Is an author under any obligation to complete a story?

[HeyAll]

I didn't vote because the choices didn't match the title question.

But I do think an author which makes a long series does have an obligation to provide an ending to it.

It would be like it the show runners for Game of Thrones were like, "We're bored with this. We're going to cancel our plans for the next season and make a new show later."

When you make a series, it's a two way street. Yes you're giving a free product here, but you're also asking readers to invest their time and interest towards your work. You can't just leave people hanging.


But if it's a stand-alone, that's different...

 

[sr71plt]

T



Would you sacrifice quality over quantity? Not saying both can't go along together, but putting quantity over quality is what our 'accomplished' KD star said. I thought that was detrimental.

That doesn't arise in my consideration. I believe in whatever I write, or I don't write it. And I don't spend a whole hell of a lot of time worrying about what others write and whether I approve of its quality or not.

 

[CharlieB4]

Playing the devils advocate.

Just my personal opinion, I don't post a story until I think it's finished. So if there are four chapters then I wait till I've finished number four. I post them at the same time so the admin generally put them up one a day until they are all up. That way the reader knows he/she is going to get a conclusion.

Of course whether it's the conclusion they want is another perennial debate.

As a reader on the site there is nothing more frustrating than getting through multiple chapters of a story only to be left hanging for weeks, months or even years. It's one of the main reasons I am reluctant to start chapter stories.

 

[SamScribble]

I don't do 'chaptered' stories. Although I have been known to write a sequel. If you get a sequel, dear reader, it's a bonus. Enjoy. But don't expect them to go on for ever.

 

[neci]

have you signed a formal contract to complete said story?

if the answer is no, and you are under no legal obligation, do what you want to do. if you need to shake a character off, you can always write a brief addendum to where they are hit by a train. short, sweet, to the point. the end. carry on.

 

[sr71plt]

So if there are four chapters then I wait till I've finished number four.

I don't post until it's all done, but then I take the responsibility for spacing the chapters out--not submitting a subsequent chapter until the previous one has been cleared and posted. I think Laurel has quite enough to do with submissions not to do this housekeeping chore as well.

 

[Daniel_Matthews]

Maybe it's unrelated but here goes:

For a few months, I had worked with an author. We co-wrote an incest series which did pretty well (Red H all the way, the second and fourth chapters in HoF).

We were close to the end when he disappeared. Just poof, like a fucking Houdini. We agreed that he'd be the one writing the conclusion to it while I'd write most of the beginning.

Now any reader that sends a mail to our joint account gets ignored. I don't know if I should reply or simply sit twiddling my thumbs. I can't finish that. I don't even know what end he had in mind.

Do I feel obligated to complete the story?

Yes. I don't want to leave it incomplete. It's just not my style.

Can I do it?

No. Not without changing substantial details that readers can catch on to immediately. And I honestly don't know how to end something that he had already going on for a few chapters.

Sometimes, shit happens. You can't control it. All you can do is accept it and move on.

 

[TxRad]

Maybe it's unrelated but here goes:

For a few months, I had worked with an author. We co-wrote an incest series which did pretty well (Red H all the way, the second and fourth chapters in HoF).

We were close to the end when he disappeared. Just poof, like a fucking Houdini. We agreed that he'd be the one writing the conclusion to it while I'd write most of the beginning.

Now any reader that sends a mail to our joint account gets ignored. I don't know if I should reply or simply sit twiddling my thumbs. I can't finish that. I don't even know what end he had in mind.

Do I feel obligated to complete the story?

Yes. I don't want to leave it incomplete. It's just not my style.

Can I do it?

No. Not without changing substantial details that readers can catch on to immediately. And I honestly don't know how to end something that he had already going on for a few chapters.

Sometimes, shit happens. You can't control it. All you can do is accept it and move on.

Maybe he realized he didn't have an ending either.

 

[Daniel_Matthews]

Maybe he realized he didn't have an ending either.

But...but he told that he had one in mind.

That sonovabitch!

 

[loquere]

One take on it (Neil Gaiman):
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html

Particulary:

Great quote Laurel!

I ain't nobody's bitch!

 

[autoplot]

I've left stories hanging, sometimes because I've written myself into a corner without meaning to, sometimes because life has gotten in the way and by the time I was able to return, I wasn't feeling it anymore.

I'm always sorry to disappoint people, but ultimately, these people aren't paying customers, they're consuming something I give away for free. So I owe them exactly what they paid.

That said, I do try to honor people's investment of time and involvement, but things don't always work out the way everyone would like. It's an imperfect world.

 

[Hypoxia]

I've left stories hanging, sometimes because I've written myself into a corner without meaning to, sometimes because life has gotten in the way and by the time I was able to return, I wasn't feeling it anymore.

Yeah, life can be unforgivingly distracting. And corners can be deep.

How to escape corners?

* Kill-off the somebody / everybody.
* Start the next chapter with a non sequitur.
* Change the POV (but not tense).
* Have a flashback. Or hallucinate.
* Write and write till something works.

I need that last to finish my BLACK & WHITE stories. They're setup and ready for writing. I must get my ass in gear and Just Deww It. Can't kill anyone, alas.

 

[sr71plt]

The easiest thing you can do to avoid leaving a series hanging--and alienating some readers who have invested time and effort to the series--is to finish writing the series before posting any of it.

 

[Sara_Hawkes]

I would like to think that I'm under no obligation.

However, some nagging feeling tells me I am.

 

[jackdaw]

I would like to think that I'm under no obligation.

However, some nagging feeling tells me I am.

Unless you're under contract, Sara, there's no legal obligation . . . but if you started something there is a kind of moral obligation to your readers . . . specially if they've been egging you on!

 

[sr71plt]

I think some of you are conflating legality with the relationship between an author and a fan base, and they aren't the same thing--not by a long shot. (I can see how the hard-edged view came into this thread, though--it's in the thread title.)

 

[Devilius]

Obligation is either moral or legal. Moral obligations are yours for justification. It's not for other people to explain.

This question falls in the gray area because there are two factions, both of whom are equally important to written entertainment, who want completely different things.

If you're asking as an author, the answer is going to be what you're comfortable with. If you're asking as a reader or fan, the answer might be different.

I suppose Donald Trump option was for 'it doesn't make sense', so I voted for that.

 

[Sara_Hawkes]

Unless you're under contract, Sara, there's no legal obligation . . . but if you started something there is a kind of moral obligation to your readers . . . specially if they've been egging you on!

They've been very patient. Not nagging but asking nonetheless.