Entering the Wilderness

[Emilymcplugger]

So after finishing HOT AND FUZZY’s final part and getting the poems published (song parodies) I now find myself in the position of having to start a new story from scratch with only the merest of starting points in place which means I might not be posting for quite a while.

I know many people have dozens of ideas on the go at once (something I only carry into my mainstream writing) so my question is two-fold.

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

When you know you’re gonna embark on a new king story how do you feel?

 

[Euphony]

Usually relieved.

Many large stories have times where they turn on you and you find yourself relying on seeing the thing through mentality than a surplus of creativity needing outlet.

Most stories are hella fun in the planning/beginning. That's why plenty of us have so many starts and untied threads.

Maybe I should learn to enjoy the tail end/seeing the thing through to its proper end more but my natural inclination is loving the early creativity party and feeling of wide openness.

 

[Duleigh]

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

When you know you’re gonna embark on a new king story how do you feel?

I've done so many big stories, The New Green Man (3 parts) Stormwatch (Still scribbling) We're a Wonderful Wife (20 parts) Empress (1 complete, 1 in progress, 1 more planned) Andi's Dream (Rough draft finished, it's BIG) when I'm at the point where I say, "That's it" I feel sad. I did not want to end We're a Wonderful Wife, but that's where the story finished, it was planned to end with a big happy ending or a gut twisting tear jerker. I went with Option A. because I fall in love with my characters. I'll torture them in their adventures but I'll bring them through in the end. It's just so hard to say "Thank you friends, goodbye"

Getting ready to do a big story - excited, I love drawing out the characters. I want my good guys really good, and my bad guys rotten to the core. I want to fall in love with them and I want my readers to do the same. I love building the world they're going to live in. I always use a location that's familiar to me in one form or another and I love trying to describe the location to my readers.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

A really big one? Start with post-partum depression and take it from there. My baby…

 

[Duleigh]

A really big one? Start with post-partum despression and take it from there. My baby…

I never thought of it like that but that's exactly it. Lord do I hate setting my characters free...

 

[Bazzle]

So after finishing HOT AND FUZZY’s final part and getting the poems published (song parodies) I now find myself in the position of having to start a new story from scratch with only the merest of starting points in place which means I might not be posting for quite a while.

I know many people have dozens of ideas on the go at once (something I only carry into my mainstream writing) so my question is two-fold.

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

When you know you’re gonna embark on a new king story how do you feel?

Bereft when I finish. Especially as I normally fancy the knickers off my main female protagonist. When you are finished it's depressing.
But like pets and monarchs it's useful to have a spare to take over the mantel.

 

[SimonDoom]

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

Relieved and ready to move on. But to be honest I've only published one really large story, which I published in 8 chapters from May 2017 to January 2018. But my general attitude toward finishing stories is one of relief. By the time I'm finished with a story I'm almost always eager to move on. I've got a boatload of story ideas to jump into.

 

[MelissaBaby]

So after finishing HOT AND FUZZY’s final part and getting the poems published (song parodies) I now find myself in the position of having to start a new story from scratch with only the merest of starting points in place which means I might not be posting for quite a while.

I know many people have dozens of ideas on the go at once (something I only carry into my mainstream writing) so my question is two-fold.

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

When you know you’re gonna embark on a new king story how do you feel?

I have always had something in the wings that I was anxious to get started on. I think it's important to keep an ideas file, and to save even the barest suggestion of a story concept in it. Many times, you'll look into it and not even remember what the hell you were thinking, but at least as often, you're likely to spot the blossom in the smallest of seeds.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I never thought of it like that but that's exactly it. Lord do I hate setting my characters free...

I hated it with ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE but with HOT AND FUZZY I find that I’m glad to let them go. They occupied my head for a year and I can quite happily let them do one now.

I’m about to start the pre-work on THE PROCESS. 20 athletes, 1 gene therapy program and 2 unforeseen variants. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I have always had something in the wings that I was anxious to get started on. I think it's important to keep an ideas file, and to save even the barest suggestion of a story concept in it. Many times, you'll look into it and not even remember what the hell you were thinking, but at least as often, you're likely to spot the blossom in the smallest of seeds.

I usually find new ideas come whilst I’m working on what I’m working on but I have learnt discipline in my writing.

 

[gunhilltrain]

So after finishing HOT AND FUZZY’s final part and getting the poems published (song parodies) I now find myself in the position of having to start a new story from scratch with only the merest of starting points in place which means I might not be posting for quite a while.

I know many people have dozens of ideas on the go at once (something I only carry into my mainstream writing) so my question is two-fold.

When finishing a large story how do you feel?

When you know you’re gonna embark on a new king story how do you feel?

If I have something long, I always break it into a series (if I planned it) or sequels (if it's spontaneous). I get impatient around the 8,000K word mark. And let's face it, most tales have natural break points as the days pass. Most of us are not James Joyce, who had all of Ulysses within a single day.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

If I have something long, I always break it into a series (if I planned it) or sequels (if it's spontaneous). I get impatient around the 8,000K word mark. And let's face it, most tales have natural break points as the days pass. Most of us are not James Joyce, who had all of Ulysses within a single day.

I don’t know how James Joyce did it.

How did he write about him soaring through all those galaxies?

 

[Voboy]

It's rare that I don't have something in mind before I finish, but it has happened. When it does? If I'm in a writing mood? I feel bereft, similar to how I feel if I finish reading a really good book that doesn't have a good follow-up.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I don’t know how James Joyce did it.

