Very Definitely Maybe

I accidentally skipped the Big Name Fan question. My answer to that one is Yes.

I intentionally skipped the word count question because word count doesn't matter. There could be ten words in the entire fic or there could 1 million words in a fic. As long as it's still entertaining to me, I'll read it.

I am actually very, very picky about reading fan fiction. I don't read a lot of it. I have to be in a very specific mood to read it. Then I go look for fics featuring whatever characters I want to read about, read the fic summaries until I find something that grabs my attention, and then I start reading. If the grammar and spelling is good and the story has a nice flow to it, I'll probably keep reading.

I also have the personal rule not to read WIPs because in the past I've started too many really, really good stories that were WIPs and the author just abandoned them. That can be really disappointing.

I didn't even know what a BNF was, so I just said yes, lol

And like the other commenter, word count doesn't matter so much to me, but I guess generally 6-8k is a comfortable length for me.

This is nice. XD Good idea, this poll.

Some questions I could've put a few more answers, though.
With word count, for example, it really depends on my mood and how much time I have. Though I've read some really nice short ones, I prefer stories that are a little longer. But I don't often read the very long stories since I don't have that much time to read a lot in one sitting and I quickly lose track of half-read fics.

The poll also seems to be mostly for shippy fic, which I enjoy, but I'm also fond of some decent gen. So apart from the things you listed, I also take the general genre of a fic into account, and what I like really depends on my mood.

As for the pairings, if it's one I don't much care for I usually read if it I can interpret it in a non-shippy way or if it's not too relevant to the story line

As for rating, I'll read anything decent-looking that doesn't squick me out, and if I've enjoyed things from a writer before, I might just test my squick limits.

A good summary will reel me in. Make me laugh, catch my interest, get me to ask questions.

I tend to stick with characters I like (whether paired or not), though I've read the occasional fic that contained characters of whom I wasn't fond...because the summary caught my attention.

I exist on the fringes of fandom, so if I know any BNFs, it's totally by accident. (Some of the authors I regularly read may be considered BNFs, and I won't know it unless someone specifically points it out to me. And then, my only question will be, "So when's the next fic coming out?")

I prefer longer fics, though shorter fics aren't an automatic case for disqualification. An author who writes nothing but drabbles, though...after a while, I stop reading their stuff, no matter how intriguing the summary looks.

While there are plenty of fanfic cliches, I don't know that there's any particular kink or cliche that I would automatically not read if it were written by an author whose previous work I respected.

Poor grammar, bad spelling, review-whoring...those things will get an author on my "ignore on sight" list.

Let is be disclaimed first and foremost that I am an utter asshole when it comes to reading a story. It's do or die that makes the decision. Let me elaborate, using the Pit and its search function as the parameters for a "usual" Lucia-being-sort-of-picky day:

1) Load the recent Evo listing
2) Scan summaries for character names.
3) Scan summaries for iffy punctuation, misspelled words, or the dreaded, "OMG THIS IS MY FIRSSZT FIC R&R!" (Avoid the latter at all costs. Even when presented demurely, I tend to side-step anything that resembles author uncertainty.)
4) Go back to the top of the listing, sigh, hit the first listing, doesn't matter what it is. Hit the evo cat, search by character, open all ratings to include mature stories (because they don't shwow up by default.)
5) Go through three pages until the summary/title of something looks like it has potential/is legible.
6) Do the first line test:
6.1) Misplace a comma. Minus ten points.
6.2) Misplace a period. Minus twenty points.
6.3) Misspell a confirmed canon name. Hit the back button. Repeat steps one through six.
6.3.1) If it's a Rogue/Gambit story, check the reviews, see if Ish has commented anywhere. (I'm not kidding. The girl finds the best stuff. Usually, if Ish has left a review behind, I consider the story a pass, and I'll go back and attempt the chapter.)

... Then it becomes a matter of style, language, description, dialogue, character voice, etc. If I can't hear the characters in my head, I won't keep reading. Those are my reading habits, in a nutshell... since it's damned rare that anyone recs directly on my flist. (I think if more people did that on LJ, my "to read" pile would be even scarrier-looking than it does at the mo'.)

i forgot to mention this while answering the last question. i don't read wips. not at all. ever. no matter how good people say they are or how much they are recced. i've been burned too many times by getting all invested in long wips only to have them be abandoned. i just can't handle it emotionally. but, i'll keep an eye on any wips that look interesting, and as soon as they are done, i will read them.

I wanted to add to my last question: I absolutely do not read WIPs. A story needs to be complete before I'll give it any attention, no matter who the writer is or how well it's written. Also, I'm more likely to give an unfamiliar author or a story featuring a character or pairing that I don't normally read a try if someone whom I respect recs it.

About #1: Author doesn't matter as long as it's not someone whose work I've already read and didn't like. So it sort of matters but doesn't really. Or vice-versa. :)

About word count: I read everything - drabbles, ficlets, etc. - but I prefer long fics, particularly if I'm new to the fandom.

