One-offs or series?

[UnexpectedLuggage]

Hey folks,

I was just curious how my other writers here like to do their stories. Do you prefer writing one-off stories or series? I see some series pop up that are dozens of parts and it always amazes me that people can come up with enough unique stuff to do with a select few characters.

Personally, I think I like doing one-offs a touch more. Being able to use new characters and scenarios without needing to worry about continuity and shit like that is way easier on me. That being said, I am working on my first sequel piece at the moment.

So what are your thoughts? Which do you like writing more, and why?

 

[ElectricBlue]

So what are your thoughts? Which do you like writing more, and why?

No preference. I've written poems, short vignettes, chaptered stories, series stories, stand-alone novellas, novels. Horses for courses, I reckon.

 

[mrs_mackenzie]

I prefer one-offs as they give more freedom as a writer. But I think readers often like a series or a long work: they can get more invested in the characters themselves if there are several parts.

 

[TheRedChamber]

My output to this point is almost exclusively one-shot. I do have one set of recurring characters who have appeared in 12 of my 65 stories, but each one of those stories is stand-alone and can be read independently of any of the others (although that's getting harder to maintain as the characters develop and gain baggage). I'm not hugely fond of long on-going series on Lit - I'd much rather have a unique story that gets wham bam to the point in a reasonable number of words. I'm also much better at finishing shorter works - my theory is that a 20k story isn't twice as much work as a 10k story, it's four times, and a 40k story is four times as much work as a 20k story. I've got more than a few novels hanging around my harddrive that I've put serious time into, but I'm much better at finishing shorter works.

 

[UnexpectedLuggage]

My output to this point is almost exclusively one-shot. I do have one set of recurring characters who have appeared in 12 of my 65 stories, but each one of those stories is stand-alone and can be read independently of any of the others (although that's getting harder to maintain as the characters develop and gain baggage). I'm not hugely fond of long on-going series on Lit - I'd much rather have a unique story that gets wham bam to the point in a reasonable number of words. I'm also much better at finishing shorter works - my theory is that a 20k story isn't twice as much work as a 10k story, it's four times, and a 40k story is four times as much work as a 20k story. I've got more than a few novels hanging around my harddrive that I've put serious time into, but I'm much better at finishing shorter works.

I feel you one the word count. I often get carried away and sometimes stuff ends up being way longer than I anticipated. But no complaints from readers so far, so I guess it's not all bad haha.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

Depends on the story I am telling. I’ve done relatively short things (for me) that were one offs, and then longer epic arched stories. There’s a place for both.

I don’t tend to write strokers, at least, not the kind I see all the time here - I always want to tell a story first and the sex is the garnish - so that is probably why I end up leaning on the series side.

In the end, it’s your hobby. Write what you like.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I work best with stand alone stories. I have four series in the works, all of them need additional chapters(one has need a chapter three for four years). Getting around to them is problematic. The one that I'm making progress on is more of a collection that a series as the stories are not related other than they just all happen in the same universe, so they're more stand alone with a common theme.

AS others have said, I admire people that can crank out chapter after chapter without getting too repetitive. It's a talent I don't seem to have.

 

[SimonDoom]

My default is the one-off. I think it's more artistically satisfying, most of the time, and it's also more popular with Literotica readers. I will write a one-off unless I can think of a good reason to break a story into a series of chapters.

 

[Original_Blue]

Well... I got two series but they only share general features - female masturbation in one series, couples bangin' in the other one. Each story is a one-off though. As Simon worte: It gives you more freedom. I'm a rather spontaneous writer with too many story ideas. Writing very long / multi-part stories bears the risk of me losing interest. So I write my little short stories whitin a few hours and I'm done.

 

[Nynah]

I prefer one-offs as they give more freedom as a writer. But I think readers often like a series or a long work: they can get more invested in the characters themselves if there are several parts.

I think this is the primary reason that authors here do chaptered stories. Creating memorable and interesting characters can be a challenge so spending more time with ones that you've created through a series of connected stories is a way of getting a good return on investment. If you've written a good starting story, you'll often get comments that ask you to write more because they're invested in the characters and/or their shenanigans.

