How long is too long?

[OnnaDare]

I'm talking about stories here, lol.

I've been catching up on some threads and have noticed some talk of people saying that 4-5-6 page lit stories are too long and they lose interest after 2.

Have any of you an opinion on this? How much is too much?

Do long stories hurt reads?

 

[NotWise]

"Too long" is not as much of a problem as "too short."

Short stories tend to score poorly. I think a lot of authors here target the 3-4-5-6 page range for a combination of votes and scores. Longer stories are likely to get a good number of reads (no-one knows how long a story is until they open it, and that seems to count as a read), but fewer people finishing the story. The ratings may be high.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There is no such thing as too long. I've seen a 240,000 single submission - it was being read by the tens-of-thousands.

Having said that, 3 - 4 Lit pages (10k - 15k words) seems to be a comfortable chapter length or single story length. But I've had 10 Lit pages do just as well.

You'll find as many people in the "I don't read long stories" camp as there are in the "Ohmigod give me more" coterie, so I wouldn't worry too much about an "ideal length" because, like cocks, there isn't one.

 

[Hypoxia]

A fairly recent analysis showed that 9-11 LIT pages captured the highest vote scores. I edited a major contest winner that was 20 LIT pages, over 70k words, novella-length. My highest-voted tales range 2-8 pages; my lowest go 2-4 pages. No formula exists. Just write well.

How long should a story be? Just long enough. Maybe a little more or less. It depends.

 

[WoolyWorm]

With my stories, I've noticed a distinct pattern. My stories of 4+ pages tend to get red H's. My stories of 2–3 pages usually end up in the 4.30–4.45 range. And my 1-page stories typically flop, often with scores below 4.00 (although I've seen other authors do well with their shorties).

I've never written a really long one, but from what I've observed, they tend to score very well. Greater length seems to thwart the 1-bombers. But it probably also reduces the number of people who'll read your story to completion.

 

[HeyAll]

Long stories are a big risk.

On one hand, a lot of the most favorited stories, and highest scores, are long stories.

On the flipside, what if no one reads it?

 

[OnnaDare]

Thanks!

Good to know! My stories tend to be of the 4-5-6 length. New comp without Word (just bare-bones WordPad) got me to wondering, as there is no word-count function.

In a related note, do RTF files italics post in the new Lit control panel?

I use italics to mark the characters inner thoughts.

 

[blozo]

My highest rated story is 4 pages. My longest is 6 pages, and it's highly rated too.
My lowest rated stories are both less than 1000 words.
I've got a couple scoring in the low 4's that are right at 3500 words. Go much longer than that and you risk an awkward page break. (See my story "Redemption" for an example of an awkward page break)

 

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

99% of LIT stories need serious editing. One LIT page max.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Good to know! My stories tend to be of the 4-5-6 length. New comp without Word (just bare-bones WordPad) got me to wondering, as there is no word-count function.

In a related note, do RTF files italics post in the new Lit control panel?

I use italics to mark the characters inner thoughts.

I've had html fails using .rtf that I couldn't find a cause for, and no consistency (some chapters converted ok, the next one didn't). I now find 'he thought she thought' tags to be more reliable and less hassle. I probably started doing something differently (wrongly), but I don't what it was - something definitely changed somewhere along the way, coz what worked, stopped working. Not worth the effort to investigate, to be hones, I just tweaked how I wrote.

 

[TxRad]

How long is too long? Simple answer, one word past the end of the story.

 

[Emirus]

I wouldn't worry too much about an "ideal length" because, like cocks, there isn't one.

You are just crude!!!!! Perhaps that’s why your stories score well.

 

[Emirus]

Short stories do tend to score badly unless they are different but even then you can’t be certain. I wrote a short story in Romance that I considered different and, apparently, so did readers because it has scored well. My shortest story is in Humour and this time readers didn’t seem to have the same sense of humour as myself because it’s my lowest scoring story. Did it’s length affect the score or was it the content?

I’ve got the first two parts of a trilogy covering five days which have scored okay. Total length up to now 20k words and the third part will take it over 30k. Would it do better if it the two chapters had been submitted as a longer story? I’ve no idea but I tend to lose interest in both reading and writing after four pages.

