December First
The day has arrived. December First. I’ve been thinking about this since August. I have been procrastinating since September. I’ve been dreading the too quick arrival of this day since October. I’ve been panicking the last week. But it came nevertheless. And now I have to write an introduction for this idea that has somehow materialized, and I have no clue where to start. Introductions are scary.
I have been a webfiction fan for a while now. I’ve written in forums, commented on stories, rambled in blog comments, and tweeted like crazy, but I was never completely satisfied. I love to share what I love. I love to talk about what I love. I love to vent about what my loved things are doing wrong. I love supporting the people behind the things I love. And I love to connect with people who love what I love.
The webfiction community is growing but the reader community doesn’t seem to be. Ergofiction.com is my attempt at changing that little part of the field. We might not like the same stories, but we do like the same format, so I believe we have something that binds us. I love webfiction and I want to share it with the world, but a one-man army can only do so much, so I’m rallying up all webfiction readers to join forces to spread the love. Let’s unite and become webfictioneers.
Wait!! What’s the idea?
You are looking at it!! Ergofiction.com aims to be a magazine (or more accurately, a cross between a blog and a magazine) for readers of webfiction. What we love about it, what we hate about it, what we read when we have a bad day, what we secretely read late at night, everything has it’s place on the magazine. How we like to support our favorite authors, what marketing ticks us off, and who we would sell a kidney for if they didn’t have enough money to keep on writing. A magazine where readers can discuss their favorite villains, their most hated couples and their most wanted violent endings.
Review sites like the Web Fiction Guide are great but don’t fulfill these needs. Novelr is a great blog and think tank for webfiction authors, but isn’t that useful to readers; the same thing goes for WebLit.us. The Epiguide is a great forum, but has too wide a focus. Ergofiction.com wants to combine the best features of these sites. Ergofiction.com wants to be the central place for readers to find out what’s happening where, and discover the joys and woes of the webfiction world, together.
Great!! But how?
The current setup is to have weekly issues with closely themed articles. A quick example: Issue X titled “Beyond fantasy”, could have an article on the 3 best fantasy webfictions (discussed by the readers), an interview with an author of a freshly starting fantasy story, an article on fantasies of webfiction characters, and my own fantasy of my ideal webfiction.
Since December is Beta Month however, this month’s setup will be slightly different. Instead of four issues, December will be one giant issue. Have you ever tried to explain to your friends and relatives why you like to read fiction online? Did they understand, or did they question your sanity? This December, Ergofiction.com will try to answer all the basic questions considering webfiction. Have you ever felt discouraged because you didn’t have the funds to support your favorite author? This December, Ergofiction.com will learn you how to kick ass at patronage.
I don’t know where this will take us, and I certainly don’t know if this is what the webfiction community needs. Maybe online novels won’t exist anymore in 2 years because Web 5.0 might arrive and change all paradigms. But I do plan for this journey to be an adventure, and I hope I won’t have to face it alone. So let’s have some fun together!
Fun together indeed
December first isn’t a special occasion for me only. Today is Free E-day, a global celebration of Indie Culture organized by the illustrious Dan Holloway. There’s a whole program of webchats, free give-aways and more!!