Finished vs. Unfinished

[DomLuka]

So, I know some authors here complete a story before posting it, some post as they go, and some build up quit a few chapters before they get started.

 

I guess I

[Graeme]

My two stories were posted as they were written and edited. The main problem with that was that the readers had to wait up to six weeks between chapters so it was hard from many to remember what was going on. I can see why this makes many readers wait until the story is finished before they start reading (the other reason is that they want to make sure the story DOES finish before they start).

 

I'm using the 'get ahead' method for my latest novel, but my problem is that I ran out of edited chapters. What I did was to stop at what I thought was an appropriate place (NOT a cliff hanger -- I'm not that cruel) and I'm building up another reserve. That, however, has caused a few problems with readers asking if the story is finished or not. I've had to take the step of putting up a comment on the story page saying part three of the story is currently being written....

 

I like the idea of completing the story first BUT that will also mean a big break before I start posting, and I like the feedback that comes with posting regularly. Of course, if I did it once I can continue to stay ahead by writing the next story while posting the previous one, but that gap is a killer.... What I'm doing at the moment is writing some short stories to fill in the gap before I post the next part of my current novel, but I'm getting anxious about how long can I make the readers wait. The options were a big gap now, and then post regularly, or a shorter gap, but then not having a regular posting cycle for all of part three. I've gone with the former.

 

There is one other posting pattern, which replicates print novels -- write the entire story, edit it, and then post it all at once. This is a perfectly fine method and one that I would sometimes like to see authors use (dkstories -- if you happen to see this and agree, I'd love to see all of The Rider's Pride posted....). It has been used with great effect by Codey with his novel From The Heart. One pattern I think internet authors fall into is writing for a periodic posting, with appropriate cliffhangers. However, this only applies at the time of posting. Any reader who comes across the story at a later date doesn't have that impact -- they just read through, and the author really should ensure that the story is still effective when this occurs.

 

What works best for me? I would have to say completing the novel first would work best for the readers, because I would be able to deliver regularly. I have the issue that my editors are very busy people and so I tend to have a chapter a month turnaround. I accept this as the price for the quality of work that I get from them, but it's painful for the readers. My current compromise (because I don't want to wait before I start getting feedback) is to build up a reserve, and then posting until I run out.

 

Did I answer your question(s)?

[Krista]

I'm going by your "irritations" to answer this question. You said that you don't want to post anymore of the story you're working on. The reasons you stated was because of some issues with readers not being connected with some tweaks with your characters. To me, I think you need to stop posting the story for a little bit and let the readers catch up with you. You know what's happening with the characters a lot better than readers do. Rushing readers by posting everything at one time, I have found, to be bad. They don't seem to connect with the story that way and sometimes some important things are missed or misinterpreted or even forgotten. I would never post all that I have at one time.

 

Also, putting something completely on hold could mess with the flow or storyline when you want to pick it up and write on it again. That has happened with me and I had to completely rethink a story, rework it, and I think readers will see a huge change. So keep writing the story and let your readers come to terms with the idea of a sequel. Just keep in mind that they already feel like they know all of the characters, for changes to happen now, I would think, would throw people off a bit.

 

A sequel, by definition is a continuation of a story. Some authors change characters drastically and others just seem to pick the story off right where they left off. It's your story, I have not read the sequel to it so I don't particularly know what changes you've made. That shouldn't take away from the over all character, but with your stories you have fans of the characters. Extremely loyal fans of the characters... lol. There are expectations of those characters in a sequel I would imagine.

 

So my advice, to sum it up and finally make sense. Don't give up on your sequel by putting it on hold. If what you're doing now just isn't working then I do suggest slowing down your posting to let your readers settle in to the changes you've made. Keep writing the story the way that you personally want it to go and at the pace you're comfortable with. When they do catch up you're ready to move along with them. I think you're too committed to this sequel for you to lose your own appreciation of it. Patience is the most important thing to remember.

 

Stick with it,

 

Krista

[Graeme]

I've just read Krista's post and gone back and re-read the original, and I've realised I missed one point that Dom was asking about.

 

Yes, writing ahead of where the readers are up to can be confusing, especially if you're getting lots of feedback. Your mind is further ahead and bringing it back to the chapter that they have just read can be disconcerting (I know it has been for me).

 

Ultimately, you need to find what best suits you. From what you said it may be that you need to finish this story before posting any more, or slow down the posting rate. If the distraction from reader comments is too much, then you need a pause in that. Either have a temporary halt in posting, or slow down the rate of release so you have a sizeable gap between chapters to work in. You can speed it up again when you're ready.

 

(To the Domaholics: yes, you may shoot me. I'm planning on reading my first DomLuka story in three days time, and I expect to be changing my tune then... )

 

Just my opinion,

 

Graeme

[rec]

I don't think there is a single answer to this question.

 

From the readers' side, a steady and timely release of chapters is the best way to be able to keep track of characters and plot without having to re-read earlier chapters as each is released. However, I doubt that most readers do re-read what has been done, and the nuances of plot and character are lost to them--to the detriment of the author's intent. For myself, too many times I will ask who-the-hell-is-that-character, but I don't bother to go back an re-read earlier chapters because the story just doesn't seem to merit that attention. That attitude hurts the author.

 

From the writers' side, there are two basic considerations. First, most stories are written for a reader, so the observations in the previous chapter merit attention. Second, and probably more important, is that an author's writing style may dictate whether to complete the story first or to publish it serially. Some authors write linearly--from the first to the last chapters. For those, both options on publishing are open. Others, of which I consider myself one, write more randomly, working on disparate parts of a story as my imagination turns to them, before, finally, tying the scenes together in a novel, perhaps with significant revisions to reflect changes in plot or emphasis. Writing a later chapter might require changes in an earlier or even later chapter. For the random-approach writer, then, the option to publish serially is just not open. The story has to be completed (at least in good-draft form) before it is released. In short, the serial release of a novel as it is written requires a specific type of writer.

