Multiple endings

I am working on a story idea that I picked up from the "Story Ideas" forum and I have arrived at a critical juncture where the story could split off three different ways. I have asked the person that originally posted the idea and I have her preference.

Without a doubt, I will be writing that ending. Oddly enough the more I think about it, I would enjoy writing all three.

What would be the best way to post this? The CHYOO stories seem to be more interactive than only having the one option, and the three different endings would work to put the story in three different categories. (Yes, the endings are that different.)

Jay321 said:

I am working on a story idea that I picked up from the "Story Ideas" forum and I have arrived at a critical juncture where the story could split off three different ways. I have asked the person that originally posted the idea and I have her preference.

Without a doubt, I will be writing that ending. Oddly enough the more I think about it, I would enjoy writing all three.

What would be the best way to post this? The CHYOO stories seem to be more interactive than only having the one option, and the three different endings would work to put the story in three different categories. (Yes, the endings are that different.)

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The only one who can give you a definitive answer to the how is Laurel. Give her a PM and I'm sure she will discuss it with you.

I would just write it as three different stories and post it in the three different categories. Of course I would put a note on each letting Laurel know that I didn't make a mistake with the titles, that they are three different stories with the same title.

Zeb_Carter said:

I would just write it as three different stories and post it in the three different categories. Of course I would put a note on each letting Laurel know that I didn't make a mistake with the titles, that they are three different stories with the same title.

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You could also change each title slightly to show the different endings.

Selq said:

You could also change each title slightly to show the different endings.

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Same title - ending one
Same title - ending two
Same title - ending three

That's how I would do it.

I love this idea. I'd like to see more people try this.

It's certainly an interesting idea to write multiple endings for the same story. It's also a lot less work than writing a full choose-your-own-adventure story, which generally requires a lot of planning. You could borrow a bit from this type of story though.

I would submit the first part of the story as a chapter, and then the three endings as 3 different chapters (provided they have at least 750 words). Then at the end of the first part you add something like:

What will ... do next?
<choice 1>: Read Ending 1
<choice 2>: Read Ending 2
<choice 3>: Read Ending 3

The actual question is dependent on the story and what causes the split into different versions. It could be what a character does, what he/she answers to a question, a decision like where to go next, etc.

Or you could give the three versions totally different titles, and give no hint to readers that they are related in any way. Submit them a month apart. And then see which one gets the most views, votes, and highest score. That would be an interesting experiment.

If motivated by an idea from the Story Ideas page, I would feel obligated to give the OP the ending of their dreams (which you said you were doing).

I'm curious, do you have a favorite ending? One that satisfies YOUR muse the most?

Occasionally, I find myself pulling back from an idea that tickles my fancy in deference to the majority audience. My Summer Lovin' entry will be such a story. I had originally planned to include some male bisexuality (since I enjoy that particular kink). Instead, I scrubbed that for a bigger audience.

That leads to another consideration: Which ending might achieve the most views, higher score, or more likes? (Or, whatever matrix you prefer for measuring success.)

Oh yeah, and I'm curious about one more little element - when does the story begin to diverge? Is it about halfway through? Perhaps closer to the end? That could impact how handle multiple versions of the same setup.

Didn't "The story of 'O' have a similar ending/s ?

Just write them all and stick it in Loving Wives, it seems to be a catch all category these days.

ThisNameIsntTakenYet said:

It's certainly an interesting idea to write multiple endings for the same story. It's also a lot less work than writing a full choose-your-own-adventure story, which generally requires a lot of planning. You could borrow a bit from this type of story though.

I would submit the first part of the story as a chapter, and then the three endings as 3 different chapters (provided they have at least 750 words). Then at the end of the first part you add something like:

What will ... do next?
<choice 1>: Read Ending 1
<choice 2>: Read Ending 2
<choice 3>: Read Ending 3

The actual question is dependent on the story and what causes the split into different versions. It could be what a character does, what he/she answers to a question, a decision like where to go next, etc.

