Your gateway to endless inspiration
Never thought of using that option tbh. Sure, realizing that a great fic hasnt been updated for a long time and it has most likely been abandoned can be heartbreaking but I can still appreciate the chapters that are there. Limiting yourself to reading only completed works deprives you of seeing so many interesting scenes and concepts for stories etc.
And yeah definitely, the authors arent paid to write fanfics, the best motivators they have are the love for the og characters and the energy they get from the rest of the fandom. They deserve to get a nice word for all the emotions their work is bringing about - doesnt have to be super long.
Btw sth one misses out on when reading only completed works is waiting for the next update and it can be fun too - wondering what happens next, re-reading to appreciate the details more, being super happy when it updates, getting excited whenever there is a snippet on the author's social media etc.
I feel like this is an unpopular opinion, but more people should read incomplete/unfinished/in-progress fanfics.
I've noticed this huge trend where creators on tiktok and tumblr who will be explaining how to use Archive Of Our Own to new users and they always say "and make sure to scroll down and click completed only" or how people will go out of their way to mention they only read completed fics 'because they were traumatized when they forgot to check the dates and didn't realize this fic hadn't been updated since 2012'.
The thing is - I think by not engaging with and/or actively avoiding writer's WIPs readers are potentially adding to the aggregate of abandoned works. Now this obviously isn't the case for all abandoned fics, anything from major life events, to loss of interest, to getting busy can be a reason for a fic getting abandoned - but at least on some level I just know that writers are quitting while they're ahead when they aren't garnering any response or feedback because reading WIPs has become unpopular. If you're worried about reading something that hasn't been updated since 2012 then you can use the date updated function to sort out old fics.
Anyways, support your favorite fanfic writers by engaging with their WIPs.