I have experienced this so that's why all of my work to date that has been published here has been chaptered works. However, I do see the appeal of one-offs and am currently working on at least three different ones, hoping to find the time to get at least one published here this year.

 

[OddLove]

As a reader, I like reading series if the characters have a certain level of depth and development overtime. One-offs are still fun though if the concept is interesting to me.

As a writer, I prefer writing series so I don't have to rush through the story parts to get to the sex parts. And that's just a personal preference cause I like creating characters.

 

[HippyJeanSalon]

I prefer a one-and-done story. I enjoy creating new characters with different personalities and quirks. Works better for me.

 

[iwatchus]

Still very early in my writing, but I like being able to walk away from a one shot, but like being able to go deeper into the characters in a series.

IA few years ago I saw one of the directors saying that the best up and coming directors preferring a cable mini-series to a studio movie now because they can spend an entire hour or two on developing a single character. I feel like series are like that.

 

[ronde]

I think there are actually three types of stories.

• The single, stand alone story. This is a story with a distinct set of characters, a beginning, a plot, and an end.
• The "serial". This is one story in a group of stories that use the same main characters and similar themes, but each is a stand alone story with a different plot and a definite ending. The TV and movie equivalents are the old Saturday westerns and Star Trek, and movies like the Star Wars and Jurassic Park franchises.
• The true series. This is really a group of chapters of the same story with the same characters and a continuing major plot. This story doesn't end until the final chapter, though each chapter can have an ending to the section of the plot relative to that story. The best example of this is any daytime TV soap opera, though the characters do change from time to time.

I prefer single stories and serials. The problem with a true series is the author really should write the entire series before publishing the first chapter. Otherwise, there will be continuity issues and the inevitable, "I should have written this in chapter 2" of "I can't make my character to this because that's not how I described him when I introduced him."

I'm certain there will be some who say they don't have a problem writing a series of 86 parts over the span of 10 years, but I prefer to make that "series" into one long story.

 

[Voboy]

I do both.

The vast majority of my stories are one-offs, but all of them take place in the same universe. So they reference the same places, events, and people. But all of them (except the ones explicitly grouped into series) are written to be enjoyed on their own.

 

[iwatchus]

I think there are actually three types of stories.

• The single, stand alone story. This is a story with a distinct set of characters, a beginning, a plot, and an end.
• The "serial". This is one story in a group of stories that use the same main characters and similar themes, but each is a stand alone story with a different plot and a definite ending. The TV and movie equivalents are the old Saturday westerns and Star Trek, and movies like the Star Wars and Jurassic Park franchises.
• The true series. This is really a group of chapters of the same story with the same characters and a continuing major plot. This story doesn't end until the final chapter, though each chapter can have an ending to the section of the plot relative to that story. The best example of this is any daytime TV soap opera, though the characters do change from time to time.

I prefer single stories and serials. The problem with a true series is the author really should write the entire series before publishing the first chapter. Otherwise, there will be continuity issues and the inevitable, "I should have written this in chapter 2" of "I can't make my character to this because that's not how I described him when I introduced him."

I'm certain there will be some who say they don't have a problem writing a series of 86 parts over the span of 10 years, but I prefer to make that "series" into one long story.

I think Serial vs Series is more of a spectrum than an either or. For both, each entry needs its own story arc as well as fitting into the long term story arc to some degree. I can imagine many different balances between the importance of the two. You mention Star Trek (TOS I assume) as a serial, but what about the later seasons of deep space nine?. I think my current "The Friends" fits some where in between.

I do have to spend an increasing amount of time checking details from old chapters and I have discovered one inconsistency I missed between the first part and the rest of the series. I just spent several minutes rereading old chapters to figure out what the characters had in an earlier dinner -- I talk a lot about food in the series.

I am not saying it's not a valid distinction. I like it as a way to describe Lit series. it's just not binary.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I've done a bit of both. I think one of the best reader comments is a request to see more of these characters. When you've created a memorable character there is always a temptation to expand the story.
That said, one of the challenges on Lit is that series tend to shed readers over time. Each new installment gets fewer readers than the one before, so there are diminishing returns for writing a long series.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I think there are actually three types of stories.

