I'm currently writing my first story and need advice

[Karipet]

It's a lesbian romance with parts of the story taken directly from my life. My issue is that it seems rather long to me and I was looking for the opinion of established authors here. Number of words wise, what do you think is stretching it for the readers here.

I realize the quality of the story has a lot to do with holding the reader's interest. Just assume it's a quality story to give me a better idea of my potential self-editing needs.

Thanks,
Karipet

 

[RejectReality]

Honestly, there are readers for every length of story, depth of development prior to the sexy times, etc.

You'll find a readership regardless of how long it ends up.

Don't fret about the length, and tell the story you want to tell.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Good luck on your first story!

You'll often see the traditional definitions around story lengths:

1500 to 30,000 words is a short story.
30,000 to 55,000 is a novella.
55,000+ is a novel

This is wholly subjective, but I've found the stories I've written on Lit (and other sites) with the best reception have been around 2,500 to 5,000 words. Enough to get a lot of detail and plotting in, enough tell a more complex story, but short enough to be read in around 10 minutes. The internet is general is kind of short-story country.

I'd recommend go to the length the story goes and then, if it's on the longer/novella size, break it into multiple chapters. If you are looking to self-publish, I've had the best results with the novella range and a relatively low price point. Again, long enough to be complex and detailed with character development, but short enough to be read in one or two sittings.

 

[MelissaBaby]

It's a lesbian romance with parts of the story taken directly from my life. My issue is that it seems rather long to me and I was looking for the opinion of established authors here. Number of words wise, what do you think is stretching it for the readers here.

I realize the quality of the story has a lot to do with holding the reader's interest. Just assume it's a quality story to give me a better idea of my potential self-editing needs.

Thanks,
Karipet

Welcome, Kari.

Tell your story the way you need to tell it. Long, short or in between, there is no right answer.

Please let us know when it's available to read!

 

[jaF0]

Personal preference is less than three Lit pages. If you're going for something long, go to chapters of maybe five Lit pages or less.

 

[Fe2O3]

If you're thinking about chapters, keep in mind that each chapter should be it's own story. It should have a distinct beginning and end, with a real plot between them. The chapters in the series are intimately connected, obviously, but a reader should be able to sit down, read a chapter, and walk away satisfied with what they just read--hooked enough to read the next chapter, but not compelled to read it because there was no resolution in what they just read.

It's also a good idea to have sex in each chapter, since that's what most readers are here for.

 

[puppett]

depends why you are writing... if this is for yourself, then it doesn't matter...

 

[RejectReality]

If you're thinking about chapters, keep in mind that each chapter should be it's own story. It should have a distinct beginning and end, with a real plot between them. The chapters in the series are intimately connected, obviously, but a reader should be able to sit down, read a chapter, and walk away satisfied with what they just read--hooked enough to read the next chapter, but not compelled to read it because there was no resolution in what they just read.

It's also a good idea to have sex in each chapter, since that's what most readers are here for.

There's little here that I can agree with. LOL

You're talking about a series, not a serial. A single story broken down into parts does not require resolution at the end of every part. As often as not, the conclusion of a chapter is actually a cliffhanger, exploiting the lack of resolution or revealing even more conflict to keep readers interested.

Think about those water cooler shows. Lost. Breaking Bad. The shows nobody could shut up about. They sure as hell weren't resolving anything at the end of most of those episodes.

Granted, the optimal way to present such a story is consistently and predictably, which almost always requires the story being complete before beginning to post it.

The OP also specifically said this is a romance. While most people who come here are indeed here for sexual stimulation through text, those who are attracted to the romance stories are much less so. The draw there is the romance, not the incidental fucking. I've seen many a case where an overabundance of sex in romance stories gets them panned by the readership. I've seen many stories with no detailed sex be praised and highly voted.

While bite-sized 2-3 page stories that wrap everything up in a nice little bow with lots of fucking may draw in the largest audience, it's not the be all, end all of writing for Lit.

Those writing other types of stories can find a significant readership of their own without changing their story for mass appeal.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

All good advice.

Figure on one Lit page = 3,700 words, more or less. The minimum length, poems excepted, is 750 words, which would be a very short story indeed.

I find a good length is 2-3 pages. But that's just me.

Go with what you need to write your story - and please do let us know when it goes up.

Best of luck.

 

[Athalia]

Welcome, Kari.

Tell your story the way you need to tell it. Long, short or in between, there is no right answer.

Please let us know when it's available to read!

Or, as Roger Ebert used to say, "No good movie is too long. No bad movie is short enough."

 

[SimonDoom]

If you're worried that it's too long, it probably isn't. This is a concern many new authors have. The reality is that Literotica readers are, on the whole, quite tolerant of "long" short stories.

The general rule, if there is such a thing, is that your story should be however long it takes to write it well. Don't worry too much about length.

If you are concerned about length and how it will affect the story's reception, however, some other authors have done some analysis of this question by looking at stories and comparing their views and votes. The results:

-- Stories shorter than 3 Lit pages (1 Lit page = 3750 words, on average) will tend not to receive scores as high as stories of around 3 Lit pages or more.