 

Combining the readers' and writers' perspective, I suggest that an author at least complete a rough draft of the entire story. The rough draft can form the basis of a serial release while allowing the author some latitude to make changes suggested by readers. Under this approach, the reader is virtually assured of a completed story (even if parts of it have to be released in rough draft), and the author achieves some of the advantages of a serial-release exposure of his/her work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've just read Krista's post and gone back and re-read the original, and I've realised I missed one point that Dom was asking about.

 

Yes, writing ahead of where the readers are up to can be confusing, especially if you're getting lots of feedback. Your mind is further ahead and bringing it back to the chapter that they have just read can be disconcerting (I know it has been for me).

 

Ultimately, you need to find what best suits you. From what you said it may be that you need to finish this story before posting any more, or slow down the posting rate. If the distraction from reader comments is too much, then you need a pause in that. Either have a temporary halt in posting, or slow down the rate of release so you have a sizeable gap between chapters to work in. You can speed it up again when you're ready.

 

(To the Domaholics: yes, you may shoot me. I'm planning on reading my first DomLuka story in three days time, and I expect to be changing my tune then... )

 

Just my opinion,

 

Graeme

[NickolasJames8]

If I were you, Dom, I'd keep doing what you're doing right now but with one exception.....stop reading emails and don't visit your forum. Just work on the story, do what you plan to do with it and don't pay any attention to what everyone else is saying. Once you've finished the last chapter, it might be fun to go back and look at what your readers are saying, but you shouldn't let it stress you out.

[DomLuka]

First, I don

[Razor]

Dom, you're a pretty cool writer. Every now and then someone will link me a story of yours, and every now and then I'll get started on one and devour it. DD I blazed through and had fun with, it was a really cute story.

 

Thing is, seems like you've gotten wrapped up in the performing aspect of writing a lot... I can be all high and mighty about this because I'm not popular, so I have no fandom, so I have no responsibilities. MUAH HA HA! But seriously, if my fans were hassling me about ANYTHING, I'd not hesitate to tell them where they could shove their complaints. I don't write the way other people want/ask me to, and I'm not gonna change my style for anybody except myself. I'll do things the way I wanna when I wanna, no qualms about it. That's just me, but I decided that I live guilt free, and having people nag me about long waits for chapters or a character getting killed off... sorry, I just don't care.

 

As to finished versus unfinished... I write unfinished. It seems to keep some people enthralled a bit to see the end, and plus it's convenient. I only read finished most of the time, though. I hate getting halfway through something and not having the end written already.

 

And another thing... when getting complaints, just be like "Well why the hell are you reading it, stupid?!"

[Graeme]

ignoring email is a little harder. I

[Altimexis]

I kind of stumbled on this thread by accident and although it's a week old, it's very relevant to some of what I'm going through now. I'm not nearly as experienced an author as the rest of you. I started writing my story, Love in a Chair, about a year and a half ago, just as I was coming to grips with my sexual orientation at the young age of 49. After I came out to my wife that December (we're still together, BTW), I started writing in earnest. In my work, I've dealt with hundreds of young men with spinal cord injuries, and helped a number of them with sexual issues, a tiny minority of them gay. I took to writing LiaC as a way of showing the gay community that people with disabilities - even disabilities that affect sexual function - can still enjoy sexually rich lives. I also hope that LiaC can serve as an example for gay men with disabilities that they don't need to give up on this important aspect of their lives. But I digress . . .

 

I wrote LiaC off and on over a period of several months. After I completed the first draft, I tried to get my wife to edit it. Although she may be accepting of the fact that I'm more gay than straight and be supportive overall, reading stories containing explicit gay sex was a bit too much in her face, and she politely declined. I therefore read and reread LiaC, making numerous small changes until I was satisfied enough to start posting it. After my first post to Nifty, I garnered an offer for hosting and editing, which I gratefully accepted. I also started posting to eFiction here and got some editing help as a result. Soon I had offers from others wishing to edit and I eventually picked up two outstanding editors who complement each other tremendously - David of Hope and WriteByMyself. Thanks to their efforts, as well as advice from Captain Rick on the legal aspects of my story, I have ended up rewriting most of LiaC, even scrapping or combining entire chapters and writing new ones.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that although I started out with the intent to complete the story first and then post it serially, I am now in a mode of editing and rewriting as I post. Perhaps this is usual, but it sure creates panic when an editor tells me something just isn't working, and it's only a couple days before I had intended to post.

 

I've learned a lot from my experience and I find I can now anticipate my editors' comments as I write. I am a much better writer as a result. For my next story, I will probably submit chapters to the editors as I write them, but I'll likely still try to finish the story before I start posting, or at least stay several chapters ahead.

 

One thing I don't have to worry about is forgetting to post. I set a schedule and try to stick to it unless travel plans or delays in editing get in the way.

 

Speaking of which, Dom, if you're several chapters ahead, where is Chapter 7 of ItFB? But don't let your readers tell you how to handle their favorite characters - it's your story after all.

[DomLuka]

I guess what I'm saying is that although I started out with the intent to complete the story first and then post it serially, I am now in a mode of editing and rewriting as I post. Perhaps this is usual, but it sure creates panic when an editor tells me something just isn't working, and it's only a couple days before I had intended to post.

 

It sounds like you're trying to stay just ahead of your readers. Not bad if all you have left is editing and small rewrites. But, if it

[writeincode]

As for 7, I’ll probably be taking a few days off from writing, and if my email isn’t malfunctioning again, I imagine it should be up in the very near future.

 

That better be american street slang for "in the next few hours"

Edited March 2, 2007 by writeincode