Long story submissions

[AverageGary]

I may have missed this in another thread. But when it comes to submitting long stories is it better to break them up into separate chapter submissions or just submit the whole thing as one long story?

I'm nearing completion of a story I've been working on over the last month or so. I forgot to write down the word count, but we're approaching 60+ pages in Word (which would likely only be 6-7 pages on here).

If I break it into chapters, how many should I break it into? Should they all be reasonably close to the same length?
If I submit as one long story, should I add some chapter headings in the body or just let it flow?

I took a break from it to do two short Halloween story contest entries and some extra work from my job. Now I'm hoping to finish the story in the next couple of weeks and then go back and read it, edit it, revise it and submit it for posting after Halloween.

It's my first time writing a story this long.
It had started out as two separate short stories with the same characters, but then I realized they could be merged into part of the same longer story. After that I realized there's untapped character development potential and a more complete narrative to be told. I started writing those extra details and my muse carried me away - even when I wasn't at the computer I'd be getting ideas for how to move the story along.

 

[Kantarii]

If I break a story down into chapters, I try to leave off at a good point that sets up a cliff hanger effect to leave the reader wanting to know more and hopefully come back to read the next chapter. That's how I roll. Just cutting a story off to equally divide it up can have adverse effects on the reader. But, I'm no professional writerKant

 

[Hypoxia]

I edited a story a couple years back, 70k words, 19 lit pages, 10 chapters. The author wanted to submit the 2-LIT-page chapters sequentially. I suggested throwing it up as a single piece, a contest submission. She won the contest, has over 200k views and a 4.89 score.

If your novella is good and can work as a contest submission, you'll grab many eyeballs and votes, many more than a series (which can't go into an attention-grabbing contest). That's just a strategy to keep in mind. If you intend to go the series route, you might keep the first chapters to 2-3 LIT pages with later chapters no more than 4-5 pages. (1 LIT page = ~3750 words.)

 

[8letters]

I may have missed this in another thread. But when it comes to submitting long stories is it better to break them up into separate chapter submissions or just submit the whole thing as one long story?

I'm nearing completion of a story I've been working on over the last month or so. I forgot to write down the word count, but we're approaching 60+ pages in Word (which would likely only be 6-7 pages on here).

If I break it into chapters, how many should I break it into? Should they all be reasonably close to the same length?
If I submit as one long story, should I add some chapter headings in the body or just let it flow?

I took a break from it to do two short Halloween story contest entries and some extra work from my job. Now I'm hoping to finish the story in the next couple of weeks and then go back and read it, edit it, revise it and submit it for posting after Halloween.

It's my first time writing a story this long.
It had started out as two separate short stories with the same characters, but then I realized they could be merged into part of the same longer story. After that I realized there's untapped character development potential and a more complete narrative to be told. I started writing those extra details and my muse carried me away - even when I wasn't at the computer I'd be getting ideas for how to move the story along.

6-7 pages is a long story, but not overly long. I have a number of stories that long or longer and no one has complained about the length. Unless your story naturally breaks into chapters, then I'd suggest posting it as one story.

You didn't mention the category. In Incest/Taboo, I think chapter stories get fewer reads than one big submission. I personally skip over chapter stories unless there's nothing else appealing. I like reading to closure. I don't want to start a story, get into it and then have to wait some unknown amount of time for the next installment.

 

[TamLin01]

That's up to you, whether you think that the story will be served by breaking it up or whether it might spoil the pacing and atmosphere. I will say that, generally speaking, I think this site has far too many "Chapter 7" and "Part 19" entries floating around as it is...but evidently those serials do pretty well.

 

[DreamCloud]

If the story is complete, I would post as one submission. Breaking it up into chapters will greatly lengthen the time it becomes public.

It takes about 2-3 days for a post to go live, then your next one is put at the end of the queue, and you wait another two days for the next submission. This is the fairest way of handling things given Literotica's desire to review each submission.

 

[holliday1960]

That's up to you, whether you think that the story will be served by breaking it up or whether it might spoil the pacing and atmosphere. I will say that, generally speaking, I think this site has far too many "Chapter 7" and "Part 19" entries floating around as it is...but evidently those serials do pretty well.

I totally agree.

 

[TxRad]

Six or seven Lit pages is not big. Long stories do well if the writing carries it. Use 3750 words for a Lit page. That is the going average.

 

[PervOtaku]

Both methods are used, so ultimately it's up to you.

The arguments for serializing it in separate chapters is more overall exposure time in the "new stories" list, and it can be generally more convenient for readers that aren't able to read the whole thing in one sitting.

I don't know what kind of effect separate chapters vs. one long entry has on reader votes, but then vote trends are affected by a great many factors.

Though yes, I believe contest entry stories are required to have the whole thing in one go. If the contests are something you're interested in pursuing.

As for how to break the chapters out if you go that route (either as individual submissions or subdivisions within a single submission), it does depend on the story. If the plot happens in definite chunks of events, then the break points should be obvious. Chapters are usually of similar length to each other, but that's not a firm rule and sometimes you do have a chapter that's small but can't reasonably be combined with the chapter before or after it. On the other hand. if events just roll on continuously, then you can pick an arbitrary chapter length and use that.

 

[Hypoxia]

Though yes, I believe contest entry stories are required to have the whole thing in one go. If the contests are something you're interested in pursuing.

Contest entries can't be sequels or otherwise dependent on prior stories. And a Ch.01 contest entry with a cliffhanger ending will probably be very unliked. That's why a contest story should be complete. Again, contests gain attention, grab eyeballs. If you want to be READ, submit for a contest. If you don't want to be read, submit a poem or essay or how-2.

Very very long series tend to grab high votes from ever-fewer readers. If that's what you want, go for it. I prefer to try to affect as many readers as possible.