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I am digging this thought. This with notes to Laurel explaining what is going on may be the way to go.

Carnevil9 said:

Or you could give the three versions totally different titles, and give no hint to readers that they are related in any way. Submit them a month apart. And then see which one gets the most views, votes, and highest score. That would be an interesting experiment.

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Unfortunately, I think that this would be an apples to oranges comparison. The three endings are wildly different.

Ending #1 would go into group, Ending #2, Erotic Encounters, Ending #3, odd as it may seem, either incest or, insert shudder here, Loving wives.

I do not have much experience in other categories, but I know that in Incest, if any of the following words are used and it's under 4.0, not a good sign: Sister, Brother, Mother, Daughter, Father, Son, etc.

BuckyDuckman said:

If motivated by an idea from the Story Ideas page, I would feel obligated to give the OP the ending of their dreams (which you said you were doing).

I'm curious, do you have a favorite ending? One that satisfies YOUR muse the most?

That leads to another consideration: Which ending might achieve the most views, higher score, or more likes? (Or, whatever matrix you prefer for measuring success.)

Oh yeah, and I'm curious about one more little element - when does the story begin to diverge? Is it about halfway through? Perhaps closer to the end? That could impact how handle multiple versions of the same setup.

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I will be writing the story idea OP's ending first.

My preference would be the incest/loving wives ending. That one will probably be the last I write, saving that nugget for me.

It just so happens that I think my ending would be the one that lines up with the most views and higher score, that that gets negated in this particular instance. In the long run, I am writing because I want to, not to get paid, so my success is constructive feedback so that I may learn to better this particular stress reliever.

The male protagonist's name is Mark. (Funny tangent, I misspelled protagonist, suggestion: Protestant.) I have a point, I'd say 2/3 to 3/4 way through, depending on the ending where the stories have to start being different based on what he is going to do. There is one that I may need to do small flourishes to make it to the required 750 words, but at this point I am not sure. That may be my second run through so that I can get it right.

Thanks everyone for their input.

Zeb_Carter said:

Same title - ending one
Same title - ending two
Same title - ending three

That's how I would do it.

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The system won't let a title under an author's name be used more than once.

The idea is absurd. Dickens did it with Great Expectations. No one said, WOW!

Do-overs are a modern Pussy People invention. Its like multiple Choice math test questions where all answers are right!

The racist way is to learn to write.

I like the idea! It can be like the movie Clue but a sex story.

Who fucked Mrs. Boddy, in what room and with what object?

NOIRTRASH said:

The idea is absurd. Dickens did it with Great Expectations. No one said, WOW!

Do-overs are a modern Pussy People invention. Its like multiple Choice math test questions where all answers are right!

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I have to admit I agree with this dislike of multiple endings. It's a cop out. If I'm reading a story I want to know what happens. If you write multiple endings it tells me you didn't know what happened either, and there goes any suspension of disbelief. It means you weren't brave enough to tell me your dreams. It's like the author is doing RAAC with the audience. "Please like SOMETHING I did!" Ultimately it feels pathetic.

Meh. I'd rather read something and hate it then read something and not actually know what happened. Why am I putting in time if you have no idea what you meant?

HandsInTheDark said:

I have to admit I agree with this dislike of multiple endings. It's a cop out. If I'm reading a story I want to know what happens. If you write multiple endings it tells me you didn't know what happened either, and there goes any suspension of disbelief. It means you weren't brave enough to tell me your dreams. It's like the author is doing RAAC with the audience. "Please like SOMETHING I did!" Ultimately it feels pathetic.

Meh. I'd rather read something and hate it then read something and not actually know what happened. Why am I putting in time if you have no idea what you meant?

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Part of the reason I want to do the multiple endings is for a writing exercise. One of the three ending I have in my head is my "comfort zone." If I want to be any better writing, I need to get out of it. Yes, I know it's baby steps, but it's steps.

