How often to submit episodes in a series? (And other questions)

[DarianBlack]

I'm a (kinda) new writer here on Lit - My first attempt at being one was years ago, but due to the economy and a series of unfortunate events, I was forced to stop writing here basically before I began.

Now I'm back - My writing has improved a little, much of my practice still in paper form in a file cabinet - and I've some questions for you more seasoned Literoti...cans.



Question 1 - I'm currently writing a series (Incest/Romance/Adventure). I'm about six chapters in, with each chapter being somewhere in the range of 8k to 15k words. I'll be submitting each chapter separately, save the first two, as Chapter 1 is short and rather like a prologue.

A number of things need to happen simply for it to be "ready." I have to first, type it up. Then quickly edit it myself for errors of any sort (The time-consuming ones are generally my not being satisfied with the mood, phrasing, or way I relate something to the reader.)

After this I must send it to my Editor(s). This is not too worrisome, as one of the primary reasons for having multiple editors is redundancy - I don't want to keep my readers waiting just in case for some reason or another my editor cannot work on the story. (The second most reason is that I like multiple points of view ^^)

Then, presumably I'll be sending this draft to my beta readers, when/if I acquire them. Which I'm fairly sure I will, as I've had a couple offers from friends ^_^

Then back to me for a possible revision - then BACK to the editor for a quick check (unless the changes were minor or non-existant). And finally... after all that, I can actually submit the story, which in itself takes a few days. (I'm not too worried about it being rejected)

So, put simply: How often should I be putting up a new chapter?

The obvious answer is "However long it takes." But with such a system, I'm doomed to lethargy. I'll fret and fuss over the story until it's UP. After that, I take a deep breath and move on. With a time-line of some sort, I have a goal. And with a goal, I've motivation to continue the series.




OK! Sorry, I got rather long-winded there.

Question 2 - Is having beta readers a good idea?

The way I see it, they function similar to editors, only involving creativity. My plot-editors, so to speak. They'll say "Oh I would love to see this" or "I didn't like that" and I'll be able to see my work from another's point of view before making it public. And, possibly take the ideas that appeal to me and use them in the current or future chapters.

A simple deadline will cut down on the amount of time spent on this process - If they don't get back to me in time, I simply go along without there input (until they do get around to it). However, I couldn't see giving them less than a week.

So, what's your opinion?




Question 3 - What should I expect, should I continue to write a series?

The unknowns, things that wouldn't occur to me, and anything that may help before I actually begin. I'm afraid this is rather vague, but I feel its important I include it nonetheless. Anything you could think of, tips, advice, hints, would be greatly appreciated.




I value all your input, and thank you in advance for your time.

~DB

 

[oggbashan]

Q1. You can submit all episodes at once. Unless you ask, in the Notes field, they would usually be posted on consecutive days.

Q2. Any second opinions are usually a good idea if they are objective. However your finest critic is usually yourself.

Q3.

a) If you submit a series of episodes or chapters you should follow the normal numbering convention i.e. My Story Ch.01, 02, 03 etc. Don't forget the starting 0, because that allows you to write 99 chapters in order. Otherwise chapter 10 will show before chapter 2, like this:

Chapter 1
Chapter 10
Chapter 11 (to 19)
Chapter 2
Chapter 20
Chapter 21 (to 29)
Chapter 3...

b) Even if you write a series of chapters or episodes, you should expect them to be judged, voted and commented on as individual stories, so each should have a beginning, development and ending - a cliff-hanging ending to encourage the reader to move to the next part is a good idea.

c) The views and comments will tend to reduce from Chapter 01 to Chapter 02, again from 02 to 03... because those who opened the first Chapter and didn't like it won't move on to Chapter 02.

d) The whole series should be in one category otherwise you can piss off everyone by having Incest followed by BDSM and then Inter-racial. If you can't guarantee to stick to one category you should start and continue in Novels and Novellas.

e) It is best to have a good idea, before you start, of how many episodes there will be, and how long it will take you to write the complete series. You might find, as I have, that you can't complete the series in a reasonable time, and therefore annoy your readers by leaving the story unfinished for years.

