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Adding to a storyline you've finished.

Kantarii

Kantarii

I'm Not A Bitch!
Joined
May 9, 2016
Posts
9,360
I get tons of emails from people that ask me to continue a storyline I have finished.

Ordinarily, it is a respectable request, but if I have concluded a storyline - it's over in my eyes. Before I would ever consider adding to a storyline I have finished, I would start a new storyline with new characters to go off into new misadventures.

So what if my story didn't have the ending they wanted or envisioned? I don't write about perfect fantasy worlds where great sex is more common than a penny, and lasts longer than the Energizer Bunny, or a Timex watch(taking a licking and keeps on ticking).
 
People never get enough of anything here. I used to think 'sequel' was a compliment now I realize the readers ask it of all stories all the time and no matter how long or well wrapped up the series was.

I've come to learn I'm a thrill of the kill writer. Once I have my premise and the conflict is resolved and ice is broken so to speak between characters I lose interest in them.

Most of my stories have conclusions and any sequel would simply be the same characters engaging in more sex. But that's what a lot of genres want "Chapter Two...Emily has sex with three guys instead of two!" "Chapter Two, this time Bill has sex with mom in the pool!"

If you can further the story and characters its worth it, but many long running series here are what I just described.

I suppose its still some form or compliment that the reader invested in the character to the point they will tell us what could be next...Amy could and John could..but still not worth doing unless its what you feel you want to do.

The only story I have entertained a sequel to was That's what friends are for. There is room for a fun "day after' piece and the reactions of supporting characters, but not enough fire to get me going so not worth it.
 
I now add a note to readers alerting them that I write to try out new ideas and educated guesses that might make my writing better. Theyre welcome to read it but the votes and comments are turned off.
 
...............
 
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Sometimes I succumb to reader requests for more.

Sometimes the followups work.

Sometimes not.

Sometimes I leave a story dangling and invite others to write alternate endings.

Nobody has yet done so.
 
I have six chapter story that I totally BLEW the ending of. Still make me miserable at the thought. I should have waited to post, but no, I rushed in to it. I am still getting hate mail about how I ended it. And I know NOW how it should have ended. I've contemplated many times redoing it. Maybe taking down the old chapter, maybe adding a new one. But I can't do it. You can't unring a bell, I don't think. It sucks.

Lesson #1: Don't rush into posting, especially something like the last chapter of a saga people are into.
 
My last two stories here were complete. They were short stories, not novels. The ending in both left no doubt that they were over. Yet everyone wanted a squeal. Very flattering, but the stories were finished. There is nothing more to write about. If you want more, I have several series up over on Smashword, go buy them.:mad:
 
Carnal_Flower said:
I have six chapter story that I totally BLEW the ending of. Still make me miserable at the thought. I should have waited to post, but no, I rushed in to it. I am still getting hate mail about how I ended it. And I know NOW how it should have ended. I've contemplated many times redoing it. Maybe taking down the old chapter, maybe adding a new one. But I can't do it. You can't unring a bell, I don't think.
Click to expand...
Incorrect. You can edit the chapter, submit it a CHAP.6 -EDIT, and leave a note to Laurel that this is an edited version. Or you can rewrite the chapter and submit it as CHAP.6 FIXED and add an apology to readers.

Zeb_Carter said:
My last two stories here were complete. They were short stories, not novels. The ending in both left no doubt that they were over. Yet everyone wanted a squeal. Very flattering, but the stories were finished. There is nothing more to write about.
Click to expand...
I gave a story an apocalyptic ending. The one comment: I WANT MORE. So after I've killed-off the characters, I should bring them back as ghosts or reincarnations, huh? Roger Zelazny used such a structure in LORD OF LIGHT.
 
Zeb_Carter said:
My last two stories here were complete. They were short stories, not novels. The ending in both left no doubt that they were over. Yet everyone wanted a squeal. Very flattering, but the stories were finished. There is nothing more to write about. If you want more, I have several series up over on Smashword, go buy them.:mad:
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to see how many writers with stand-alone stories/novels offered for sale get this kind of request from readers.
 
MLClifton said:
I'd be interested to see how many writers with stand-alone stories/novels offered for sale get this kind of request from readers.
Click to expand...

Not so far. I haven't had a request for a sequel on any of my for sale stuff. I have had requests to finish a series that has clearly not finished as yet. Mostly due to writers block on that particular storyline.
 
MLClifton said:
I'd be interested to see how many writers with stand-alone stories/novels offered for sale get this kind of request from readers.
Click to expand...

You generally don't get a lot of anything from readers for paid material, reviews are very rare. In my time selling I've had a couple of questions asked through a web site link, but both were about if I take requests for a custom story
 
I have come to realize that my writing is truly done for myself. I give life to a character that lives out their story and then is finished. I have found that, while I can write 'by request' I don't enjoy it. It feels more like the assignment writing I did in school, and I quickly burn out.

I am always flattered if someone wants more of something I've created. But when a story is finished, like you, a story is finished. That said, I do have a couple of characters who seem serialized in my head; I can put them in different situations; but again, I think it's because the story isn't done in my own mind. And even with that type of character, I quickly get bored and need to move on to new ones. Perhaps I'm ADD? ;) )
 
lovecraft68 said:
You generally don't get a lot of anything from readers for paid material, reviews are very rare. In my time selling I've had a couple of questions asked through a web site link, but both were about if I take requests for a custom story
Click to expand...

