How much story is too much story?

[Vincent E]

I am in the process of writing a new chapter in a series I have been writing since summer. I haven't posted a chapter in several months now, and I have enough written to post and actually tell a great deal of the story. It isn't exactly all I wanted to tell in the chapter, but by my calculation what I have right now could fill up to four full screens on Literotica.

Is there an optimum amount of story that a writer should post? I have seen some stories that have up to 12 Literotica screens and wonder how long it would take to read them all. I have estimated that one screen on Literotica is equal to about seven pages in MS Word.

Just how much story is too much to post? I could end with a cliffhanger, but I don't know if that is what I want to do. Deep down inside I'd rather finish the whole chapter, however it could be a long one.

Does anyoen with experience in writing here at Literotica have any useful advice?

 

[jfinn]

Write it the way you feel it works best. You'll probably hear a lot of opinions on this, but basically this is one of those things you've got to decide on based on your gut instincts. Only you know what you're trying achieve and how long it's going to take you to do it.

I had the same problem with the last thing I posted. I wrote it as a short story, but when I looked at it on-screen I realized it was way over ten pages. I ended up splitting it into two parts. I did this because I'd been hearing over and over here on the MB that Lit readers won't read a long piece.

In hindsight I wish I hadn't. It changed the tone of the story and gave people a different slant on the beginning giving it more emphasis than I'd originally intended. My proof of this is that I didn't split it on the other sites where I posted the story and all of them got better response than Literotica.

Maybe the length would have scared away some readers here, but certainly it would have given the readers who stuck with it a truer take on what I'd was trying to say and isn't that the whole point?

Jayne

 

[English Lady]

reading more than 3/4 lit pages online hurts my eyes, i think 4 is probably the upper limit for comfort....but then you've gotto go with what you think is best

 

[karmadog]

A story is only too long when it is too long.

However, when you 'finish' the story set it aside for at least a week. Don't even think about it. Then read it again as though you didn't write it. Chances are, you will find a great deal of things that aren't necessary.

Mercilessly strike them out with no regard for your writer's ego. You are no longer a writer, you are an editor. This will be the hardest part of writing a story.

If you didn't find anything unnecessary, you will almost certainly be lying to yourself.

Good luck.

 

[MathGirl]

Wow!

A story is only too long when it is too long.

Dear KD,
I think those are some of the wisest words I've ever heard. You should proudly stand next to Yogi Berra in the pantheon of great sages.
MG

 

[KillerMuffin]

kd is very right about editing. Strike out words, about 10% of the total if you're unfamiliar with chopping words.

Reading on a screen is difficult to do when you concentrate on it. Some people have dial-ups. While lit's pages don't take that much time to load, going farther than 3 or 4 pages is going to make it iffy with the readership crowd.

Finish writing your chapter. If you've got more pages than you think the reader will be comfortable with, find a spot where you can cut it somewhat comfortably and then submit them as two separate chapters at the same time. She'll post one a night.

 

[karmadog]

I know, MG, but how else to answer an unanswerable question?

PS I prefer to think that of it as a koan. My dharma teacher would be so proud!

 

[Vincent E]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm leaning towards posting the first part of what would be the next chapter only because I think I have a pretty good cliffhanger.

By the way, does anyone else tend to download stories to read them at their leisure later? Sometimes I'll save a story or even print it out to give myself more leeway inreading. I was wondering how common that might be.

 

[Chicklet]

By the way, does anyone else tend to download stories to read them at their leisure later? Sometimes I'll save a story or even print it out to give myself more leeway inreading. I was wondering how common that might be.

<raises hand>

I do it. And when I like a story sometimes I save it in a folder I call "reading material" to read whenever I want = )

Chicklet

 

[sirhugs]

I don't download, but I will return to fonish a long story I enjoyed if I don't have time at the first sitting.

 

[pointless]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm leaning towards posting the first part of what would be the next chapter only because I think I have a pretty good cliffhanger.

By the way, does anyone else tend to download stories to read them at their leisure later? Sometimes I'll save a story or even print it out to give myself more leeway inreading. I was wondering how common that might be.

i did that as well until my printer broke. it's so much easier for me to read that way. i assumed it was common practice, but i have been wrong before.

 

[tenyari]

You're worried that only 4 pages is too much?

I'm on the vergeof sending off a story where the first chapter fills 25 pages, and I expect the next 7 to do about similar.

I for one prefer longer stories where I can get involved in the characters and plot as well as be turned on.

There are stories, and stroke stories. Stroke stories are those short ones designed to do no more than turn you on. Not everything nor even a majority of tales on erotica have to be stroke.

 

[Pookie]

I'm pretty sure Vincent meant four Literotica pages (versus four MS Word pages). Twenty-five Literotica pages for one chapter would be a bit much for even me.


Pookie

 

[MathGirl]

Tolstoy

Twenty-five Literotica pages for one chapter would be a bit much for even me. Pookie

I think you could get "War and Peace" on 25 Lit. pages.
MG

 

[SlickTony]

On average, my stories tend to run to 12-14 MSWord pages which comes out to about 3 Literotica pages.

 

[tenyari]

Just tested chapter one of the story I'm working on, the one that's 25 pages in Word. It comes to four pages in preview here, but all that's on page 4 is the very last line.

14650 words.

I'm trying to decide right now weather I should post it, or write the other chapters and then post it. Either way I can't post it here because it's about high school students.

 

[SlickTony]

but all that's on page 4 is the very last line.

That almost happened with my first story--there's more than one line on the last page, but not a whole lot more. I didn't like that particularly but I don't know what could have been done.

 

[Uther_Pendragon]

I am in the process of writing a new chapter in a series I have been writing since summer. I haven't posted a chapter in several months now, and I have enough written to post and actually tell a great deal of the story. It isn't exactly all I wanted to tell in the chapter, but by my calculation what I have right now could fill up to four full screens on Literotica.

Is there an optimum amount of story that a writer should post? I have seen some stories that have up to 12 Literotica screens and wonder how long it would take to read them all. I have estimated that one screen on Literotica is equal to about seven pages in MS Word.

Just how much story is too much to post? I could end with a cliffhanger, but I don't know if that is what I want to do. Deep down inside I'd rather finish the whole chapter, however it could be a long one.

Does anyoen with experience in writing here at Literotica have any useful advice?

:
Do what you have to do to tell your story.
I've posted two stories to Lit which scored over 4.5 for
significant chunks of time.
One, "Beautiful Everywhere," is quite short.
The other, "Problems of Utilitarianism," is by far the longest piece
I have on the board. (I submitted it in three chapters,
and the last chapter ran over the single-page limit.
:
So do what your story requires, and the people who'll read
that length will read it.

 

[Octavian]

I have only one serious story posted here. It is 13 Literotica pages long. I was new to Literotica when I posted it. If I were posting it today I would probably break it down into at least three segments because I know there are some people who are put off by long stories.

However, if the story is good enough the length doesn’t matter. In my case I have had over sixty people send me complimentary feedback, with twenty odd saying it is the best or one of the very best such stories they have ever read.

Octavian

 

[Vincent E]

I'm pretty sure Vincent meant four Literotica pages (versus four MS Word pages). Twenty-five Literotica pages for one chapter would be a bit much for even me.


Pookie

You're correct. I've just about finished my final edit, and this sucker is 27 pages in MS word which should come to about 4 Literotica screens or pages.

By the way, I'd like to think that people are stroking themselves while reading.