I skipped the wordcount question because it's not relevant: I'll read anything any length given the time to do it and if it's well-written enough. Which is the overriding "other" factor: if it's well-written, I'll read it, even if it has pairing I don't like, focusses on a character I ordinarily can't stand, is by a writer I never heard of... etc.

I ticked all the Ratings boxes, because that too is irrelevant. (I'm a rebel.)

I like this poll :)
I skipped "What sort of word count do you prefer?" because I read any word count from a hundred words drabble to an epic novel.

One thing occured to me: some answers would be a bit different if I had more free time. For example, I WOULD read fics with a pairing I don't prefer. Exept, there is so little free time that Harry/Draco fics get read first, other slash pairings second and then the time is up and I still have a huge to-read list. If only we had 28 hours in a day :D

What sort of word count do you prefer?

I couldn't answer that -- it depends completely on my mood at the moment.

If it's a character, pairing, or kink I don't like, I'm much, much more likely to believe a rec from someone else who DOESN'T like that thing either. So what if fans of that character, pairing, or kink like it? That's probably because they'd like it anyway. But for it to be good even for someone who normally hates said pairing, character, or fic, that's what I would need to see.

I skipped the word count question because word count's not that important to me... I've read some long fics that have kept me entertained for hours, and I've also read long fics that were full of needless words and phrase that seemed to be there just to increase the word count.

I would have chosen "word count and rating don't matter" if that had been an option. Those things have no effect on my decision to read a fic. I'll read a drabble to a 50 chapter story, and I'll read any rating.

I picked a middle ground for the word count (4-6k) since those are the highest I'm most likely to read when it's posted. Longer ones, I don't always have time for, but I do so love longer fics. I just need to find time to sit down and read (and sometimes, track down all the posted chapters -- if I have to do that, I'm less likely to read them, unfortunately, which is why I always try to keep my multi-parters well-organized with tags and links) I'll read any word count, but I really do love

The BNF one kinda made me twitch. I'm more likely to read fics by people I either know, or have been recommended to me by people I know. This does not necessarily include BNFs, and to be honest, I tend to avoid BNF fics most of the time, because they're often OOC trash, and not worth the author's reputation, and the biggest thing that they have going for them is a shitton of stereotypical romance and smut and kinks. (I'm looking at numerous fandoms, not all of them I'm even in. One BNF in Slayers wrote for a pairing I love, and she wasn't a bad writer, but her really long X/F fic was... well... she was treating Mazoku and Dragons like they were humans, with human emotions and thought processes, and Xellos certainly wasn't Xellos but of course, the fic was an enormously popular one. Another enormously popular multichapter slash fic in another fandom featured the fandom's pet favorite slash pairing and came across way more like a rejected Gravitation plot with character's names and faces pasted on - I don't like the pairing, but I've found fics for it I've actually loved that were well-done and in-character) I've also found good fics by people I've never heard of or in fandoms I don't actually read or participate in or even have much to do with the source material if the summary/teaser is interesting enough to make me curious. And I'm rarely disappointed.

I can't answer most of these because the answers depend heavily on the fandom in question and on my mood at the moment. In any given fandom and for any given mood, a different set of filters apply. Also, if a fandom's rare, I'm likely to read more widely than if there are thousands of fics to be found with a few moments of effort.

I didn't answer the word count one, because I don't have a preferred length.

For my favourite pairing there are so few stories that I don't write I read anything or any length as soon as it is posted. For my other pairings it depends. With one I'll read anything of any length by one particular writer.

However, generally these days, for anything outside of my main pairing, the above-mentioned friend, when reading on-line I tend to read short stories, less than 1,000 words there and then and I might come back to the longer ones later.

Unless I know the author (this doesn't necessarily mean BNF, but just someone I have come to like) or it is in a fest where I have decided to read everything... the main reason I will read a fic is if someone I know and trust has recommended it to me. I love recs and rec lists and that is how I get most of my fic.

The pairing is the other main thing, I usually only read a few pairings, unless I am feeling adventurous that day or someone I know and trust has highly lauded a certain story.

Word count depends. I love them all. I find I go for shorter stories when I want something more intense or flowery in writing. In a short story every word counts, so it is usually more poetic. If I want to get really involved in a story, I pick something longer. So word count isn't necessarily a deterrent or interest, just something else I gauge a story on.

Heya, I'd like to complete this poll, but I have no idea what you mean by a "Big Name Fan". Please explain!

In from meta_roundup.

I couldn't answer a couple of questions as written, so:

Would you read something by an author that isn't a Big Name Fan?

Yes, if someone who's taste I trust recs it.

What sort of word count do you prefer?

Totally depends on how much reading time I've got. I hate having to stop in the middle of a story and come back later. So if I've only got a half an hour to read in, I'll look for a short fic. If I've got all day, I'll look for a novel.

Would you read something with kinks that make you feel squeamish?

Yes, if someone who's taste I trust recs it. I'm actually far more likely to read it if it's recced by someone who doesn't usually like the kink.