Hope those thoughts help.

Og

 

[DarianBlack]

Thank you for the advice! ^_^'

However, about question 1 - It was more to the point of "How often should I write another chapter?"

I generally like to be a few chapters ahead, as well. Gives me some wiggle-room to slack off here and there

 

[oggbashan]

Thank you for the advice! ^_^'

However, about question 1 - It was more to the point of "How often should I write another chapter?"

I generally like to be a few chapters ahead, as well. Gives me some wiggle-room to slack off here and there

Just keep writing until you run out of ideas or time...

Og

 

[sr71plt]

You should write chapters as they come to you.

You have to be a really, really good writer to write a good story that you start posting before you finish writing it, though.

 

[Weird Harold]

Thank you for the advice! ^_^'

However, about question 1 - It was more to the point of "How often should I write another chapter?"

I generally like to be a few chapters ahead, as well. Gives me some wiggle-room to slack off here and there

Each chapter will stay on the New Stories List for seven days. Once a story drops off the new stories list it tends to get forgotten completely.

Other than that bit of trivia and the automatic one-a-day posting of chapters submitted in a batch, there no one answer for how often to post a chapter.

The big question to answer is whether you're writing an open-ended soap-opera, a Saturday Matinee serial, or just serializing a novel -- as far as timing, that equates to daily, weekly, or monthly, although there are other differences as well.

If you're serializing a novel, that gives you a month to finish each chapter and as long as your readers know up front to expect a monthly installment you shouldn't get too much flak about it. It would still be best to finish the whole thing before submitting, though.

If you're doing a soap opera or saturday matinee serial , you'll be a bit more pressed for time -- and SMSs tended to be of a fixed length and scripted completely before distribution -- but you won't lose quite as many readers between chapters.

I wouldn't go much longer than a month between installments; it is very hard to maintain readership for quarterly, bi-annual or annual series.

Whatever interval you choose, it would be best to have a buffer of episodes to cover any slippage in the editorial process. If the series has a definite planned end, the buffer ideally should be the entire series.

There is a practical reason for not submitting until you're finished -- submitting a chapter locks you into the events depicted in that chapter; even if you go back and revise it, your readers are unlikely to go back and re-read it. Sometimes the cure for writers' block in Chapter Fifty is to straighten out plotting error in Chapter Two that painted you into a corner and you can't do that effectively if Chapters Two through Forty-nine are already posted.

 

[jomar]

...
You have to be a really, really good writer to write a story that you start posting before you finish writing it, though.

Thanks for the compliment!

 

[DarianBlack]

Each chapter will stay on the New Stories List for seven days. Once a story drops off the new stories list it tends to get forgotten completely.

Other than that bit of trivia and the automatic one-a-day posting of chapters submitted in a batch, there no one answer for how often to post a chapter.

The big question to answer is whether you're writing an open-ended soap-opera, a Saturday Matinee serial, or just serializing a novel -- as far as timing, that equates to daily, weekly, or monthly, although there are other differences as well.

If you're serializing a novel, that gives you a month to finish each chapter and as long as your readers know up front to expect a monthly installment you shouldn't get too much flak about it. It would still be best to finish the whole thing before submitting, though.

If you're doing a soap opera or saturday matinee serial , you'll be a bit more pressed for time -- and SMSs tended to be of a fixed length and scripted completely before distribution -- but you won't lose quite as many readers between chapters.

I wouldn't go much longer than a month between installments; it is very hard to maintain readership for quarterly, bi-annual or annual series.

Whatever interval you choose, it would be best to have a buffer of episodes to cover any slippage in the editorial process. If the series has a definite planned end, the buffer ideally should be the entire series.