 

[ChloeTzang]

.........

 

[lovecraft68]

I would do 6-7 lit pages as one story. That's not considered too long here. If you did it in two chapters you'd have a bout a 3-4 page chapter for each, but you also have to make sure you have a nice natural break to divide it and sometimes stories don't always have that and you find yourself forcing one.

I'd do it in one shot.

Once you start getting in the 9+ page range it may be better in chapters, but even then, there are tons of 10+ page stories on this site. Long pieces and chapters each have advantages and disadvantages here.

 

[FantasyXY]

My latest submission is 10 Lit pages. It's the longest story I've submitted as one piece. I've always been a proponent of the shorter story submissions here, 2 or 3 pages max. This longer story just didn't have any natural breaks for chapters, and I didn't feel like trying to work something into the story to create breaks.

There are two things I've seen that seem to relate to the longer submission...
-My views to votes ratio is half of what it is for the rest of my stories. That tells me I've had a lot of readers abandon the story, probably due to its length.
-I received fewer comments than I expected, and half of them either mentioned or complained about the length of the story. One comment even said I was getting a 1* vote simply because of the stories length.

 

[8letters]

My latest submission is 10 Lit pages. It's the longest story I've submitted as one piece. I've always been a proponent of the shorter story submissions here, 2 or 3 pages max. This longer story just didn't have any natural breaks for chapters, and I didn't feel like trying to work something into the story to create breaks.

There are two things I've seen that seem to relate to the longer submission...
-My views to votes ratio is half of what it is for the rest of my stories. That tells me I've had a lot of readers abandon the story, probably due to its length.
-I received fewer comments than I expected, and half of them either mentioned or complained about the length of the story. One comment even said I was getting a 1* vote simply because of the stories length.

Throw up a story feedback thread and I'll give you some feedback on the story. From the comments, the problem isn't the length; it's that not much happens. "Way to damn long with no action! Very long and dry lost all intrest half way through!"

 

[NoJo]

Ok this is a useful thread -- posting and naming separate chapters might not be the only way to go for me.

 

[Hypoxia]

Ok this is a useful thread -- posting and naming separate chapters might not be the only way to go for me.

Are you planning a novel-length work? Or a never-ending series? I know your mentioned this elsewhere but I'm forgetful and lazy.

Anyway, the trick with any submission of any length is to write well, write to involve readers, make them drag their eyeballs further along your word-path. At the end of a chapter, entice them to read the next installment. I sometimes do that with a 'NEXT:' tease. Okay, sometimes I lie. So I start the next chapter with hot sex and nobody cares about the switcheroo.

Naming separate chapters can't hurt if you can squeeze the whole string into the Title line, leaving room for -EDIT in case you need to revise later -- like to fix major fuckups. But as suggested, you can use more words if you put the chapter name in the subtitle slug, the Description line.

 

[NoJo]

Are you planning a novel-length work? Or a never-ending series? I know your mentioned this elsewhere but I'm forgetful and lazy.

Anyway, the trick with any submission of any length is to write well, write to involve readers, make them drag their eyeballs further along your word-path. At the end of a chapter, entice them to read the next installment. I sometimes do that with a 'NEXT:' tease. Okay, sometimes I lie. So I start the next chapter with hot sex and nobody cares about the switcheroo.

Naming separate chapters can't hurt if you can squeeze the whole string into the Title line, leaving room for -EDIT in case you need to revise later -- like to fix major fuckups. But as suggested, you can use more words if you put the chapter name in the subtitle slug, the Description line.

i've done the next tease to great effect here.

I have a 40,000 word story fully outlined (15,000 words written so far) which is in three parts. Those parts themselves are pretty episodic, (eg flashbacks/ flash forwards). TBH I'm more used to writing screenplays which break into acts and scenes (and beats). So in spite of the fact that I've written about 20 stories here, I'm groping as to how best to submit something meatier.

 

[Hypoxia]

i've done the next tease to great effect here.

I have a 40,000 word story fully outlined (15,000 words written so far) which is in three parts. Those parts themselves are pretty episodic, (eg flashbacks/ flash forwards). TBH I'm more used to writing screenplays which break into acts and scenes (and beats). So in spite of the fact that I've written about 20 stories here, I'm groping as to how best to submit something meatier.

Somehow a 35k word story cycle expanded to 67k words. And it can generate numerous spin-offs that don't depend on its storyline. I'd planned 4 episodes of about 9k words each. But the 3rd episode blew out to 3 chapters. Those 6 parts have word lengths of 8k, 9.5k, 10.5k, 10.5k, 16k, and 12.5k and LIT page lengths of 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 4. Each ends at a logical spot and teases for the next. I'm glad I didn't try to submit it as a 20-page story. Well, maybe for a contest...

Again, some very long stories are very successful here. The basic rule is: It's as long as it needs to be. But you knew that.

 

[NoJo]

But you knew that.

What I know and what my dick knows are frequently contradictory

 

[oggbashan]

I have posted a couple of stories in parts and then also as a single complete version.

The complete version seems to do better. Why? I don't know.

 

[TxRad]

What I know and what my dick knows are frequently contradictory

Writing with your dick can be painful in more ways that one.

One one of those long story writers. Novels come easy. I've tried chapters but for me they only seem to work if there is a lot of planning for the breaks. Like I've said before. There is nothing wrong with a long story if you can keep you readers interested. My long stories are my best scoring by far.

 

[NoJo]

Writing with your dick can be painful in more ways that one.

One one of those long story writers. Novels come easy. I've tried chapters but for me they only seem to work if there is a lot of planning for the breaks. Like I've said before. There is nothing wrong with a long story if you can keep you readers interested. My long stories are my best scoring by far.

Yes but you can actually write.