About to upload a sequel to a series. Should I do a "Chapter 0"?

MrPixel

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What I've been writing over the past year-plus has been published more or less like a TV series - "seasons" containing many "episodes", with several months between seasons. I'm about to drop another "season" into the hopper. Given the five months since the last one, I'm having a nagging thought about writing a "Chapter 0" to either remind readers where we are in the story, or as a lead-in for folks new to the series.

This fifth "season" begins the day after the previous one ended. The problem, if you want to call it that, is my editor complained to me about, "Too many characters, I forgot who they are and it's taking too much mental effort to get back into the flow." Now I have to discount that she's not a fiction reader nor takes any interest in serial dramas, literary, TV or cinema; her background is history publishing in academic settings. So she's editing mostly for grammar, spelling and punctuation, and basic readability. The red pencil has remained in the pencil cup so far.

I really don't want to write a "where we last left off" chapter. Frankly? Go back to the previous season if you want to catch up. There is a two-paragraph lead-in, but nothing outlining characters or where relationships stand as the season begins. I started a skeleton of a more comprehensive intro, and everything I wrote felt forced.
 
I don't usually write series stories for this same reason. I do have a few, but when I did the original proofread on them, I usually found the same thing your editor stated. I'd lost track of who the characters were and where they were going when I left the prior story in the series. If your editor has read all your past stories in the series and she's having trouble, it's a safe bet your readers will too unless they're devout followers of your work.

One way to solve that problem is to begin with a paragraph or two to bring the reader back up to speed and also tell the new reader there is a series out there that will help. It can be something as short as, "If you haven't read my other stories about (fill in the main character's names), they're ....(fill in the general plot of the series).

In the series stories I have written, I ended up making them essentially stand-alone stories with the same main character. That way they read much the same as a TV or old movie serial. A reader who has been following the series won't be confused because they'll remember the characters and what happened. A new reader will be reading a new story along with getting the information and more stories exist.

Your editor's comment about the number of characters is valid. A lot of main characters can make a story very confusing to read, and more so if you don't somehow re-introduce each character in each series. The traits of a character that were introduced in the first series are still in your mind but your readers probably won't remember.
 
My suggestion would be to do what I have seen other authors do, which is create a "Guide to" style blurb within your profile and then link to your profile at the beginning of each new series. (Ironic since I just created a thread about profile updating)

I may take my own advice here and do something like this within my profile to help readers navigate my stories in the correct sequence.
 
Maybe a re-introduction chapter with a light touch, leading with "If you've been following the story, you can skip this intro. If not, you might want to grab a notepad and pencil along with that cup of coffee."

The multiplicity of primary characters is one of the main features of the series. Lots of cross-pollination. Definitely not single-threaded.

As to sequence, I'm now relying on the story grouping feature which allows reordering in the author index without the strict naming convention for title sorting.
 
"If you've been following the story, you can skip this intro. If not, you might want to grab a notepad and pencil along with that cup of coffee."
Is drinking coffee while reading erotica a new trend I am unaware of?

Inviting them to grab the notepad and pencil along with a tube of lube might be more enticing of an intro.
 
Maybe a re-introduction chapter with a light touch, leading with "If you've been following the story, you can skip this intro. If not, you might want to grab a notepad and pencil along with that cup of coffee."

The multiplicity of primary characters is one of the main features of the series. Lots of cross-pollination. Definitely not single-threaded.

As to sequence, I'm now relying on the story grouping feature which allows reordering in the author index without the strict naming convention for title sorting.
This is basically the idea - I think I mentioned it before - if you have stories or sequels branching off. It happens without planning for it usually. I think an explanation at the top of certain stories, and some links perhaps, are sufficient. An new "reintroduction chapter" is probably not necessary. I think you're being tongue-in-cheek when you suggest readers actually make notes about it. I highly doubt that anybody on Lit would do that.

It's possible things will get a bit messy, but it's likely many people will not read everything in your "universe," as the term is sometimes used. You may wish that they did, but some will just not do it. People's attention spans are just not that long. You'd have to have the success of J.K. Rowling to expect that to happen.
 
My suggestion would be to do what I have seen other authors do, which is create a "Guide to" style blurb within your profile and then link to your profile at the beginning of each new series. (Ironic since I just created a thread about profile updating)

I may take my own advice here and do something like this within my profile to help readers navigate my stories in the correct sequence.
I doubt that most readers look at author profiles, so explaining anything in those is probably a waste. As I explained below, any navigation has to be provided within the stories themselves. Also, I mentioned that readers may ignore your preferred sequence and just read whatever interests them, maybe not even in the correct order.
 
