Writing an Addendum

[jezzaz]

So Live from the Game just finished running. (Part 1 is here http://www.literotica.com/s/live-from-the-game-ch-01).

It's gotten the most and best reaction of anything I have written - which surprises me since I would have expected the Ingrams stuff to do that. Just goes to show, you never know what you've got till it gets out in the world. I should have remembered that from my experiences in my day job.

Anyway, I actually wrote this months ago, and now I read it again, I feel like I messed up. The end confrontation with the wife needed...more. What was there was ok, but it needed more. We never really dealt with her justifications or feelings. She's a bit 2 dimensional, not 3 dimensional.

I'm seriously sitting here thinking I should write a one chapter addendum from her point of view - give her side of what happened, and then extend the story just a smidge, since people have asked "What happens next?"

Now I'm not asking is addendums or chapters from the other persons point of view are good or bad - I think that's an individual authors choice and not for me to judge, except as a piece inside the story as a whole. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Either way, it's situational.

What I'm interested in does this story need it, or am I just believing in my own press and becoming a fan wank of my own work?

Need some advice - I'm undecided here. Cheers.

 

[lovecraft68]

My opinion is a story is written start to finish as it is meant to be.

Having said that as time goes by and we evolve as writers we now look back and say , "Man I should have or wow what was I thinking?"

But all that means is we have improved and if we were to write the story today this is how I would do it.

But it doesn't mean you should.

The story is older and if you add a chapter it may not do as well and some could see it as "going to the well one to many times"

I would leave it be. If I went back and looked at my older stuff now and wanted to make it as good as I could at this point I would never be able to write anything new.

And I have no doubt two years from now I will feel the same about something I just wrote.

Also never go by "fan request" you can write 100 chapters and people will say "more!"

Let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

No story you have ever written or will ever write will be perfect. You can go back and make changes, and then six months later you'll see something else that can be fixed. If you are preparing a manuscript for sale, then by all means, give it everything you've got. But even then, once it's in print, it's finished.

Here, you can't change the experience for those who have already read it. Better to take what you have learned and apply it to your next story.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

That's not entirely true...

I wouldn't go back and change or add to one of my stories here on Lit, unless it was a glaring, bone jarring flub.

However, my for sale stuff...if I do find an error, flub, screw up or just bad shit, I will fix it and re-publish it for any new readers that purchase the work and any old reader who re-download. Just good business.

 

[Hypoxia]

I just read all four chapters, with no preconceptions. The story is a good read. As a reader, I certainly see no need for a BTB ending. But I didn't write it, and I don't know your storytelling needs. Do you NEED to write Ch.05 - DEANNA'S VIEW? Then do so. But will the addendum contribute materially to the entire story? That's for you to decide.

 

[jezzaz]

What the hell. I dropped 11k words today and did it anyway. We'll see how the Hoi Polloi take it.

 

[StrangeLife]

I'm seriously sitting here thinking I should write a one chapter addendum from her point of view - give her side of what happened, and then extend the story just a smidge, since people have asked "What happens next?"

I have read several stories on Lit where there was an added chapter telling the same story from the other spouses point of view - sometimes they're interesting and other times they're not. But they are rarely necessary.

In your case, you have a really good grip on your characters and their motivations, and I doubt that any of your readers are left with questions unanswered. Despite the fact that the protagonist was the husband and the story was told from his point of view, you managed to paint a clear picture of the wife's motivation through their interaction and his findings.

But of course it's up to you as the author to decide whether or not there is more to tell about the couple and more angles to their story. Take care not to make "a George Lucas" though...

 

[mikoli5763]

Yes, I did.

Quote:
In your case, you have a really good grip on your characters and their motivations, and I doubt that any of your readers are left with questions unanswered.


I may have been the only one, but I did have questions after reading all four chapters. I also don't see how the story can be older since it just posted this week unless the commenter was talking about when the author wrote the story.