summaries

[sixbeforelunch]

So here's a question I've often wondered about. What makes for a good fic summary? Is there anything that can get you to click when you might otherwise not have been inclined to?

Conversely, what types of summaries do you like least? Are there summaries that will make you skip a work even if it's tagged with all of your favorite ships and tropes?

Comments

[donutsweeper]

Something like a random song lyric or poetry snippet as the summary is going to definitely discourage me from clicking on it unless I've been recced the story or really know the author or something. Random dialog from the story itself is also going to give me pause. A good summary (or even just a mediocre one) gives me something to go on- a sense of what the plot is, the genre/themes, will it be funny, romantic, break my heart, be an adventure, etc.

I need a reason to click and I like to be given an expectation on what I will get if I do.