Interesting. Maybe readers feel more comfortable doing that here because they're pretty certain we're checking our comments and they know their opinions will be read. Still, I would expect more readers who pay for the work to reach out to an author whose story/novel they enjoyed and request to see more of the same characters.
 
MLClifton said:
Interesting. Maybe readers feel more comfortable doing that here because they're pretty certain we're checking our comments and they know their opinions will be read. Still, I would expect more readers who pay for the work to reach out to an author whose story/novel they enjoyed and request to see more of the same characters.
Click to expand...

My thought is they comment here because its a erotica site so that's why everyone is here.

In the paid market, people don't want to review erotica on amazon under the same account they review the toys they bought for their kids, etc...
 
FelicityJohns said:
I have come to realize that my writing is truly done for myself. I give life to a character that lives out their story and then is finished. I have found that, while I can write 'by request' I don't enjoy it. It feels more like the assignment writing I did in school, and I quickly burn out.

I am always flattered if someone wants more of something I've created. But when a story is finished, like you, a story is finished. That said, I do have a couple of characters who seem serialized in my head; I can put them in different situations; but again, I think it's because the story isn't done in my own mind. And even with that type of character, I quickly get bored and need to move on to new ones. Perhaps I'm ADD? ;) )
Click to expand...

I couldn't write for money either. I'd feel like it was a in and not a passion. Nope. Couldn't do it.
 
Kantarii said:
I couldn't write for money either. I'd feel like it was a in and not a passion. Nope. Couldn't do it.
Click to expand...

I have done it. But when I was writing for money, all my creative writing ground to a halt.

If people would buy the stuff I write for passion, I'd be a happy camper ;)
 
The writing market is centuries old and wasn't set up for direct feedback beyond paying for the next book or not. Means of feeding back are now given, but the market has been so long established that there was little mechanism to give feedback that few try to contact the authors directly. The Internet started off interactive. It's just a different mode.
 
Kantarii said:
I couldn't write for money either. I'd feel like it was a in and not a passion. Nope. Couldn't do it.
Click to expand...
"...like it was a in" ???

I wrote and edited tech stuff for money because it paid. I write songs and smut for fun but they don't pay. I know better than to try to write fiction for money; I don't have the chops. And if I did, it would feel like a job, and I haven't had a job since 1986. (I retired real young thanks to that tech stuff I wrote.) A close in-law is a NY Times bestseller-lister with an impressive body of work... and she still has to teach to survive. Naw, it's better (for me) to write for the lolz.
 
Hypoxia said:
"...like it was a in" ???

I wrote and edited tech stuff for money because it paid. I write songs and smut for fun but they don't pay. I know better than to try to write fiction for money; I don't have the chops. And if I did, it would feel like a job, and I haven't had a job since 1986. (I retired real young thanks to that tech stuff I wrote.) A close in-law is a NY Times bestseller-lister with an impressive body of work... and she still has to teach to survive. Naw, it's better (for me) to write for the lolz.
Click to expand...

My bad. A typo. I'd feel like it was a job and not a passion. :) like Felicity said in a sense....It would grind all my creative writing to a halt.
 
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MLClifton said:
I'd be interested to see how many writers with stand-alone stories/novels offered for sale get this kind of request from readers.
Click to expand...

I have only ever had such 'requests' from my agent or from a publisher
 
lovecraft68 said:
People never get enough of anything here. I used to think 'sequel' was a compliment now I realize the readers ask it of all stories all the time and no matter how long or well wrapped up the series was.

I've come to learn I'm a thrill of the kill writer. Once I have my premise and the conflict is resolved and ice is broken so to speak between characters I lose interest in them.

Most of my stories have conclusions and any sequel would simply be the same characters engaging in more sex. But that's what a lot of genres want "Chapter Two...Emily has sex with three guys instead of two!" "Chapter Two, this time Bill has sex with mom in the pool!"

If you can further the story and characters its worth it, but many long running series here are what I just described.

I suppose its still some form or compliment that the reader invested in the character to the point they will tell us what could be next...Amy could and John could..but still not worth doing unless its what you feel you want to do.
Click to expand...

"Sex is all in the mind". The difference between writers and readers is that the latter find it very hard to make the connection, unassisted.
 
I always figure that folks asking for a sequel is just a good sign that they got invested in the characters.

A lot of folks aren't versed in literary analysis, they may not recognize when you've closed the narrative off in a tight bow with all character arcs complete, and trying to continue things would just violate the ending that you achieved.

Frankly, it can be tempting even for the writer to ask "but what happened to them next?" One of my stories was absolutely written to have a fully closed ending with no sequel in mind, no sequel hooks present. I still occasionally ponder sequel concepts for it anyway. So far nothing's come up that seems viable as a full storyline, and I kind of hope nothing ever does, but that doesn't stop my active brain from thinking about it.

The real answer is write a different story, and hope that the people begging for sequels consider themselves fans and will read everything you write now.
 
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