How did he write about him soaring through all those galaxies?

I don't think we're talking about the same James Joyce.

 

[Filipinawife]

I love the wilderness

 

[gunhilltrain]

It's rare that I don't have something in mind before I finish, but it has happened. When it does? If I'm in a writing mood? I feel bereft, similar to how I feel if I finish reading a really good book that doesn't have a good follow-up.

Most books don't have a follow-up. A few do, of course, and sometimes those can be pretty good (or not!) Anyway, I don't usually feel bereft, because usually I have something coming along. I just have to have patience because it does take a while.

 

[Voboy]

Most books don't have a follow-up. A few do, of course, and sometimes those can be pretty good (or not!) Anyway, I don't usually feel bereft, because usually I have something coming along. I just have to have patience because it does take a while.

I don't mean a sequel. I mean something just as good.

Say you're reading a strong story that you're really into. You love it enough that you eagerly grab another novel by the same author, and you devour that too. Then a third.

Eventually you run out. And when you do, you have to wake up to a world where you're used to reading great stuff, but suddenly have no great stuff left to read. So? You get that little twinge of loss.

I feel that way if I finish a good writing piece and haven't got something worth following it up with.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I love the wilderness

The Wilderness is aware….

 

[gunhilltrain]

I don't mean a sequel. I mean something just as good.

Say you're reading a strong story that you're really into. You love it enough that you eagerly grab another novel by the same author, and you devour that too. Then a third.

Eventually you run out. And when you do, you have to wake up to a world where you're used to reading great stuff, but suddenly have no great stuff left to read. So? You get that little twinge of loss.

I feel that way if I finish a good writing piece and haven't got something worth following it up with.

Well, I 'll be 68 in seven days, and I don't seem to have run out of things to either read or write. I wish I had been more focused when I was younger, but - its trite, but better late than never. I have noticed more now the crazy bullshit that is part of - well, politics, for one thing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I've had one "stupid big thing", my novel length Arthurian myth retell, 104,000 words, ten months to write. Whoa!

Once it was completed I thought, I'm happy with that, and if I get a thousand readers through to the last chapter, I'll be content. Niche writing? Yes. As of today, just over five years later, the last chapter is nudging 3200 Views, so I'm more than content. Also, I have a book with a cover on my bookshelf.

I was straight into my next piece, though. The big story was "done" so it was easy to move on. I needed to get back into the twenty-first century, after spending so long in the Dark Ages.

 

[lc69hunter]

I am being a whiney bitch here, but as most of you know, I read and rate a great number of stories. I have a question concerning these large stories. WTF would someone publish a 20 page story? Hell, I bitch at have to read a 11 or 12 page story. Please split something that size into readable chunks. 5-6 pages should be about the max chapter size. No matter what the tags and plot, no one has the time to sit and read a 20 page story.

 

[djrip]

I am being a whiney bitch here, but as most of you know, I read and rate a great number of stories. I have a question concerning these large stories. WTF would someone publish a 20 page story? Hell, I bitch at have to read a 11 or 12 page story. Please split something that size into readable chunks. 5-6 pages should be about the max chapter size. No matter what the tags and plot, no one has the time to sit and read a 20 page story.

I read one of RedLegoDragon's 20 page stories, and plan to get to more of them. But yes, the reason I haven't already read more is I can get through 5-10 other stories in the time it takes to read one of those. So long ones tend to hang back in my queue while shorter ones zip through.

Still I would advocate for breaking it up only where appropriate, not just because there's too many pages. RedLegoDragon's story (A Sordid Affair) was all one story, mostly an unbroken scene taking place within one day, with no natural breaking points, so it wouldn't make much sense to split it up.

I'm more likely to be annoyed when an author splits something that should have been one or two or three parts into a dozen chapters of a page or less each.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

I read one of RedLegoDragon's 20 page stories, and plan to get to more of them. But yes, the reason I haven't already read more is I can get through 5-10 other stories in the time it takes to read one of those. So long ones tend to hang back in my queue while shorter ones zip through.

Still I would advocate for breaking it up only where appropriate, not just because there's too many pages. RedLegoDragon's story (A Sordid Affair) was all one story, mostly an unbroken scene taking place within one day, with no natural breaking points, so it wouldn't make much sense to split it up.

I'm more likely to be annoyed when an author splits something that should have been one or two or three parts into a dozen chapters of a page or less each.

It depends where you stick it ()

In NOVELS AND NOVELLAS such lengths are commonplace (now you’re just showing off!)

Also chaptered stories tend to not do well in the middle for new authors (dropping off only to surge for the ending…what is with these double entredres today?)

 

[onehitwanda]

It depends where you stick it ()

 

[SimonDoom]

I am being a whiney bitch here, but as most of you know, I read and rate a great number of stories. I have a question concerning these large stories. WTF would someone publish a 20 page story? Hell, I bitch at have to read a 11 or 12 page story. Please split something that size into readable chunks. 5-6 pages should be about the max chapter size. No matter what the tags and plot, no one has the time to sit and read a 20 page story.

My tastes are the same as yours. I prefer not to read 20-page Lit stories. Ideal for me is 3-6 pages, and that's why most of the stories I write fall in that range as well. But the stats indicate that long stories do very well. There seem to be a lot of people with lots of big chunks of time on their hands to read Lit stories.