How to find Good Literature on DeviantArt

How to find Good Literature on Deviantart

Does anybody else find themselves frustrated when tearing through the countless pages of nonsense and fan-fiction and erotic prose with furry animals as the subjects? After a long, meticulous process, I’ve discovered a search method for discovering enjoyable pieces of literature on Deviantart.

1) Categorical Mayhem: Start by refining your search to a specific category in the search bar. Pick a certain category you feel interested in, then delve into browsing. Remember that some categories, such as General Fiction, are dumping grounds for loads of writing pieces that generally are just low quality and bad. Try to avoid those is possible, and specify your search down to the medium of writing (i.e. Short Story, Flash Fiction, etc.).

2) Title Savvy: While Fan-fiction is generally interesting to read in some regards, a lot of it is just bad. Like, really bad… I, personally, have found gems within the fan-fiction genre, sparkling diamonds the give off light brighter than that of the sun. But generally for every good piece of fan-fiction there is ten (possibly even more) bad ones. So, if you see anything like “MLP” or “Hetalia” or two names juxtaposed with an “X” in the center (Name X Name), don’t click on them. They’re probably nothing too spectacular. Focus on titles that are generally deep in meaning, or so brief that they attract your interest. Picking a title is a skill, because with the right title a reader will feel an attraction towards the material from the very beginning.

3) “Because it is my name!”: Scan the opening few paragraphs for the name of the main character. If the name of the character is just bland, if there are many characters with similar names unintentionally, or just generally bizarre names that look as if the author took them from some anime and changed a few letters, disregard the piece. The only time I would advise continuing that piece would be the author is self-aware that his names are bland or bizarre, because in that case the significance of the names will probably develop into something deeper later in the story. But if you can’t get behind the character’s name you probably won’t be able to get behind the story.

4) No Fight/Death Scenes: This kind of guts the science fiction and fantasy sections. The genres can be interesting, I will cede that, but amateur writers of the genre, or any genre, generally lean on fight scenes, massive battles depicted through words, in order to articulate feeling that they don’t know how to portray through their characters. For example, it’s a lot easier to have a character dramatically (and often stupidly) die in battle saving somebody, and you care and sympathize with that character. But at the same time, wouldn’t a self-conscious author be able to get you to care about a character without the need of fighting and death? Granted, some characters do die appropriately in stories, but a lot of times wars and fight scenes and dramatic deaths are just poorly constructed ways for an author to usher in new feelings that he/she didn’t know how to express in any other way.

5) Groups are your Friend: If you want literature, real literature constructed for a purpose and designed to offer a satisfying experience as opposed to brief, temporary entertainment, then sudden shame, then groups are your friends. Literary groups on Deviantart often diligently moderate their galleries of literature, making sure that most of the bad stuff stays away. Not to advertise here, but groups like Writer’s Club and Writer’s Ink, are two of the best places I’ve discovered for finding decent, categorized literature without a lot of the “other” stuff that’s floating around in the search bars and the main page.

6) Don’t Stop Believing: It’s out there. Trust me, it is. If it weren’t I’d have quit Deviantart long ago. If you peel back the countless layers of scum from the top of the lake that is Deviantart, then you’ll find literature really worth reading. Best of luck, fellow readers, and happy hunting.