• The single, stand alone story. This is a story with a distinct set of characters, a beginning, a plot, and an end.
• The "serial". This is one story in a group of stories that use the same main characters and similar themes, but each is a stand alone story with a different plot and a definite ending. The TV and movie equivalents are the old Saturday westerns and Star Trek, and movies like the Star Wars and Jurassic Park franchises.
• The true series. This is really a group of chapters of the same story with the same characters and a continuing major plot. This story doesn't end until the final chapter, though each chapter can have an ending to the section of the plot relative to that story. The best example of this is any daytime TV soap opera, though the characters do change from time to time.

That last one is really two different things. Something like, say, Kill Bill or The Green Mile is a "series" in that it's told in multiple parts, but is designed to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Usually the writer has a pretty good idea what that end will be by the time the first episode comes out.

OTOH, with a soap opera, the intention is usually to keep on producing new episodes for as long as the audience will support it. Nobody went into episode 1 of ER or Days of our Lives with a plan for "this is how we're gonna complete the story". Sometimes they do eventually write an end to it, if they know the show's not getting another season and they want to give it some kind of closure, but that's not something that shaped all the previous seasons.

There are also hybrids between those two styles - a lot of shows will have a combination of single-episode arcs or soapie style continuity, along with a story that runs for one season and then gets mostly tied up while other threads keep on going into the next season.

 

[Cagivagurl]

As a reader,
I no longer bother to open stories in chapters.... Been burned to many times by authors that never finish. Or you have to wait for months for the next chapter...

I have posted both, but now because of my experience as a reader, I only post stand alone stories....

My logic says. "If I feel that way about chaptered stories, many others may also feel the same...

Cagivagurl

 

[Not2Pervy]

I just recently posted my first series, done the way most recommend, by finishing the whole thing before releasing it. Previously I have done mostly one-offs, with a couple of very short series that were unplanned when I first published chapter one.

I decided to do a “proper” series mostly just to scratch the itch of never having done one. Now that it’s done, I’ve gotta say I think I will likely stick to one-off stories in the future. At least in my case, the series engagement and feedback has certainly not been any greater, the readership numbers are disappointing, and I think the scores probably would have been higher too if I’d published as one 35k word story (originally planned for the Nude Day event) instead of five, 5-9k word chapters.

 

[Lumiere_Amie]

I have published both singles and series, and I typically let the characters, and sometimes the readers, decide. Even then, my series are planned to be series, but I’ve had at least one single where the characters demanded more. I have one series where the MC repeats but each story is a single.
It all depends, and I don’t have a preference.

 

[ronde]

I just recently posted my first series, done the way most recommend, by finishing the whole thing before releasing it. Previously I have done mostly one-offs, with a couple of very short series that were unplanned when I first published chapter one.

I decided to do a “proper” series mostly just to scratch the itch of never having done one. Now that it’s done, I’ve gotta say I think I will likely stick to one-off stories in the future. At least in my case, the series engagement and feedback has certainly not been any greater, the readership numbers are disappointing, and I think the scores probably would have been higher too if I’d published as one 35k word story (originally planned for the Nude Day event) instead of five, 5-9k word chapters.

I think the problem with readership of series stories is caused by the sheer volume of work published on Literotica every day. Your followers will read your last installment, but it can easily get lost in the other 200+ stories published every day. The reader sees "Chapter 4" and thinks it's necessary to find Chapter 1-3 and read them first. I think a lot of readers don't want to go to the trouble. There's also the problem of regular publishing. If a reader has to wait for much more than a week for the next installment, they may decide it's not worth it since there are so many other stories to be read.

As for story length, I get more comments that my stories are too short than too long. I average about 12k words, but have many that are 20k+. I have two that are abut 47k. It's not an accurate measurement to compare views and votes between stories because the time since publication can have a pretty heavy effect, but the last 47k story has been on the site for about 3 weeks and has double my average number of views and four times the number of votes. It's more about grabbing the reader's interest to keep them reading than the length of the story.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Both. But I prefer doing shorter series, just two or three chapters. Having said that I can see one of my current stories going on much longer.