I doubt that most readers look at author profiles, so explaining anything in those is probably a waste. As I explained below, any navigation has to be provided within the stories themselves. Also, I mentioned that readers may ignore your preferred sequence and just read whatever interests them, maybe not even in the correct order.
The link to your profile can be included anwhere within a story.

Placing a link to the profile with a tip to go there for details on previous stories or other advice to readers is an established practice on Literotica and other sites. Whether readers do anything with the advice is their choice. All an author can do is offer it.
 
What I've been writing over the past year-plus has been published more or less like a TV series - "seasons" containing many "episodes", with several months between seasons. I'm about to drop another "season" into the hopper. Given the five months since the last one, I'm having a nagging thought about writing a "Chapter 0" to either remind readers where we are in the story, or as a lead-in for folks new to the series.

This fifth "season" begins the day after the previous one ended. The problem, if you want to call it that, is my editor complained to me about, "Too many characters, I forgot who they are and it's taking too much mental effort to get back into the flow." Now I have to discount that she's not a fiction reader nor takes any interest in serial dramas, literary, TV or cinema; her background is history publishing in academic settings. So she's editing mostly for grammar, spelling and punctuation, and basic readability. The red pencil has remained in the pencil cup so far.

I really don't want to write a "where we last left off" chapter. Frankly? Go back to the previous season if you want to catch up. There is a two-paragraph lead-in, but nothing outlining characters or where relationships stand as the season begins. I started a skeleton of a more comprehensive intro, and everything I wrote felt forced.
Only if you feel it needs it. I was writing HOT AND FUZZY and had my chapters laid out, but I realised I could have a bit more fun and mileage by writing a prelude to really sell how the characters got there and so Part 0 - Prelude was born.
 
I just finished a "Chapter 0" that I'm relatively happy with. I will mull its inclusion. Looks like the editor is going to take a couple of days with the rest of it, so there's no rush.
 
The link to your profile can be included anwhere within a story.

Placing a link to the profile with a tip to go there for details on previous stories or other advice to readers is an established practice on Literotica and other sites. Whether readers do anything with the advice is their choice. All an author can do is offer it.
I'd probably have a link to my story submissions in a particuar story, although I haven't done that yet. That is part of the profile. However, I don't think there is much in the biography page that is of interest to readers.

So far I've only done story to story links, if they are in the same series or otherwise have a plot connection. There is another site that has an "author blog," which is another way to communicate to readers. So far the results have been erratic. If anybody does respond, it seems to be to a story, not the blog post that mentions it. The last story I posted there had thirty-one votes, but no comments. Maybe some of the voters read the blog; I have no way of knowing unless they specifically refer to it.
 
I just finished a "Chapter 0" that I'm relatively happy with. I will mull its inclusion. Looks like the editor is going to take a couple of days with the rest of it, so there's no rush.
The only thing is that you can't put "zero" into the numbering system, but you probably already know that. If you wish, you could name it "Gone With the Wind, Chapter 0," although it would still be a stand-alone story in the Lit system.
 
The only thing is that you can't put "zero" into the numbering system, but you probably already know that. If you wish, you could name it "Gone With the Wind, Chapter 0," although it would still be a stand-alone story in the Lit system.
Yes you can. I have a Dark Chronicles Ch.00, because I wanted it function as a Prologue, followed by a Ch.01. It fits properly in sequence.
 
Yes you can. I have a Dark Chronicles Ch.00, because I wanted it function as a Prologue, followed by a Ch.01. It fits properly in sequence.
That's a new one to me. Usually people have two digits for chapters, but you can got to three if you wish. The most chapters I've seen on another site is about 77, but I've heard that some people do go over a hundred.
 
That's a new one to me. Usually people have two digits for chapters, but you can got to three if you wish. The most chapters I've seen on another site is about 77, but I've heard that some people do go over a hundred.
Yes, if you plan more than a hundred chapters (but why on earth would you?), you'd have to start with Ch.001 (or Ch.000) to keep everything in sequence.

There are some really long series here on Lit, but I don't know how they started out numbering. Telfer (?) has a huge story, with over a hundred chapters, I think - that's the longest one I know of (if it's still here).
 
Yes, if you plan more than a hundred chapters (but why on earth would you?), you'd have to start with Ch.001 (or Ch.000) to keep everything in sequence.

There are some really long series here on Lit, but I don't know how they started out numbering. Telfer (?) has a huge story, with over a hundred chapters, I think - that's the longest one I know of (if it's still here).
It seems unlikely that anyone would anticipate over a hundred chapters. but you just gave an example of one. They'd have to be really dedicated to avoid losing interest in writing their series. But there are 1,000 page novels out there, which seems a bit excessive in most cases. RIP David Foster Wallace. :(
 
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