It's Gotten Huge!

[Madd_Maxxine]

I started writing a story 6 months ago, which quickly became a novela, then a novel length work, and now it would be considered a series.

But I'm not sure I should even publish the first chapter until I have completed the work, since I still find that I'm editing earlier sections as I continue.

 

[TheLobster]

Finish it, edit all of it, think how you divide it into 10k-ish chapters and then post it in weekly installments.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I started writing a story 6 months ago, which quickly became a novel, then a novel length work, and now it would be considered a series.

But I'm not sure I should even publish the first chapter until I have completed the work, since I still find that I'm editing earlier sections as I continue.

I'd suggest, if you're still editing previous chapters, that you finish the whole thing first, then submit.

 

[Mastered_again]

I started writing a story 6 months ago, which quickly became a novel, then a novel length work, and now it would be considered a series.

But I'm not sure I should even publish the first chapter until I have completed the work, since I still find that I'm editing earlier sections as I continue.

Don't publish until you've finished it all. Nothing worse than discovering something that will need fixing 3 chapters ago when it's already published, says the voice of experience

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

Finish it, edit all of it, think how you divide it into 10k-ish chapters and then post it in weekly installments.

That's my plan, although it makes more sense to make some of the sections closer to 20,000 words to hold each part together better. That would usually mean about 3 or 4 chapters per section. Some sections would make complete sense as a 10,000 word segment.

 

[Rob_Royale]

It's Gotten Huge!​

Generally a good thing in this neighborhood.

 

[intim8]

I started writing a story 6 months ago, which quickly became a novela, then a novel length work, and now it would be considered a series.
...I still find that I'm editing earlier sections as I continue.

Knowing how I am, and I know I'm not the only one, this raises a big red flag of the Never Ending Story.

If by "series", you mean that if it were printed, it would be multiple books, then I suggest finishing book one (with a definite ending), and enough of the future books so that you are confident you won't need to make changes in Book 1, then publish that, as others have suggested, in 10-20K chapters released on a regular and predictable basis. Probably in N&N or SFF so you don't have to worry about making each chapter finish with a bang as is preferred in other categories.

If you're up to book three or four, and you're still changing book 1, it likely means you will never be satisfied with it, and will be editing them for the rest of your life. Just get it in the can an move on. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (and possibly great).

 

[Gamblnluck]

Many of my own stories are long (10k words per chapter). I generally do not wait to begin submitting until it is finished. I do however write at least 3 chapters ahead of submissions. That gives me to ability to edit previous chapters to make the story flow. One of my stories had an ending long before I was ready to use it. That was Slave Camp. I found interesting story lines I wanted to pursue first. Then I tied it up in a little bow and ended it.
I revived many of the key characters as periphery characters in another long novel length story that now has 30 chapters published. Gotta Pay the Piper. I have four more chapters written that I am revising/editing.
Now I have found my readership has flagged a bit. Many readers do not want to go to the effort of starting a long series to catch up. I do have a loyal following who like my stories.

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

Knowing how I am, and I know I'm not the only one, this raises a big red flag of the Never Ending Story.

If by "series", you mean that if it were printed, it would be multiple books, then I suggest finishing book one (with a definite ending), and enough of the future books so that you are confident you won't need to make changes in Book 1, then publish that, as others have suggested, in 10-20K chapters released on a regular and predictable basis. Probably in N&N or SFF so you don't have to worry about making each chapter finish with a bang as is preferred in other categories.

If you're up to book three or four, and you're still changing book 1, it likely means you will never be satisfied with it, and will be editing them for the rest of your life. Just get it in the can an move on. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (and possibly great).

I haven't made many substantial changes to the earlier chapters, but occasionally I realize that I need to introduce something that occurs later. I have a clear ending in mind, but I've had a lot of interesting material to write to get there. I have created sections that are part of the overall story. My problem is not being a perfectionist, it's having too many ideas for the characters I've created.

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

Many of my own stories are long (10k words per chapter). I generally do not wait to begin submitting until it is finished. I do however write at least 3 chapters ahead of submissions. That gives me to ability to edit previous chapters to make the story flow. One of my stories had an ending long before I was ready to use it. That was Slave Camp. I found interesting story lines I wanted to pursue first. Then I tied it up in a little bow and ended it.
I revived many of the key characters as periphery characters in another long novel length story that now has 30 chapters published. Gotta Pay the Piper. I have four more chapters written that I am revising/editing.
Now I have found my readership has flagged a bit. Many readers do not want to go to the effort of starting a long series to catch up. I do have a loyal following who like my stories.

I'm on chapter 45, and I would guess I'm 2/3rds done. Probably few people will read it given the length, so it's as much for me as anyone. However, the one person I've been sharing it with has loved it, so hopefully if anyone get's a little ways into it, they will want to continue.

 

[intim8]

it's having too many ideas for the characters I've created.

That's kinda the same thing. You've built a world you enjoy, and now you want to flesh it out with every story it could contain. I know the feeling.

IMHO, it's better to keep a book-length story focused, and build a world of many books.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I haven't made many substantial changes to the earlier chapters, but occasionally I realize that I need to introduce something that occurs later. I have a clear ending in mind, but I've had a lot of interesting material to write to get there. I have created sections that are part of the overall story. My problem is not being a perfectionist, it's having too many ideas for the characters I've created.

Patience will allow you to maintain control of the story. There is nothing wrong with that.

