Have you ever added a chapter to a story you thought you were done with

[32aa]

After posting, what I considered to be the final chapter of a couple of my stories, a number of readers comment that it shouldn't end there. Some want 'Closure'. Have you ever done that... gone back and added to what you considered a 'finished' story?

I wouldn't mind doing it but, I'm a slow writer, so to that the 'Final' chapter could be weeks, or months out there. I would think that you almost have to give a re-cap of what happened and the reason for the new chapter.

But then again... readers are fickle. They will probably forget they even made such a comment.

Just curious.

 

[Euphony]

Yes but my motivation is always the characters speaking to me further rather than the readers.

Readers often (mis)believe more is better to the point they'll drag you way past jumping the shark.

Characters (muse, inspiration, or whatever your beliefs call it) having more to say rings truer to me b/c they have more to add to their story.

I accept it's starry eyed or even dumb seeing yourself as a conduit to some "other" trying desperately to tell their story and trusting in you to be the one able to do so but, when the writing gets especially tough, that has worked for me.

We are all under multiple forms of self-delusion through multiple areas of our lives so what's one more, especially when it pays creative dividends unlike the rest?

 

[KeithD]

Yes, I have. Not because someone told me they thought there should be more, though.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I finished my Mary and Alvin series in September 2020. And I mean finished. All major storyline were complete the fate of the main characters definitively resolved,

Shortly thereafter, I was considering an entry for the Christmas contest. I wanted to write something that dealt with the impact Covid was having on everyone's lives. My thoughts immediately went to Mary and Alvin and their family. How would they deal with it? So, two months after I had wrapped their story up, I brought them back for a stand alone out of sequence story.

I've considered other stories for them since then, but I doubt if I'll ever get to them.

 

[Bramblethorn]

After posting, what I considered to be the final chapter of a couple of my stories, a number of readers comment that it shouldn't end there. Some want 'Closure'. Have you ever done that... gone back and added to what you considered a 'finished' story?

I wouldn't mind doing it but, I'm a slow writer, so to that the 'Final' chapter could be weeks, or months out there. I would think that you almost have to give a re-cap of what happened and the reason for the new chapter.

But then again... readers are fickle. They will probably forget they even made such a comment.

Just curious.

My first story here was a single chapter, then I realised it'd be interesting to explore what happened the day after and ended up adding another thirteen chapters.

That's the only time I've done it, though. It worked out for that one story but usually I think authors do better to write a new story than to extend one that was already finished.

 

[NotWise]

Once -- A Valentine's Day Mess. Readers wanted it, and I had to admit that I left the story with a clilffhanger ending even though I meant it to stand alone.

It took eleven months to write part two. I think it was another eight months for part three, and the story still wasn't done. After awhile, readers started down-voting and commenting because it wasn't done, so in 2019 I resolved to finish the story before I wrote anything else, and parts four and five were published in spring 2021, more than five years after what is now part one.

Readership declines through chaptered stories, and scores often rise. I don't know if the decline in views for Mess was any worse than it would have been without the long delays.

Since then, I've come to believe that it's a flaw in the story when a lot of readers demand an extension, but there's a train of thought in which that's a compliment to the story. You have to use your judgement.

 

[Djmac1031]

When I published The White Room, I considered it "finished."

There were many unanswered questions at the end, but I didn't have them. And figured they were open for reader interpretation/ debate.

Over a year later I finally had an idea for a sequel. It answered most, but not all, of the unanswered questions.

 

[gunhilltrain]

After posting, what I considered to be the final chapter of a couple of my stories, a number of readers comment that it shouldn't end there. Some want 'Closure'. Have you ever done that... gone back and added to what you considered a 'finished' story?

I wouldn't mind doing it but, I'm a slow writer, so to that the 'Final' chapter could be weeks, or months out there. I would think that you almost have to give a re-cap of what happened and the reason for the new chapter.

But then again... readers are fickle. They will probably forget they even made such a comment.

Just curious.

I sure have, usually as stand-alone sequels. In one case, there was a two-year time gap that seemed to justify having it outside the series numbering. Not sure about the recaps; maybe a couple of lines is enough. A link to the last previous story is good too.

 

[Duleigh]

I've never "finished" a multi-chapter story for that reason. Sometimes I just want to revisit my characters and spend some time with them, so I've only said "The End" once, but that multi-chapter story spans decades so I can hop in and add chapter 5.5 if I want.

 

[Dearelliot]

Sure, I felt one of the characters was so interesting, she deserved her own chapter...or rather a chapter about her would improve the story.

 

[NoTalentHack]

At the End of the Tour was a one-and-done.. until it wasn’t. People asked for a sequel, a version with Ellie’s POV, a definitive ending, even more backstory. Well, I showed them I showed them all! Funeral Dirge for a Fairytale had all of that and more. I hadn’t planned to write it, but it’s one of my favorite stories.

On a different note, Meat Market exists solely because I wanted a minor but important character from another story, After the Future is Gone, to get her own happy ending.

 

[ronde]

After posting, what I considered to be the final chapter of a couple of my stories, a number of readers comment that it shouldn't end there. Some want 'Closure'. Have you ever done that... gone back and added to what you considered a 'finished' story?

I wouldn't mind doing it but, I'm a slow writer, so to that the 'Final' chapter could be weeks, or months out there. I would think that you almost have to give a re-cap of what happened and the reason for the new chapter.

But then again... readers are fickle. They will probably forget they even made such a comment.

Just curious.

It depends upon if you're thinking of another chapter that continues where your last left off or if you're thinking of a sequel. I've written a few stories composed of chapters, but the final chapter tied up everything in a nice little bow because that's how I planned it. It would probably seem odd to some of my readers if I posted another chapter.

