How long is too long?

[Linyari]

About six months, I sat down and wrote out a fantasy strain that had been running through my mind. I fleshed it out, gave my characters purpose and personalities and submitted it. I though the story was done.

It wasn't. The characters wanted to develop and I realized that there is so much more left to tell. I submitted the second chapter and I am coming to realize that there is so much development left, growth and self realization. I've already submitted the third chapter which flowed in ways I hadn't had flow in awhile. (It's not up yet as I just submitted it.)

I've realized that all told, there's probably at least 6 installments, maybe 7, before the story is told. I had planned on just updating as I had been doing. One to two pages at a time so not to overwhelm the reader.

But I had someone tell me that moving beyond the number I have might be too much. I'd lose the reader.

Is this true? I mean, I'll write the story anyway as it begs to be written. But am I expecting too much if I hope that others will be as interested in the characters as I am that they want to keep reading?

 

[starrkers]

Drksideofthemoon has a story that is up to 15 chapters. It is still being very well received - ch15 is sitting at number 11 on the top 500 stories of its category, with better than 500 votes, and it only went up in May.
So, if the story's good enough, readers will come.

 

[Omerikon]

This is strictly personal preference, but unless you have a really compelling reason to serialize your story chapter-by-chapter, I would try your best to keep each story self-contained. If that means having one 12 000 word submission instead of four 2 000 word submission, then so be it. By serializing your story, you run into several (in my mind) problems:

-Each submission, outside of the non-erotic category, is going to be expected to have at least one erotic scene of some sort. If you're trying to maintain a consistant length from submission to submission (which you should, unless you're writing sequels instead of additional chapters), you might find that your overall arc or development will suffer to accommodate that requirement. Rushed or forced erotic scenes will destroy the flow of the overall story.

-Going back to edit previous chapters in light of new ideas or story changes, while possible through uploading edited versions, is almost impossible to do without confusing your reader base. You may end up writing yourself into a corner, especially with a complex fantasy setting, and if the only way to untangle yourself is by altering earlier details. Unless your reader has gone back to read all the edited submissions (which could be five, six or even more chapters depending on the severity of the changes), it will ruin the continuity and his enjoyment.

-A slow (or weak) chapter in a serialization, while perhaps necessary for the overall narrative, could be disasterous in maintaining a continuing reader base. With the story submitted as one large piece, even if a reader isn't overly impressed by a particular segment, he will likely keep reading if the rest has been to his liking, to get back to the good stuff. If he hits a slow chapter submitted on its own, he'll be less likely to bother looking for the next chapter when it's released.

-Voting. You'll never get a good sense of how people are seeing your story as a whole. Combining that story into one large submission might make it a 4.83, a solid score, but if your individually-submitted chapters range from 4.0 to 4.95, how do you take that? Do you average it? Add the top three and subtract the two lowest? Overall I think you (and the reader) will be more satisfied with a single, fully polished, fully complete story that can stand by itself, and the scores will reflect that. I'd much rather see my entire story in a solid top-20 position than have a chapter or two break the first page and the rest wallow in obscurity.


Really, either way, if the story is exceptional and you are exceptionally talented, it won't make a ton of difference, but I think truly believe you'll do much better completing the story as a whole, and the reader will appreciate it likewise.

 

[jomar]

Omerikon makes some good points. On the other hand, I have submitted a seven chapter story in separate submissions (EC and one in Lesbian). The first five chapters are out and have been well received with scores ranging from 4.51 (the first chapter, which has recovered from being one-bombed) to 4.79. I would look at a low score for a chapter as the readers telling me I needed to do a better job on that chapter.

And yes, I tried to put a sex scene in each chapter, but one character refused in chapter four. In order to have sex for the readers I wrote the chapter without sex and added a "deleted scene" that had the sex. A gimmick, but it worked.

What I think of as my weakest chapter, almost a transition chapter, also did better than I thought.

I think the most important thing I did was to complete the whole story before submitting. Omerikon is correct on that account. There were edits and changes that affected the entire plot arch and it would have been confusing to the reader to adjust post-submission.

But its' not just me. Drkside, Daniellekitten and many others submit chapter stories in separate submissions. I think it depends on your preferences, goals and writing style. If you submit separate chapters, don't wait very long to post the new ones or your readers might get cranky.

 

[Guest]

I've gotten so much feedback both ways but to tell you the truth, if I were to post my novels in one shot, they would end up being fifteen to twenty lit pages long. Most people look at something like that and don't want to take the time it takes to read something that long in one sitting, and Lit doesn't have a way to save your place so you can come back later.

Chapters that are at least four thousand words long, and I say at least because other wise they are less than a Lit page long, are usually what I submit. Not all of them have sex. Some just move the storyline along because my novels all have plot involved.

If you plan on serializing, as people like to call it, try to keep your chapters posted close together. I usually try to do that, though with my recent trip to the hospital, that hasn't been possible. I had an editor at one time that always told me to leave em wanting more, so try to end off at a place where your readers are going to want to come back to see what happens next.

If the story is more than sex, make it more than sex. It doesn't need to be posted in the non erotic cat just because it doesn't involve sex in one chapter. Also, keep your chapters in one category. Posting one in incest and the next in exhibitionism just means your readers might have to hunt for the next chapter and unless they are really involved, there's always something else out there that could capture their attentions.

Some people enjoy chapter stories, others don't. You can't always please everyone. If the story is in you and wants to be told, tell it. Have fun with your writing, because when it stops being fun, there's no point to do it.

Good luck!!

 

[Guest]

I would look at a low score for a chapter as the readers telling me I needed to do a better job on that chapter.

Thanks for the mention and for the well wishes, Jomar.

I don't look at it that way. One of my most read novels, one that I just pulled because I think I have it sold for publication, the first chapter had a 4.48 rating, not even enough to get that wonderful red H. It wasn't that the chapter was lacking anything as it was the beginning chapter and was the set up for the rest of the story. You have to introduce you characters, give them personalties, set up the conflict in the story, and getting it done in the first chapter gives the characters room to grow throughout the rest of your story. Most of my first chapters have a slightly lower rating than the rest of the story. It just seems the trend.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

For the past year or so, I have been submitting 20,000 word chapters to my series. They end up being about 6 Lit pages, and the readers seem to like this length. There has been very little sex in the most recent two or three chapters, and that hasn't hurt the number of reads or the scores.

The series will conclude with the 16th Chapter and the total length of the series is about 290,000 words.

 

[Omerikon]

For the past year or so, I have been submitting 20,000 word chapters to my series... The series will conclude with the 16th Chapter and the total length of the series is about 290,000 words.

I think this is a fair exception to the opinion I posted earlier. I was thinking more along the lines of the handfuls one- and two-page chapters I see scattered everywhere that could easily be condensed into a single story (although firstkiss has done remarkably well with this format, snagging three of the top four spots in the Erotic Couplings category; then again, she has 20+ submissions in five different series in 2007 alone and only five have broken the first page, so it's been a double-edged sword for her).

If your story is going to run into Lord of the Rings territory as far as length goes, you'd be better off splitting it up to maintain reader interest, because most people would take a single look at the page numbers from 1-90 at the bottom of the story and click the back button.