There is no consensus here about chapter size or posting method for longer stories. I can tell you that as a reader, I will not start a story that is obviously incomplete. I can tell you as a writer of several long stories, that my readers prefer them in single, long submissions (>75K). The feedback on this was so consistent that I went back and had all of my chapter submissions converted to single submissions. The reader statistics for each improved.

Category choice will impact the reception for long stories. Novels/Novellas is always a safe location. Readers go there expecting longer stories.

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

Patience will allow you to maintain control of the story. There is nothing wrong with that.

There is no consensus here about chapter size or posting method for longer stories. I can tell you that as a reader, I will not start a story that is obviously incomplete. I can tell you as a writer of several long stories, that my readers prefer them in single, long submissions (>75K). The feedback on this was so consistent that I went back and had all of my chapter submissions converted to single submissions. The reader statistics for each improved.

Category choice will impact the reception for long stories. Novels/Novellas is always a safe location. Readers go there expecting longer stories.

Thanks for those suggestions. Maybe I will also pull out a few sections that could stand more on their own as "excerpts." There are certainly sections in the wider story that I could do that with - I would just need an intro to the backstory.

 

[cypressknee]

I wouldn’t say “huge” but definitely bigger than when I first woke up

 

[Gamblnluck]

I'm on chapter 45, and I would guess I'm 2/3rds done. Probably few people will read it given the length, so it's as much for me as anyone. However, the one person I've been sharing it with has loved it, so hopefully if anyone get's a little ways into it, they will want to continue.

How big are the chapters. 45 chapters of 2k words is going to bury the story. Make each chapter you submit 10 to 12 pages if you can. That will be 3 or 4 pages on Lit. Sometimes consolidating chapters makes the count difficult to follow and you have to pay attention when you post. I just published chapter 30 of my Gotta Pay the piper. I think that was ch 36 or 37 in my drafts.

 

[Gamblnluck]

my readers prefer them in single, long submissions (>75K). The feedback on this was so consistent that I went back and had all of my chapter submissions converted to single submissions. The reader statistics for each improved.

Category choice will impact the reception for long stories. Novels/Novellas is always a safe location. Readers go there expecting longer stories.

One of my friends, Bumblingfool, likes to submit long complete stories as well. And he also gets a good review. One of the reasons is a person who does not like the story is not going to read it. Long stories lose early reads. People click on them, see how long it is and come back when they have a lot of time. They can't spend a whole day reading a single story. Plus you can't bookmark long stories on lit. You have to remember where you left off.
You are right about reader's on novels/novella expectations. My only problem with that category is I like to know what genre I am going to read before I start. I restrict my reading there to known authors or a recommendation of a story there.

 

[alohadave]

Plus you can't bookmark long stories on lit. You have to remember where you left off.

Learn to embrace leaving tabs open. Every story I read is opened in a new tab. If I don't finish it, I can come back to it later.

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

How big are the chapters. 45 chapters of 2k words is going to bury the story. Make each chapter you submit 10 to 12 pages if you can. That will be 3 or 4 pages on Lit. Sometimes consolidating chapters makes the count difficult to follow and you have to pay attention when you post. I just published chapter 30 of my Gotta Pay the piper. I think that was ch 36 or 37 in my drafts.

Ha! That would be 90,000 words. I'm at 275,000. I know...nobody's going to read it.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Ha! That would be 90,000 words. I'm at 275,000. I know...nobody's going to read it.

My Slave Camp story is close to 400K. I get plenty of reads. But I also broke it up into reasonable bites. Start posting your early chapters. Get a following.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Ha! That would be 90,000 words. I'm at 275,000. I know...nobody's going to read it.

45 chapters comes out at 6k words a chapter. For a long story, I'd double up and make them average 12k per chapter and start getting them out there. Put them out at 3 or 4 day intervals (maybe a tad tighter at the beginning) and go for it. You are looking at months to catch up to close to where you have written. Just dont let the comments dictate the story to you. You are the author, stay firm to you story and keep your characters consistent to the plot.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Learn to embrace leaving tabs open. Every story I read is opened in a new tab. If I don't finish it, I can come back to it later.

I close my browser down at the end of the day

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

My Slave Camp story is close to 400K. I get plenty of reads. But I also broke it up into reasonable bites. Start posting your early chapters. Get a following.

Nice to know that I'm not totally crazy with the size of my work.

I was thinking about pulling some parts out and calling them "Excerpts." I'll give a brief summary of the back story with each one. That way people who want a smaller read could look at one of those, and maybe that will drive interest to the larger work? I don't want to post the first chapter until I am closer to done. The story begins with a scene much later in the work, and I need to make sure I have that right.

 

[Madd_Maxxine]

45 chapters comes out at 6k words a chapter. For a long story, I'd double up and make them average 12k per chapter and start getting them out there. Put them out at 3 or 4 day intervals (maybe a tad tighter at the beginning) and go for it. You are looking at months to catch up to close to where you have written. Just dont let the comments dictate the story to you. You are the author, stay firm to you story and keep your characters consistent to the plot.

I hope to post in "Sections" that would be 10-20K in length. The sections will have several chapters, but those chapters will hang together as a logical "Part" of the larger story. I'm also thinking of pulling some parts out of the larger story and posting them as excerpts for those that might want a "quickie."

 

[Gamblnluck]

I was thinking about pulling some parts out and calling them "Excerpts." I'll give a brief summary of the back story with each one. That way people who want a smaller read could look at one of those, and maybe that will drive interest to the larger work?

Don't do it if it will either detract from the main story or if it is a story spoiler.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

OK. I just couldn't resist...