Ever feel guilty for the pause?

[BBlaketbv]

Nope. I do this for my own fun.
It's more personal frustration when the series is hard to develop.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Only daily, sometimes hourly.

To those who are creating a series, when you already have some stories published, do you feel guilty when you just... pause? When the next one is not coming along yet, when you're trying to harvest inspiration or just get that writing energy back, do you feel bad that there might be some readers out there eagerly waiting for the next part?

I do feel that, not only because I'm readying the final chapter of the descent, but also because I just teased some with a prologue for the next series.

 

[mirafrida]

I don't publish serials, but I did promise a sequel in 2022, and it took about ~14 months to reach fruition, just publishing recently. And yes, I felt definite guilt through 2023 as I kept getting pulled away by other ideas, and publishing other stories, and still not getting around to my promised sequel.

I think it's appropriate to feel some responsibility to follow through on a promise like that. I am grateful for people who read and comment on and appreciate my stuff. My primary allegiance as an author is to myself, I suppose, but I certainly don't feel like I owe my readers nothing...

 

[oneagainst]

Yeah, kinda, though with good reason. Kayla's New Furniture was started at the same time as The Monogamists and while I thought I'd run them both together, The Monogamists turned into two years of stories. So, poor old Kayla (or her poor boyfriend, depending on your take) has been sitting there for 2 years.

She's back off the bench now though. There's all sorts she's going to get up to.

 

[EmilyMiller]

To those who are creating a series, when you already have some stories published, do you feel guilty when you just... pause? When the next one is not coming along yet, when you're trying to harvest inspiration or just get that writing energy back, do you feel bad that there might be some readers out there eagerly waiting for the next part?

I do feel that, not only because I'm readying the final chapter of the descent, but also because I just teased some with a prologue for the next series.

It’s varied for me.

1. There were five months between chapter 4 and chapter 5 of The Kiss. The person I started writing it for quit Lit in that time (maybe one reason for the hiatus). But I didn’t feel pressured to finish the story. But…
2. With Teaching Eden, I said I would publish a chapter each week - I got a bit paranoid about that and ended up compressing and compressing the gaps until chapter 5 was hard on the heels of chapter 4. I did feel self-generated pressure on that.

Em

 

[M_K_Babalon]

When I don't have anything new to write, I can always finish that thing from a few years ago. It'll all get done eventually.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Frustrated, but if the reason is something like "writer's block" or "didn't have time to write", not guilty, any more than I'd feel guilty for missing work because I was unwell or had a family emergency.

I might feel guilty if I'd posted half a story and written the other half but held it back for a pay site. That's not likely to happen any time soon though.

 

[Cagivagurl]

To those who are creating a series, when you already have some stories published, do you feel guilty when you just... pause? When the next one is not coming along yet, when you're trying to harvest inspiration or just get that writing energy back, do you feel bad that there might be some readers out there eagerly waiting for the next part?

I do feel that, not only because I'm readying the final chapter of the descent, but also because I just teased some with a prologue for the next series.

I understand what you're saying, and yes. I am both guilty of the crime, and fell for the readers.
Personally, I hate reading a series, and the next chapter just never arrives.

Now, after learning my lesson. I do not post the first chapter, until the last one is written...
Initially, I was in such a rush to publish. I couldn't wait.
After several emails from dissatisfied readers. I put in place my current policy. Finish the story, before posting the first chapter.
Cagivagurl

 

[BgDaddy33]

To those who are creating a series, when you already have some stories published, do you feel guilty when you just... pause? When the next one is not coming along yet, when you're trying to harvest inspiration or just get that writing energy back, do you feel bad that there might be some readers out there eagerly waiting for the next part?

I do feel that, not only because I'm readying the final chapter of the descent, but also because I just teased some with a prologue for the next series.

I roughly took about three weeks in-between each part of my story and I saw that while the response was warm, the readership (votes/comments) dwindled with each one.

I decided to write the last two parts as well, the last two parts and give myself some closure while I regrouped and decided if I wanted to keep writing, and yes, I did feel a sense of guilt at not being able to crank them out faster.

