pages vs chapters

[aspiringDOM]

I try to read FAQ and posts before asking a question. I'm new here and to writing erotica for that matter. Anyway, who determines page breaks / page length?

I recently submitted my first story in four chapters because I figured each chapter would be a page or more based on what I read and saw on here. My first chapter was approved and posted. To my surprise, it was a single page and for that matter it appears that each subsequent chapter while be published one day at a time. In hindsight, I would have just made it one long story.

Do I need to indicate in the text the page breaks where I think they should occur or is this a matter for the approval people, whoever they are? Or, is this something I should suggest in the comments section of the submission page?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Darkniciad]

The system isn't designed to allow an author to dictate page breaks. They're a set text length. I can't remember the approximate word count offhand, but that's how the pagination for stories works. The longer the work you submit is, the more pages it takes up.

When you submit chapters as individual submissions, each chapter is paginated according to the text of that chapter. The chapters don't get combined into a single paginated whole.

The last page of any chapter should have a list of the other chapters near the bottom, though. There's a box on the right sidebar that lists "also in this series".

 

[sr71plt]

I can't remember the approximate word count offhand, but that's how the pagination for stories works.

I've found it to be around 3,750 words.

 

[aspiringDOM]

thank you all for the info. hopefully I'll figure this out with my next story.

 

[LizzyDark]

thank you all for the info. hopefully I'll figure this out with my next story.

You could also just skip the page break thing and put markers in there for when you want your reader to mentally change the page. In the international editing marks it's a #, but you can just make up your own and people will usually get the point.

 

[emap]

I think I'm missing something, why do you want page markers?

There are pages in books because that is how the medium works, there are programs to read books on your computer that have pages, not because they are needed, they are just familiar.

The markers referenced are used to denote a change in scene or speaker. Unless you are having said changes page markers will be nothing more than confusing. Confusing is greeted with strongly negative feedback and low votes. Granted strongly negative feedback is par for the course on literotica, doing what you are apparently planning will net you more than normal.

 

[sr71plt]

I can't think of the need for page markers on Lit. either.

 

[aspiringDOM]

It's not so much a need for pages vs figuring out whether a story should be divided into chapters. For example, in my first go around, my story worked out to be in excess of 13 pages in my word processing program.

I like three to four pages in a posted story and tend to think more than that needs chapter breaks. So, I looked for good breaking points in my story to divide it into chapters that I thought would probably have two or three pages each. It turns out I was wrong. Each chapter just turned into one page.

In reviewing my submissions, I began to wonder who or how a page length was determined, ie is it a manual thing or something that automatically occurs. Thus the reason for the question.

In hindsight, I would have just submitted the entire story without any chapters. Live and learn.

 

[estragon]

If you write it right, page breaks are irrelevant. Look at one of my all-time favorites, Sir_Nathan's brilliant Culture_Shock, something like 36 pages of rivetting, first-class prose.

 

[aspiringDOM]

If you write it right, page breaks are irrelevant.

I agree. After looking through more stories and thinking it through, I figure there's little chance I'll ever really need to worry about chapters. I'll keep them in mind, but I doubt I'll ever do another multiple chapter post.

 

[sr71plt]

I wouldn't count much on readers sticking with you for 36 Lit. pages at one go. The original definition of "short story" was a story that could be read in one sitting. From years of discussion on this on the board, 3 Lit. pages has generally come up as the best average for a chapter/single story. I try not to go over 2 lit. pages most of the time.

 

[estragon]

Blackbird Guy, Agreed, with a major league reservation for Sir_Nathan's masterpiece. If you're in the Grand Master class, you can do it. But for most of us, we don't try that at home.