Writing on the run - responding to reader comments.

[Wombat Bill]

What are your thoughts on writing stories on the run. I did this with 'The Covids' and found myself responding to readers comments. I then decided I would not do it again.

I am currently publishing stories that have been pre-written, however readers still make comments that I take on board, and sometimes respond to those comments by adding to the story. This was especially so when I published a couple of short stories with new characters. Readers requested to see more of those characters, so they will appear in future chapters of the ongoing story 'Catering with Benefits'. 

While I don't expect readers to influence the direction of the story, it s rewarding when they voice their approval of new characters and want more of them. 

Is writing on demand a thing?

Readers and writers please let me know of your experiences on this subject. 

[Myr]

Episodic writing is very common. Write and post.

Also, plenty of authors prefer to have their stuff complete before posting.

My longest story has been written into a brick wall and sitting there for too many years to count now because I'd write and post.  Very slowly, I've been rewriting and will post it when I'm done with the full story so I don't write myself into a wall yet again.

All my future work I intend to have done before posting as well.

@Bill W, you have done both as well, haven't you?

[astone2292]

I'm always writing on the run! There is always an hour of my day dedicated to writing at my desk, but I'm always typing on my phone when I'm on break at work, sitting in the passenger seat on road trips with the husband, and whenever I'm bored. I find it very productive since I have a bit of ADHD, and refuse to sit for too long. 

When the chapter is posted, I wait for almost a day before working on the next chapter. I don't take in comments as a form of where the story is heading next, but I breath off the newfound hype and reader conspiracy. 

[Mawgrim]

I tend to keep around 2-3 chapters ahead of posting. I wouldn't change my plot in any major way due to comments, but like you, I have further developed minor characters if people seem to like them, or want to know what’s going to happen to them in the future.

[astone2292]

3 hours ago, Mawgrim said:

I tend to keep around 2-3 chapters ahead of posting. I wouldn't change my plot in any major way due to comments, but like you, I have further developed minor characters if people seem to like them, or want to know what’s going to happen to them in the future.

Ha! I live by flying with reckless abandon! I write a chapter, edit it, and post it as I complete it. There is nothing written ahead, and I am purely letting my fingers do the talking. Part of me understands that this may be unprofessional as a writer who has an ambition to publish, but for the time being, I'm just having fun! This is my hobby, and until I find it more profitable than working at a grocery store, it shall remain so.

[Bill W]

14 hours ago, Myr said:

Episodic writing is very common. Write and post.

Also, plenty of authors prefer to have their stuff complete before posting.

My longest story has been written into a brick wall and sitting there for too many years to count now because I'd write and post.  Very slowly, I've been rewriting and will post it when I'm done with the full story so I don't write myself into a wall yet again.

All my future work I intend to have done before posting as well.

@Bill W, you have done both as well, haven't you?

Myr, most of the time I write the entire story first, because sometimes I find that I have made an error and have to go in and change things in order for the story to come out correctly.  I hate writing myself into a corner that I can't write out of, because I did that in the one story where I tried to write and then post immediately, and that didn't work out too well for me.    

 

Oops, I forgot that I started writing and posting with the last book of The Castaway Hotel, but I was able to write it without interruption and my editors were getting the chapters back to me so quickly that it seemed as if I'd written it all in advance. 

I don't know why I couldn't edit my last entry, but there was no 'edit' icon for me to click on so I just made another entry.  

[Myr]

32 minutes ago, Bill W said:

but there was no 'edit' icon for me to click on so I just made another entry.  

I think that is up under the 3 dots menu at the top right of a post now.

(Something about decluttering)

And thanks for replying. You have been at this a long time and have a valuable perspective on it  

[Bill W]

1 hour ago, Myr said:

I think that is up under the 3 dots menu at the top right of a post now.

(Something about decluttering)

And thanks for replying. You have been at this a long time and have a valuable perspective on it  

Thanks for letting me know how to edit a reply.  I'm sure it will help others as well.  

[BigBen]

As a reader, I've been burnt too many times by intriguing series that stopped in the middle, to be willing any longer to start a story that is not yet complete.  Nothing like getting involved in a story, getting to the final posted chapter, and suddenly discovering that the story is now marked "temporary hold," or worse, "long-term hold."

One of my favorite stories has just come to a halt after chapter 41 of the second volume of a planned five-volume series.  The author has admitted that he's blocked, and has no idea when chapter 42 will come out, if ever.  Not to mention that, at the rate the last few chapters were posted, I'm not likely to live to see the end of this project in any case.  Bummer!

The only disadvantage to reading finished stories only is not being able to participate in the readers' discussions at the end of each chapter here.

Edited January 17, 2021 by BigBen