-- Stories of up to 6 pages don't seem to lose views. Some readers don't like reading stories that long, but many do. Scores tend to go up as stories get longer, but this is probably the result of reader attrition rather than quality (people who don't like a story drop off and don't vote on it).

In short: If you're story is under 25,000 words, don't even think about it being too long. It's not, at least, not for Literotica. It's up to you to decide if it's too wordy or has extraneous material.

 

[Hypoxia]

A story written to drive self-abuse is called a stroker. Romance stroker? Oxymoron! Romance tends to be longer, slower, with an enticing setup and happy end. A set of one-LIT-page romances would be curious. My one (well-liked) Romance is 8 LIT pages.

One LIT page = ~3700 words and is pretty damn short. (I often write many short paragraphs; linefeeds reduce the per-page word count, so I figure 3500-3700 words.) Three LIT pages, ~10k words, are an easy-read chunk. Ten LIT pages, 35k+ words, can be a nice time-filler. Twice that or more can be a contest winner.

We've many discussions here about chapters. I think each should cover a distinct time or concept. A serial may have an endless count; an arc may be a small numbered set, maybe 2-4 separate submissions. A story may be in several sections we can call chapters; the 20-page contest winner I edited had 10 numbered internal chapters.

My advice: If you can break your story into a 2-4-act drama of 2-3 LIT pages each, those COULD be separate chapters. If it's a continuous through-action, submit it as one piece. But remember that you're writing for yourself. Say what you want to say the way you want.

And we all learn. (I shudder a bit at my early pieces here.)

 

[Sonatatre]

I found that I mostly prefer to read stories that are 10-20 k words. I think that also made me want to write stories in that range. I usually aim for 15k for a chapter, but lets the story dictate where it ends up in the end.

Many great stories here are even longer than that.

I must confess that often when I read I skip stories that are only one page. I feel it is so rare to find one page stories that I enjoy, that it is best to avoid them.

 

[Blind_Justice]

I found that I mostly prefer to read stories that are 10-20 k words. I think that also made me want to write stories in that range. I usually aim for 15k for a chapter, but lets the story dictate where it ends up in the end.

Many great stories here are even longer than that.

I must confess that often when I read I skip stories that are only one page. I feel it is so rare to find one page stories that I enjoy, that it is best to avoid them.

There recently was a 750 word challenge which had a lot of interesting and very well-written submissions. Someone said (and I'm too drained right now to look for the source) that rigid limitations are a catalyst for creativity and said event was proof of that theory.

But having said that, a beginning author should not worry about expectations, rules and limitations. Write how you want, find your footing, become comfortable with yourself. The biggest achievement you can initially strive for is finishing that tale. It's harder than you might think.

If there's one thing you SHOULD absolutely do, then it's a making a thorough editing pass or three. After you have wrapped up the plot, go over the story again, iron out any inconsistencies. Reading the story aloud is a surefire way to spot clunky passages and broken dialogue. If you trip over your own words, the reader most certainly will too. Heck, find a second pair of eyes to help illuminate your blind spots.

Your readers will thank you for it.

Good luck, Kari.

 

[Hypoxia]

...a beginning author should not worry about expectations, rules and limitations. Write how you want, find your footing, become comfortable with yourself. The biggest achievement you can initially strive for is finishing that tale. It's harder than you might think.

Quite so, especially knowing WHEN to finish.

If there's one thing you SHOULD absolutely do, then it's a making a thorough editing pass or three. After you have wrapped up the plot, go over the story again, iron out any inconsistencies. Reading the story aloud is a surefire way to spot clunky passages and broken dialogue. If you trip over your own words, the reader most certainly will too. Heck, find a second pair of eyes to help illuminate your blind spots.

Your readers will thank you for it.

Also quite so. First try: Write it. Read it. Re-read it. Put it aside for a couple days and re-read again, aloud. How does it sound to you? To anyone else? Dare you let a friend hear you?

PS: We varied writers and readers possess many individual preferences for story content, style, and LENGTH. The LIT readership is huge. Many like their smut short, or long, or in-between, and their tolerance may vary with moods. You'll not satisfy them all every time. Ricky Nelson (RIP) sang it: "You know you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself."

 

[gunhilltrain]

If you're thinking about chapters, keep in mind that each chapter should be it's own story. It should have a distinct beginning and end, with a real plot between them. The chapters in the series are intimately connected, obviously, but a reader should be able to sit down, read a chapter, and walk away satisfied with what they just read--hooked enough to read the next chapter, but not compelled to read it because there was no resolution in what they just read.

It's also a good idea to have sex in each chapter, since that's what most readers are here for.

Hello Karipet.

Anyway, I did try one story in the non-erotic category and it seems to have done well. I also have five essays, only two of which are about sexual matters.

I'm mentioning this because the site does offer a lot of leeway (which I am grateful for) and that allows writers to have a change of pace.

 

[HeyAll]

Long-form lesbian romance are almost always hits in that genre.

So I think you'll be fine.

 

[Karipet]

Honestly, there are readers for every length of story, depth of development prior to the sexy times, etc.