Two to four pages is the ideal length for me both as a writer and reader. I’ve only read one story of eleven pages that I can remember and have gone back and read again. I’ve begun reading long stories and given up.

My highest scoring story, at 4.81, was originally submitted as short chapters and the result was disastrous. That taught me a lesson.

How many people read a very long story completely and how many people read six/seven pages? They’ve enjoyed what they’ve read and voted on that basis. As far as I’m aware if someone opens a story but only looks at the first page it counts in the same way as if the whole story has been read.

 

[ElectricBlue]

As far as I’m aware if someone opens a story but only looks at the first page it counts in the same way as if the whole story has been read.

Yes, that's one view. With stand-alone stories we have zero idea how many people read the whole thing.

One can get a bit of a clue from multi-chapter stories - I work on the basis that maybe one fifth of views are complete reads of a stand-alone story (that's typically how many read the last chapter of a multi-chapter thing, compared with views of the first chapter).

 

[davion2308]

Post your word count

I think as long as you post a word count and the readers look down at the Pages # and see something that interests them, it's not too long.

Set your expectations. Did you drop a quick 2,500 word story? Tell us! Is it more like 10,000? Tell us that too.

People will farm themselves out and decide what their ideal length is. I think 4-6 pages is usually well-written, in-depth, and engaging.

It's easy to just write a sex scene but without any context, few people will enjoy it compared to a sex scene with compelling characters that the reader roots for, you know?

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

99% of LIT stories need serious editing. One LIT page max.

It sounds so bad and arrogant to say that...

...er, but I happen to agree. Sure it's a soundbite kind of statement and maybe it's a flashing neon sign rather than meant to be a mathematically PERFECTLY correct analysis, but yeah; point. And yes some people have styles that set out to be wordy or to meander for some purpose of effect they are seeking.

If you are doing PURE erotica without letting (IE warning) everyone know beforehand 'hey this is A STORY' being posted here, then a lot of stuff loses me in about five paragraphs, and mainly because the words in those paragraphs are pretty mediocre writing.

But I would not claim to be representative of ALL the zillions of readers who apparently High Five Jesus-Only-Knows how many Jeremy Fragluminati bot stories by the thousand here.

I sure as hell ain't the world's best writer, not even close. Whoever wrote the Captain Marvel film script is that. Wow. What a great story. What a great movie. Gee Hollywood packs 'em in and makes so much cash compared to lowly lowly cooks like me.

 

[Handley_Page]

"Desiremakesmeweak
Quote:
Originally Posted by FEELINGLUCKYPUNK
99% of LIT stories need serious editing. One LIT page max.

It sounds so bad and arrogant to say that...
...er, but I happen to agree."


Erm. . I disagree. One Lit page (about 3700 words) may be good for a fairly-documented BJ or even a tolerable fuck, but I've not noticed much erudition; more like a "wot I did next" or a medical text. Not exactly "Literature", I'd call it.

A fairly brief reading session for me revolves around 11,000 words (say three Lit pages), where a story can be told with excitement, even guile & cunning, with a generous layer of raw sex in for good measure.
I ain't usually one for 10 or more pages; my eyes tend to glaze or get painful. But I can and do sometimes download a story of later reading; where I can put some sort of bookmark in between sessions.

But to the OP, I suggest that there's no such thing as 'too long' per se; it depends on how well you told the story.

 

[Emirus]

99% of LIT stories need serious editing. One LIT page max.

I wouldn’t say anywhere close to 99% of stories need editing. I would say a significant amount. One page maximum. Ridiculous.

I’ve recently read a couple of stories by someone who has submitted approximately 150 stories in the last two years. One story every five days. Quantity not quality seems to be his mantra. Plot wise he’s okay but apart from that it’s all downhill and in writing all those stories he hasn’t learned anything about correct spelling, using the correct words for context, length of story and the usual punctuation and obviously no editor.

I was savaged, quite rightly, with my first story which I put on story feedback. I think I’ve learned from it and that everything about my writing (ego coming up) has improved considerably. I’ve also been fortunate in striking up a friendship with another writer and we edit each other’s stories

But 99% need editing? No. .

