[Andrew_Q_Gordon] Online Posting vs. Publishing

[Andrew Q Gordon]

I'm was going to post this here but figured a more general forum would get more attention so I had this topic locked and am providing the link to the one in the writer's forum for folks to respond there.

 

 

Background: orginally I wrote Second Shot, hoping to publish it. I even had thoughts of taking it down and sprucing it up based on the comments I'd gotten along the way. Then I had a dose of reality - published stories generally are only about 100-120K long, and certainly that is the rule of thumb for new authors. So that got me thinking, especially as I see more and more details of some kinda story involving the characters and 'universe' of Second Shot.

 

One thought that stuck out was that online forums such as this allow for pretty much whatever - short story? Post it. Long long story? that's fine too, if it's good - i.e. Circumnavigation - peole will keep reading. If it's 'normal, publication regulation' size? Post that too. Another thougth is style. Many many authors 'head hop' something of a big no no in the publishing world. Sure established authors can do pretty much what they want, as can someone who's first story just wow's folks - but for the vast vast majority of us, we have to follow the rules. Here again, on line posting - who cares about the rules? It's about doing what you like and hoping others will read and/or comment. but if not, who cares if you're doing it because you enjoy it?

 

So what's the point here?

 

Traditional writing requires lost of things, but among then a plot and a resolution. But what if there wasn't a real 'single' plot. What if someone came up with the 'Star Trek' of writing so to speak? You know to boldly go where others haven't gone before and whose continuing story will be told until ratings flail. Sort of like here are series of events in the characters lives, but there is no central issue, no overriding plot - like come out and not lost family? meet new family and decide to stay or not? [ala Desert Dropping] What if it were a series of small plots that follow the lives of the characters, add some along the way, removing others? Something akin to a sit com or drama we see on TV. Every 'episode' has a plot and a resolution, but there is no definitive, once we achieve this goal the story ends kinda thing. An on line soap opera of sorts.

 

How do folks feel about that? Would you read about the lives of characters you 'fell in love with' during a story? Or would it just be boring in the end and a waste of time for the author?

 

So if you have thoughts, click the link below and reply there, thanks. Andy

 

 

http://www.gayauthor...341#entry314341