I have written sequels though, and they were all separate stories that carried the main characters further into their lives. Each one was a stand alone story with a beginning, plot, and ending.

The difference to me is the difference between TV shows like what used to be called "soap operas" and shows like the "Star Trek" franchises. The soap operas can run seemingly forever without actually ending. The main characters stay the same for long periods of time, and the plot bleeds from one show into the next. Serials use the same main characters, but each episode is a complete work.

 

[yowser]

Once -- A Valentine's Day Mess. Readers wanted it, and I had to admit that I left the story with a clilffhanger ending even though I meant it to stand alone.


Since then, I've come to believe that it's a flaw in the story when a lot of readers demand an extension, but there's a train of thought in which that's a compliment to the story. You have to use your judgement.

Yes to this. I suspect a lot of contest/challenge entries (done on a deadline) can easily end up this way.

My first Geek Pride entry An Infernal Folio, I also fully intended to be a one-off, but by the time submission time came I also had backed myself into a cliff-hanger (which people noted and commented on.)

So a follow-up was necessary, which then turned into a trilogy. Readers were right, but their sense was the same as mine.

 

[32aa]

Yes, I have. Not because someone told me they thought there should be more, though.

That's kind of where I'm at. On my last story, one reader made a suggestion for the direction of the next chapter. I'm considering to the point that I've got a very rough draft started. Maybe I'll finish it. But right now, 'life' is getting in the way.

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

 

[ronde]

Yes, I have. Not because someone told me they thought there should be more, though.

I've never written a sequel to a story because of a suggestion in the comments. The first reason is that when I finish a story, the story is at a logical end. The second reason is that most of the suggestions I receive would take my characters in a direction that doesn't fit the personality I gave them.

 

[Seadog777]

https://classic.literotica.com/s/decision-time-in-a-marriage

This started out as just a single story.
I got so much positive feedback and emails about, that I decided to write a follow-up from the woman's POV.

 

[Bodington]

I wrote my novel "Vivian Laaning" which contained 63 chapters. It was published piece-meal between 09/17 to 10/19. I certainly had every intention to consider this novel done and wrapped up. In 2021 I submitted a new novel titled "Ingrid's Dark Secret Passion". In this story I had occasion to revisit my character, Vivian Laaning noting that her position in life in that novel had advanced to a stage beyond what was indicated with the ending of the original novel. This compelled me to write a sequel to close the gap with end of "Vivian Laaning" to the mention of her character in "Ingrid's Dark Secret Passion." The sequel turned out to become two novels as I had trouble with Literotica to agree as to what constitutes description of underage sexual activity. Accordingly, I was forced to break my intended single sequel novel into two novels to wit: "Vivian Travels to Estonia" and "Vivian: Life in Estonia". Also, in "Ingrid's Dark Secret Passion" Maia as Vivian's daughter makes an appearance as a twenty-two year old college student having attained her baccalaureate and was to embark on a graduate degree program. Maia was a newborn baby at the end of "Maia Laaning", so naturally I felt compelled to write yet another novel highlighting this character. Ergo my current novel I'm writing and submitting piece-meal is titled simply "Maia Laaning".

 

[BobbyBrandt]

For a patient and disciplined author, once a story ends, it is finished.
Period.
Mic drop.
Lights out.
Curtain falls.

That is the story however, not the characters. It is perfectly acceptable to continue with characters from a finished story in a new story (I believe they are referred to as "sequels") without appearing amateurish or undisciplined. The new story would have a beginning, a middle and an end of its own. A new story could pull heavily from the content of previous stories and still be a separate tale.

 

[ElectricBlue]

For a patient and disciplined author, once a story ends, it is finished.
Period.
Mic drop.
Lights out.
Curtain falls.

That is the story however, not the characters. It is perfectly acceptable to continue with characters from a finished story in a new story (I believe they are referred to as "sequels") without appearing amateurish or undisciplined. The new story would have a beginning, a middle and an end of its own. A new story could pull heavily from the content of previous stories and still be a separate tale.

This is my favourite approach. To mix it up, I'll often give a bit character in a story a story of her own. It's always one of the female characters, the men don't interest me so much - I've only got three or four men, who serve on a rotating schedule of some sort.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

This is my favourite approach. To mix it up, I'll often give a bit character in a story a story of her own. It's always one of the female characters, the men don't interest me so much - I've only got three or four men, who serve on a rotating schedule of some sort.

It makes writing far more fun for authors and readers when familiar characters and events reappear in new stories. The majority of my stories include characters from prior tales.

 

[MrPixel]

I intended my recent ND story to be "one and done", but all the while a continuation was simmering in the back of my mind. Just in this morning's musings several plot bunnies hopped across my keyboard, so I'd better get crankin' before they run off.

 

[Winter_Fare]

I am neither patient, not disciplined, and I add stuff as the mood takes me. Even the one off I wrote to blow off steam has started expanding like mystery goo in a Petri dish.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

A number of readers asked for a conclusion to Sexy Sadie, my most read story, about a young guy whose wife leaves him during the pandemic to hookup with her boss. His sexy mother-in-law, comes to the rescue and takes her place in is bed. I did eventually do a final chapter just to resolve it, though I'm not even sure if it needed it.

 

[AchtungNight]

Two words. Loose Ends. I had to close the lid on a number of characters with that story. I was putting down my pen for a while and concentrating on other priorities. Life, career, marriage, I honestly did not know when I would resume writing these characters. Still don’t, to be honest. I hope I handled it well. Feedback would be appreciated.