Someone suggested not posting until the story is mostly cooked and the chapters all, if not mostly written, and that is sage advise for tenured writers, but for a lot of us amateurs in the game, the feedback received as we go along with the story is what fuels the story in the first place.

 

[Duleigh]

To those who are creating a series, when you already have some stories published, do you feel guilty when you just... pause? When the next one is not coming along yet, when you're trying to harvest inspiration or just get that writing energy back, do you feel bad that there might be some readers out there eagerly waiting for the next part?

I do feel that, not only because I'm readying the final chapter of the descent, but also because I just teased some with a prologue for the next series.

yes, I do feel horribly guilty... especially when other commitments pull me away from the series. What makes me feel worse is when I have several stories ready to go but I'm intentionally holding them back so I don' t flood my readers.

Right now a story I published just to get it off my desktop developed a huge following and a series (it can be done) is what those folks with pitchforks and torches are clamoring for.

 

[BgDaddy33]

I don’t typically read chaptered-series stories. I have to really, really trust that author before I engage in reading it and I have to know the series has concluded and also includes closure. It is also why I’ll never write that kind of thing (note to self: never say never).

Too many times I find the author had figured out the first, maybe even the second installment and then it becomes clear that the entirety of the story had not been thought out. Lack of cohesion, a random slogfest from then on. Boo!

Very true. I do think twice when I see a series, they are always a bit of a gamble, especially if you see very large spanses of time in between chapters. REAL LIFE does get in the way and it can change the writers perspectives. I usually read one or two chapters and decide if I want to stay for the long haul.

Of course, I also find them tons of fun and easier to read than running across a monster entry. I am more willing to give a 5-7K "ch 1" a try when I am just browsing than a 75-100K novella.

 

[Wonderer67]

Not guilty, but just frustrated. I’ve only written a couple of stories, and I’m struggling to get this next one out. It’s been almost a year.

But instead of writing stories, I’ve been writing a lot of poetry. I like the lack of structure a lot better.

Im prolly just putting a lot of pressure on myself to wrote a great story. I should probably just write.

 

[Djmac1031]

I've been trying to put a proper finish on my Jenna series for months now.

And yeah, I feel a little bad about not getting to it.

But all honesty, I never had an endgame in mind. It was just a series of fun adventures each chapter.

At some point I wanna wrap it up though.

 

[Zootonius]

That sounds familiar. The series His Professor Aunt is an excuse to write adventures for the protagonists. The next chapter should bring it to a satisfying point, yet leave open the possibility of restarting it.

 

[samhasstories]

I'm not sure I'd use the word guilty necessarily, but a kind of unresolved nagging feeling, yes. I have series I started in 2018, one of which I haven't updated since 2018. But there's a draft around somewhere of the next installment that I fully intend to get back to at some point. Another series I posted part 3 after a 3+ year hiatus, so that's all better now.

 

[Djmac1031]

There are three "series" I sorta feel bad about but not really.

My first story was The Doctor Is In...Me.

The story did really well and I was excited by the response. And people asked for a sequel.

So I wrote one. And while it's a decent story, I had absolutely no idea where to go from there. So I've never continued it.

Discovering Amy was another very early story I wound up writing sequels to.

Eventually I just sorta stopped. The four chapters basically covered two young lovers and their first sexual explorations all over one night.

In retrospect it should have just been one story. But I was new; had no idea what I was doing.

I suppose it deserves one last chapter, because they never go all the way. But really, that's the only reason to write it: so they fuck.

Finally, My Sister's Skincare. A silly premise incest story that went two chapters.

It deserves a third but again, really only to finally have them fuck. And it's just sorta predictable.

With the exception of my Jenna series, I really don't wanna write sequels anymore unless I have a solid game plan, like I do with my Angels & Demons Saga, which will get a solid third chapter at some point.

 

[Stimtheone]

I certainly did not expect this to take off. Guess that feeling is rather common. I still feel bad for my occasional pauses when I run out of ideas, but I have to remind myself that I am writing the LAST and final chapter to this series, the one to tie things off... sort of. However this part is starting to slip into the method of the next book.