There is a practical reason for not submitting until you're finished -- submitting a chapter locks you into the events depicted in that chapter; even if you go back and revise it, your readers are unlikely to go back and re-read it. Sometimes the cure for writers' block in Chapter Fifty is to straighten out plotting error in Chapter Two that painted you into a corner and you can't do that effectively if Chapters Two through Forty-nine are already posted.

That's exactly the kind of input I was looking for, thank you so very much.

I'm not sure if it would fall under the category of Soap Opera or novel, it's a bit of both I think. I was going with the "Make each chapter good enough to qualify as it's own story" rule, which sorta gives it the feel of a soap, but ultimately I planned it as a novel. Several novels, actually. It's all I really know how to write xD'

Each chapter for the first book is already fleshed out with my own little drafting system that works for me - I like weaving things into the story so that something you forgot about in chapter 2 actually works in chapter 50 I try to follow the rule of "If you see a gun in chapter 1, you better see it fired by chapter 3. Otherwise, what's it doing in the story?" Try being the key word, of course.

But as far as the plot goes - it's all worked out. If I run into problems I'll have to improv my way out... *shrugs* But this will be my first real series here, so I don't expect perfection. I just loved the idea when it occurred to me, and knew it would be a shame if it was never written. So I will.

Twice monthly or once a month will probably be the speed I'm looking for, I think. Or perhaps two chapters a month would be better... I can write a chapter in single sitting. Shouldn't be hard to do that twice a month.

Thanks again ^_^

 

[sr71plt]

Thanks for the compliment!

Yeah, I left out an important adjective on that the first time around.

 

[jomar]

Yeah, I left out an important adjective on that the first time around.

Shhh!

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm a (kinda) new writer here on Lit - My first attempt at being one was years ago, but due to the economy and a series of unfortunate events, I was forced to stop writing here basically before I began.

Now I'm back - My writing has improved a little, much of my practice still in paper form in a file cabinet - and I've some questions for you more seasoned Literoti...cans.



Question 1 - I'm currently writing a series (Incest/Romance/Adventure). I'm about six chapters in, with each chapter being somewhere in the range of 8k to 15k words. I'll be submitting each chapter separately, save the first two, as Chapter 1 is short and rather like a prologue.

A number of things need to happen simply for it to be "ready." I have to first, type it up. Then quickly edit it myself for errors of any sort (The time-consuming ones are generally my not being satisfied with the mood, phrasing, or way I relate something to the reader.)

After this I must send it to my Editor(s). This is not too worrisome, as one of the primary reasons for having multiple editors is redundancy - I don't want to keep my readers waiting just in case for some reason or another my editor cannot work on the story. (The second most reason is that I like multiple points of view ^^)

Then, presumably I'll be sending this draft to my beta readers, when/if I acquire them. Which I'm fairly sure I will, as I've had a couple offers from friends ^_^

Then back to me for a possible revision - then BACK to the editor for a quick check (unless the changes were minor or non-existant). And finally... after all that, I can actually submit the story, which in itself takes a few days. (I'm not too worried about it being rejected)

So, put simply: How often should I be putting up a new chapter?

The obvious answer is "However long it takes." But with such a system, I'm doomed to lethargy. I'll fret and fuss over the story until it's UP. After that, I take a deep breath and move on. With a time-line of some sort, I have a goal. And with a goal, I've motivation to continue the series.




OK! Sorry, I got rather long-winded there.

Question 2 - Is having beta readers a good idea?

The way I see it, they function similar to editors, only involving creativity. My plot-editors, so to speak. They'll say "Oh I would love to see this" or "I didn't like that" and I'll be able to see my work from another's point of view before making it public. And, possibly take the ideas that appeal to me and use them in the current or future chapters.

A simple deadline will cut down on the amount of time spent on this process - If they don't get back to me in time, I simply go along without there input (until they do get around to it). However, I couldn't see giving them less than a week.

So, what's your opinion?




Question 3 - What should I expect, should I continue to write a series?