 

[Emirus]

I wouldn't consider him, or the other clown, to be an authority. 99% of their comments is cow-dung.

I agree with you. He starts numerous threads that I never respond to but in this instance I did think, even if he probably was just stirring the excrement, it was worth noting the truth.

 

[SimonDoom]

There is no right length, although stories under one page tend not to score as well as longer stories. Long stories do quite well, although there are some readers who don't read them.

What's interesting is that the idea of the right length for a short story at Literotica is skewed high. The average New Yorker story, for example, is 2,000 to 10,000 words That's less than three Lit pages, so an average short story would be considered short at Literotica. I think the reason for that is many people read erotica for arousal, and it takes some time to get people aroused. A typical erotic story has two parts: buildup and climax, and many readers expect both to be a certain minimum length for the story fully to satisfy them. That's not to say it's right or that there's no other way to do it, but it seems to be common practice for many authors.

 

[gunhilltrain]

You have the option of submitting it in chapters. Say, write the whole thing and then release the chapters in quick succession. The chapter breaks may be wherever there is some change of scene or pace - however the pros do it in novellas I guess.

It's a trade-off. As has been said here before, you can lose your way trying the guess what the readers want. You have to please yourself first and they will come to you.

 

[rebel_code]

What's interesting is that the idea of the right length for a short story at Literotica is skewed high. The average New Yorker story, for example, is 2,000 to 10,000 words That's less than three Lit pages, so an average short story would be considered short at Literotica. I think the reason for that is many people read erotica for arousal, and it takes some time to get people aroused.

This mirrors my thoughts. It's been a puzzlement to me, as I always seem to fall into the 5000 to 10,000 word range. I think I can do a pretty good buildup in that space, and have had comments to that effect. Most of my stories have done quite well in the ratings. It kind of bugs me, though, that the expectation seems to be that a story should go on for page after page beyond that. Some long ones I've read are worth it. Others...not so much. I'll just keep on doing what I do, though.

 

[MelissaBaby]

You'll find as many people in the "I don't read long stories" camp as there are in the "Ohmigod give me more" coterie, so I wouldn't worry too much about an "ideal length" because, like cocks, there isn't one.

Well. Hmm.

No, I think I'll leave that alone.

I haven't set out to write any particular length story. When I think it includes what I want to say, that's that. I do usually work towards a known end, that may limit the length in some way. It does seem that my average wordage is gradually increasing.

 

[Hypoxia]

I do like to write short pieces, often too short. I've well-received submissions that frame a number of shorts within a plot device -- folks lounging around a campfire or bar telling sex stories, or an MC narrating unconnected incidents of travel -- been there, fucked that. The trick: the last episode should be rousing. Or tragic. Recovering from tragedy usually grabs votes.

 

[Pocketshaver]

its realitively easy really

its all based on information content, the ability to remember it, and how long it takes to replace what you know.


For example, in a standard business management textbook, youll normally do 3 chapters in a week. You cant remember shit from each chapter, let alone all 3 when it comes time to do a test.

SO the material/writing is to damn long.

SO instead of writing, and publishing the entire scripts for The Waltons as a single story submission of 30,000 pages that would have ANYONE sucking on a shotgun after 3 minutes...

You need to chop things up into something called chapters. Small pieces of the story that are focused on one situation or event. The serials/one reel shorts of the early days of cinema used that chapter format to save money on filming.

SO instead of making one 50 minute movie called "the lone ranger" you have 23 15 minute short films focused on individual parts of the overall movie.

Writing needs to be that way. There are many writers who can actually create a 20-40 page story submission that works fine as written words. But when put together like that as one chapter.... you cant remember what happened for more then two pages.

Meaning, what you read on page 3 is forgotten by the time you get to page 9.

Tefler hit that issue with his "three square meals aday" science fiction story. ITs a good idea overall. But when you read the series from start to finish, that burnout hit the writer as well as the reader.

He started the series with 10-20 page chapters that were hard to follow. Hes gotten to shorter chapters of 8-10 pages after the first 90, but a lot of the sex is still the same event re written over and over again.