You'll find a readership regardless of how long it ends up.

Don't fret about the length, and tell the story you want to tell.

Thanks for the reply first of all.

I think for this first story I'm going to follow this advice. It's somewhat personal to me as it's loosely based on my life. It's quite a bit longer than the standard read here and though it does have what I think are some steamy sex scenes in it, the story itself is really more the focus. If that causes some readers to shy away from it then so be it.

If I get positive feedback on it I might continue the story in a much shorter chapter format. If not then I'll just be satisfied with having been able to get it out of my system I guess.

Thanks again,
Karipet

 

[Karipet]

Welcome, Kari.

Tell your story the way you need to tell it. Long, short or in between, there is no right answer.

Please let us know when it's available to read!

Thanks for the advice, Melissa. I'll do that.

 

[Karipet]

Thanks to everyone who replied

This story is going to be a long one. They say write what you know though so I'm telling a version of my story. I think it's going to be about 70k words when finished and edited so no one may even bother to take the time. At least I'll have it out of my system though and will be able to move on to other tales.

Again, thanks to all.
Karipet

 

[Hypoxia]

This story is going to be a long one. They say write what you know though so I'm telling a version of my story. I think it's going to be about 70k words when finished and edited so no one may even bother to take the time.

Although LIT is filled with semi-disguised autobiography, the goal is usually to entertain with hot fiction, not reports. Too much truthiness can take the fun out of it. Sure, some of my writing is straight reportage, but I hide it. I glamorize or invent good sex, edit-out bad sex, explore what-ifs of real and possible partners, and spin fantasies. My reality is buried in many places. Whew.

70k words is not huge -- barely a Simenon novel. Make it a contest entry and you WILL grab readers. The remaining contests this year (see bottom of this page) are:

Halloween
themes: scary stuff, costumes, Halloween traditions (trick-or-treating, etc.), etc.
starts: October 2
closes: October 23
winners announced: October 30

Winter Holidays
themes: winter holiday traditions (dreidels, gift giving, etc.), cold weather (snow), holiday mythology (Santa, elves), etc.
starts: November 6
closes: December 5
winners announced: December 12​

The themes needn't overwhelm a story. A stop at a holiday party can be enough. Enjoy writing, Karipet!

 

[SimonDoom]

70K words is the length of a novel, not a short story. There's nothing wrong with that. I've read some very long stories on this Site that I enjoyed very much. But that's much longer than, say, Animal Farm, or The Great Gatsby.

If you are muse is set on this story, then go for it. But if you are interested in finding out how your writing will be received or in trying to get feedback here to improve your writing, you might want to consider publishing a short story of 10K words or fewer first. You'll get much quicker feedback on your writing and it may help you with your longer story.

The advantage of posting a long story as a single published story rather than in discrete chapters is that you can pick the one best category and publish it in that, and you don't have to worry whether each published chapter will satisfy the readers of the category.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

It's a lesbian romance with parts of the story taken directly from my life. My issue is that it seems rather long to me and I was looking for the opinion of established authors here. Number of words wise, what do you think is stretching it for the readers here.

I realize the quality of the story has a lot to do with holding the reader's interest. Just assume it's a quality story to give me a better idea of my potential self-editing needs.

Thanks,
Karipet

You've already received lots of good advice. I'll simply add my voice to what others have said: length is irrelevant. Make it as long or short as needed to tell the story you want to tell. If you need reassurance that you haven't wasted a reader's time, then find an editor or a couple beta readers.

 

[CoffeeWithMonkeys]

If you're thinking about chapters, keep in mind that each chapter should be it's own story. It should have a distinct beginning and end, with a real plot between them. The chapters in the series are intimately connected, obviously, but a reader should be able to sit down, read a chapter, and walk away satisfied with what they just read--hooked enough to read the next chapter, but not compelled to read it because there was no resolution in what they just read.

It's also a good idea to have sex in each chapter, since that's what most readers are here for.

What? No.

I think a lot of people will disagree with all of this. I've had fairly good success with my series and each chapter is connected and no way could be stand alone, and there are at least half of the chapters that have no sex.
Out of the 15 chapters posted I think maybe only one or two don't have the hot rating. I consider that pretty good success.

 

[Bramblethorn]

This story is going to be a long one. They say write what you know though so I'm telling a version of my story. I think it's going to be about 70k words when finished and edited so no one may even bother to take the time. At least I'll have it out of my system though and will be able to move on to other tales.

Again, thanks to all.
Karipet

My first series here was a lesbian romance that ran to about 100k words, over 14 chapters. It did fairly well. There are plenty of readers in that category who are interested in slow-moving stuff which emphasises relationships.

What? No.

I think a lot of people will disagree with all of this. I've had fairly good success with my series and each chapter is connected and no way could be stand alone, and there are at least half of the chapters that have no sex.
Out of the 15 chapters posted I think maybe only one or two don't have the hot rating. I consider that pretty good success.

Yep, mine had a chapter without sex and it scored pretty much level with the others around it. I also had feedback from readers on other chapters stating that they were there first and foremost for the story. No need to tick off a sex scene every chapter.