The unknowns, things that wouldn't occur to me, and anything that may help before I actually begin. I'm afraid this is rather vague, but I feel its important I include it nonetheless. Anything you could think of, tips, advice, hints, would be greatly appreciated.




I value all your input, and thank you in advance for your time.

~DB

If you are going to have 6 or so ready to go at once I suggest posting one once a week this way you have some stuff "banked" in case you run dry. I agree with OG tha tdefinetely expect viewws votes to go down with chpater number. Whne the strokers see Ch 10 they don't want to invest the time. Good news is you will pick up a core following and your scores will be good because you now have a "fan base" My story is at ch 26 the first couple are 100,000+ views they then decline right now am seeing 6-8000 but the votes have been all but identical fro the past 10. One thing I learned the hard way is not to "spoil" the readers. I had a lot previously written and tore it up this summer putting up 15 stories in a couple of months and no more than two weeks have gone by without an entry in my series until now. I am stuck on finishing a six parter. Now mind you I have kicked out 2 chapters of my ongoing sonce then but am getting e-mails saying "It's been awhile" and "what are you doing" so certainly don't let a lot of time elapse (over a month you will see big decreases.) but don't blow the wad so to speak.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Are these actually chapters in a story or are they related stories involving the same characters? In the case of the former the above advice is probably the best way to go but if you are just writing separate stories about the same characters I'd say post them as you write them.

But what do I know?

 

[sr71plt]

If I'm posting a series, I complete the series and then submit the next chapter after the previous one has posted.

 

[michchick98]

I recently posted a story with chapters and submitted each chapter so they'd appear daily for seven days (seven chapter story). I only did that because the story had already been completed.

If I'm working on a story and intend to post it here, I'll try to get a few chapters ahead before I start posting, just in case I run into a wall or have a bad case of writer's block or whatever. When I do it this way, I usually time them to be 3 - 4 days apart. So that gives me 6 - 8 days between chapters to finish each consecutive chapter before posting.

All the other advice is good as well, but I think it mostly depends on you and your readers. If you want to get the story out there quickly, perhaps get yourself a few chapters ahead. If you're okay with going at a more leisurely pace, then once a week or a bit longer in between would probably be okay. As long as you can finish the story.

There are some authors here who haven't posted chapters in months, or there are huge gaps between their chapters. I understand that life gets in the way, but I think that's why many authors here will get themselves ahead (bank the chapters...whoever said that, I like that phrase) so if something does keep them from writing, they still have something to give to their readers.

Welcome to Literotica and the AH.

 

[Weird Harold]

I'm not sure if it would fall under the category of Soap Opera or novel, it's a bit of both I think.

Can't be both.

A soap opera is intended to last fifty-plus years -- or as long as ratings hold up -- and runs multiple concurrent plotlines. There is no predermined ending until the sponsor says "this is the last check."

A serialized novel has a predetermined ending and each chapter/installment is minimally structured as a standalone story. The more often you post, the less the chapters need to be structured to stand alone. For your proposed "payday" schedule (first and fifteenth) you need a little more structure than daily or alternate day posting.

 

[DarianBlack]

Are these actually chapters in a story or are they related stories involving the same characters? In the case of the former the above advice is probably the best way to go but if you are just writing separate stories about the same characters I'd say post them as you write them.

But what do I know?

If I were to edit them slightly they would be chapters, but I've written them closer to "To be continued" type individual stories. It's sorta like a TV show in that regard... except there will be a conclusive (and hopefully gratifying) end with the hint of a sequel... maybe. I like character development... the more you know about them the more ya get into there heads.

I think a twice monthly "payday" kinda schedual would be good, or perhaps instead of submitting them chapter by chapter, I'll submit them once a month (at the latest) but two chapters in one story, "Darian's Story Ch. 08-09" for example. That'd actually make it easier on me... I wouldn't have to go with the whole "My brother and I were doing this when this happened, and now we find ourselves here" as much.

*shrugs* I'll experiment. I'm still basically a virgin at this stuff