When it's done, it will certainly be grand, especially as I am breaking ground into something not at all previously mentioned.

But I still can't help feeling guilty when I go off and do other things, playing games, relaxing... not intentionally working on the material. Though, as some have said... not for the readers, not all of them... but more for the STORY. It deserves an end.

 

[EmilyMiller]

There are three "series" I sorta feel bad about but not really.

My first story was The Doctor Is In...Me.

The story did really well and I was excited by the response. And people asked for a sequel.

So I wrote one. And while it's a decent story, I had absolutely no idea where to go from there. So I've never continued it.

Discovering Amy was another very early story I wound up writing sequels to.

Eventually I just sorta stopped. The four chapters basically covered two young lovers and their first sexual explorations all over one night.

In retrospect it should have just been one story. But I was new; had no idea what I was doing.

I suppose it deserves one last chapter, because they never go all the way. But really, that's the only reason to write it: so they fuck.

Finally, My Sister's Skincare. A silly premise incest story that went two chapters.

It deserves a third but again, really only to finally have them fuck. And it's just sorta predictable.

With the exception of my Jenna series, I really don't wanna write sequels anymore unless I have a solid game plan, like I do with my Angels & Demons Saga, which will get a solid third chapter at some point.

*cough* and Traffic 2 *cough*

Oh, right it’s the lazy bitch’s turn to write something

Em

 

[YDB95]

With my "Decades" series, I had a gap of about six years between installments. Life got in the way and I had a lot of other ideas to chase down in the meantime. The new story, when I finally published it, got two comments: one complimenting me for picking it up right where I'd left off and doing a great job with it, and one that basically said "Six years, really?!"

That sums it up to me: you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself.

 

[WritingwhatIlike]

I mostly don't have any sort of guilt for how long it was taking between chapters. My life gets in the way, inspiration wanes, etc. However, there was one I did feel guilty about.

I wrote the first part of The Supplement, and to show my intent to write more I put a Pt 1 at the end of the title. I hit a complete blank when it came time to write more of it, zero idea of where to take the story. I should have submitted it as a stand alone, and it would have been fine, but because I put that Pt. 01 in the title, people wanted more, and let me know.

(Over a year later I finally buckled down and finished it. It was published a week ago and now people are asking for a part three.)

I think I'm going to finish the stories before publishing from now on.

 

[Devinter]

Nope. I don't post parts of stories until all the parts are complete. I would never post the beginning of something not knowing how it will end or how it might get there.

As an experiment - letting commenters be included in the writing process to an extent, letting me know which kinks that they wanted to see included in the next chapter and so on - I did this, twice. And whilst others might disagree, I think those two stories are easily my worst. I had the endings figured out pretty early, but "how I might get there" proved far more difficult. So once I am done with these on-going series, I won't make that mistake again.

It's one thing to write a second part to something that you didn't have planned, if the original story has a conclusions and can stand on it's own legs, but.. To sort of "make it up as you go" with a long-running series is quite troublesome, especially when writing a bunch of other stories in-between. So next time I plan a ten-part series, I will write all ten parts before uploading the first, and then just submit them a day or two apart. You live and you learn!

EDIT: And I should add that, yes, I feel guilty for working on other things before these on-going series are concluded!

 

[MillieDynamite]

Indiana Jones, but not quite right.

As an experiment - letting commenters be included in the writing process to an extent, letting me know which kinks that they wanted to see included in the next chapter and so on - I did this, twice. And whilst others might disagree, I think those two stories are easily my worst. I had the endings figured out pretty early, but "how I might get there" proved far more difficult. So once I am done with these on-going series, I won't make that mistake again.

It's one thing to write a second part to something that you didn't have planned, if the original story has a conclusions and can stand on it's own legs, but.. To sort of "make it up as you go" with a long-running series is quite troublesome, especially when writing a bunch of other stories in-between. So next time I plan a ten-part series, I will write all ten parts before uploading the first, and then just submit them a day or two apart. You live and you learn!

EDIT: And I should add that, yes, I feel guilty for working on other things before these on-going series are concluded!