTRL+F (find and replace) feature. I will type in the word/phrase I know is wrong and have it replace it with the one that is right for the entire document. Then I can enjoy the plot development without my pet peeve creature jumping all over my back and tearing out my hair. There are quite a few enjoyable stories that just need a bit of spelling/grammar help.