Different ways you have to organize the fics you've read

[emansil]

I'm trying to work out a good way to keep track of all the fics I either may have read, or have at least made copies of previously. I keep finding myself printing off a fic that I don't recall reading only to find that yes I have read it already. And if it's one of the rather long ones that's a lot of paper and ink, not to mention the trees that I'm killing. I've tried reading them online, but if its longer than a couple of thousand words I get lost as to where I am. also it's impossible, (for me) to highlight or make notes while I'm reading.

I've kept notebooks for the past 10 plus years trying to log them all in, but there's a lot of fics listed in there, and they're in multiple notebooks. Recently I started a couple of excel spreadsheets to try and organize, but I'm not sure that's going to work either.

Has anyone found a foolproof way that seems to work for them? I'd love to know what it is. I know a lot use the bookmarks aspect of A03, but I use mine to keep track of the fics I most want to read, not the ones I've already read.

Comments

[gracerene]

That's basically what I used my giant reclists on the journals for! I know a lot of people use excel sheets, but I honestly read too much for that to work.

Another thing I use on my laptop is the script below. Basically you install it on your browser and it allows you to see on AO3 at a if you've marked a fic as "seen" if you've kudos'd and/or if you've bookmarked, so I find that super helpful!

https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/5835-ao3-kudosed-and-seen-history

[emansil]

Well DW just ate my reply, so I'll try again.

I'm not sure if my technical ability, or lack there of is going to allow me to use that script. I tried to open it up and it seemed to be more complicated that I'm capable of. (Remember I still can't use any of the gadgets or apps or your basic cell phone.)

I'll give it another try though. Not giving up yet.

thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it.

[nia_kantorka]

If the script Grace mentioned isn't you thing, maybe you could switch to 'mark for later'? In that category is everything I want to read except multichapter stories (I subscribe to those I want to read once they're finished). In my bookmarks is only what I want to reread and/or really loved to pieces.

I'm also using an ebook reader (kindle paperwhite in my case) and everything +15k is downloaded via my calibre library (a free programme for ebooks [mobi and epub] so I can also check there or on my e-reader). But I guess that's not for you? It also helps if you use mostly the same devices for ao3 (no matter the skin or script you use, once clicked fics look different than unread ones).

Searching for your own name among all kudos of a fic on ao3 is also an option (easily done via search page option).

I'm very much not a 'list'-person (except I have to for grocery or reminders), because they're related to 'work' for me. I think after a decade of reading fic it's probably too much of a hassle to put it all into spreadsheets. So, let's hope some of these tips might fit you as well.

[emansil]

Thank for suggesting these things. I'm not sure it'll work for me but I'll give it a try.

This was much longer but between DW and my own computer issues, it disappeared. :(