I think the best way for me to post it would be in the category that that ending will most fit into. Now if someone reading in the group category reads this, likes or dislikes it, and sees that there is another story in a different category, the can choose to read it or not.

To say that I don't care if people like the story or not is a bit strong, I would like to entertain people, but I am doing this for me as much as anyone else. Read the stories if you want, skip them if not.

Had the original idea came from my own head, there is one that I would have wrote. I asked the opinion of the person I got the idea from, their kink is different than mine, so I felt a minor level of obligation to write their end. The third was a way that I saw the story could go, but really fit neither of our ideas. It works with the premise, and with the story as I have it written so far. This one is the furthermost step from my comfort zone anyway.

Basically, it boiled down to, "Why not?" There is no answer that really gives a reason why not, so once I am done with my writing I will give out my little version of RAAC with the audience. If someone like one or more of my endings, excellent, thanks for reading. If not, I apologize for taking up time.

Dickens had the idea first, and abandoned it.

Jay321 said:

Part of the reason I want to do the multiple endings is for a writing exercise. One of the three ending I have in my head is my "comfort zone." If I want to be any better writing, I need to get out of it. Yes, I know it's baby steps, but it's steps.

I think the best way for me to post it would be in the category that that ending will most fit into. Now if someone reading in the group category reads this, likes or dislikes it, and sees that there is another story in a different category, the can choose to read it or not.

To say that I don't care if people like the story or not is a bit strong, I would like to entertain people, but I am doing this for me as much as anyone else. Read the stories if you want, skip them if not.

Had the original idea came from my own head, there is one that I would have wrote. I asked the opinion of the person I got the idea from, their kink is different than mine, so I felt a minor level of obligation to write their end. The third was a way that I saw the story could go, but really fit neither of our ideas. It works with the premise, and with the story as I have it written so far. This one is the furthermost step from my comfort zone anyway.

Basically, it boiled down to, "Why not?" There is no answer that really gives a reason why not, so once I am done with my writing I will give out my little version of RAAC with the audience. If someone like one or more of my endings, excellent, thanks for reading. If not, I apologize for taking up time.

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Writing is about making decisions and some of those can be pretty hard. Choosing the best route to take your story from different possibilities in your head is one of those. I understand the negativity from some of some of the others and partially agree with them. It does sound like you're avoiding the decision by just doing every possibility.

However, I think this might be a really interesting experiment. I haven't read a story like this on here and personally would be pleasantly surprised if I got the opportunity to make a choice that influences the story in some way. I am a big fan of visual novel games, so I know I am biased and this isn't for everyone. In the end you just got to do whatever you want, it's your story and we can only give our opinions and views. The final decision is yours.

Lastly, you can always write everything as an exercise to get out of your comfort zone and improve as a writer. Whether you post them or not, it's still a good exercise and helps you get familiar with genres and scenes that are new to you. Who knows, you might discover something new that you like to write.

What gets lost at LIT is the solid reality writing is an old art. New techniques are about as common as new prime numbers, yet most wanna re-invent the wheel and fire all the time.

Writers fuck up the ends all the time. I recently read a novella and novel by Raymond Chandler with almost identical plots till the end. In one a woman named Velma shoots herself, in the other she shoots her abuser dead. Killing the abuser is a superior end but Chandler went with the suicide for the novel. WTF But that's how it goes.

Ends really should settle things, Shakespeare said PARTINGS SHOULD BE WELL MADE. But that's a different thread.

sr71plt said:

Zeb_Carter said:

Same title - ending one
Same title - ending two
Same title - ending three

That's how I would do it.

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The system won't let a title under an author's name be used more than once.

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Good thing zeb_carter is using three different titles then. Just like the more common suffix of Ch. 01, Ch. 02, etc.

Come to think of it, I don't recall having seen a story set with different options for the ending yet.