Sequels

[Dearelliot]

Any thoughts on beginning a sequel with the last page of the original? -- Last two pages?

 

[lovecraft68]

My personal feeling is its tacky. If you want to do a quick "How we got here" intro, maybe that works, but best to start where the first left off. If its a sequel then anyone who read the original knows what's going on, and anyone seeing it on a new list would most likely go back to the first one so they won't be lost.

 

[Dearelliot]

Yeah, I kinda feel that way too, that's why I'm asking, hoping someone disagrees with me...I want to do it.

 

[lexy_sadie]

I'd go with a brief summary of the previous story. Don't we have the ability to group stories by series now, anyway?

I don't know if this automatically provides a link to previous installments, but it seems like it should in theory.

 

[Dearelliot]

My original was 2 or 3 yrs ago, so I doubt any remember it...

 

[OffNSFW]

I don't do much in the way of sequels. (Only if I have an idea I need to do. Never give in to demand!) When I do, I'll usually do just a couple quotations from the previous installment, based on how relevant they are to the following material.

To me, it isn't just about keeping readers up to speed. It sets the mood and the expectations for the story.

 

[Dearelliot]

My stories are usually about a man and a woman living the BDSM lifestyle, so I do enjoy continuing stories with the same characters.

 

[Dearelliot]

Would your opinions change if it's a "A Series" rather than a sequel, as I realize I'm already working on a third continuing story.

 

[Azuldrgon]

Any thoughts on beginning a sequel with the last page of the original? -- Last two pages?

I have never done the whole page, but I might use the last few lines if I want to continue from where it left off.
Because I generally write shorter stories, I do not do it that often.
A whole last page feels excessive to be honest.
If they know it's the next part, they may not want to reread the nd of the previous one in it's entirety.

 

[Devinter]

Any thoughts on beginning a sequel with the last page of the original? -- Last two pages?

Not a fan. Unless you make it interesting somehow by, for example, rewriting it from the perspective of a different character involved - whom is now going to take on the mantle of protagonist for the sequel.

But exactly the same text? Absolutely not. If you're worried people will have forgotten what happened in the previous part, having your characters reflect on those events, or making small call-backs to key elements as you progress the new storyline would be a vastly superior choice in my opinion.

 

[Dearelliot]

Thank you all for your opinions... I suppose I do agree, and I like the idea of rewriting the ending...of the original.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

It has been my preferred modus operandi to end one episode of a story with a cliff-hanger scene that picks up at the beginning of the next part in the sequel.

While each is a stand-alone chapter story, my approach has been a favorite of my readers, building enthusiasm for the next story and driving new readers back to the previous stories to get caught up. I get comments that a lot of readers have gone back and read all of my stories multiple times. Too bad that they can't vote more than once.

 

[StillStunned]

Not a fan. Unless you make it interesting somehow by, for example, rewriting it from the perspective of a different character involved - whom is now going to take on the mantle of protagonist for the sequel.

This man speaks wisdom.

When I started Chapter 5 of The Rivals (Orgy of Death), I picked up where Chapter 4 (The Black Tomb) left off, but I switched POV. Now I had an excuse to recap the events, because it was all from the other character's perspective:

This early in the morning, in this polite part of the city, the street was quiet. A slight chill hung in the spring air, as if winter was clinging on with cold fingers.

Sligh made his way swiftly to the tenement where he'd rented an apartment. The sounds of pursuit hadn't followed him beyond the great park. Likely, the soldiers were still searching for him there, or even in the black mausoleum.

Preparation, he thought to himself with a smile. Assume everything will go wrong, and plan how to move forward anyway. The chance of discovery had been an eventuality that he'd planned for. He couldn't have foreseen what had brought the searching soldiers into the park in the end -- the screams of a ghost reaching her climax -- but he'd brought enchantments to lead them astray, to disappear before their eyes, to glide through the air like a whisper of wind.

Costly, those charms had been, but he hadn't regretted using them. The bag with half the loot from the mausoleum was safely hidden. He didn't need money right away, and he could leave the gold and silver and gems where they were until the robbery was long forgotten.

At least, he corrected himself, he could if Avilia agreed. Half of the loot was hers, just as half the loot in her saddlebags was his.

Avilia was in fact the reason for his rapid pace. His own safety wasn't in doubt. Hers was.

He wondered, as he had several times already, where she was. He'd seen the two nameless rocs take off from the park surrounding the mausoleum, and the royal guard flying after. And then a third roc, Farflier, had launched into the air and sped away.

He didn't wonder whether Avilia was alive. The blow she'd taken to the head was a nasty one, and she'd been badly hurt. But he had to assume that she was safe, on her way to someplace where she could recover. They'd find each other.

Instead, he let his mind linger on the night's other events. It was clear now, beyond dispute, that she was as attracted to him as he was to her. Not just from when she'd finished him off after Ispara's ghost had vanished, leaving him on the brink of his climax. No, it was most obvious from the way she'd flirted with him.

He recalled how she'd sucked on his ear. How her fingers had rested on his hand whenever they stood together. How she'd kissed him before he returned to the mausoleum to retrieve the last of the loot.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

When I started Chapter 5 of The Rivals (Orgy of Death), I picked up where Chapter 4 (The Black Tomb) left off,

IMO, this is one of the confusing aspects of advice here.

You are referencing continuing parts of a chapter story, which readers would typically expect to flow from one to the next without the need for a recap. The ability to publish individual chapters days, weeks, months, or years after the previous doesn't really make them "sequels" does it? It sounds like the continuation of the same story that the author is trying to re-establish in his or her own mind as they carry it forward.

While technically, chapter 2 would be a sequel to chapter 1, and chapter 3 a sequel to chapter 2, including portions from one to the next in a chapter story seems redundant and would drive me away from the story immediately. The flow would be lost, for me at least.

 

[StillStunned]

You are referencing continuing parts of a chapter story, which readers would typically expect to flow from one to the next without the need for a recap. The ability to publish individual chapters days, weeks, months, or years after the previous doesn't really make them "sequels" does it? It sounds like the continuation of the same story that the author is trying to re-establish in his or her own mind as they carry it forward.

While technically, chapter 2 would be a sequel to chapter 1, and chapter 3 a sequel to chapter 2, including portions from one to the next in a chapter story seems redundant and would drive me away from the story immediately. The flow would be lost, for me at least.

In traditional publish, sure. I'd hate it if I was reading a novel that gave a recap at the start of every new chapter. I find it annoying enough when I'm streaming television shows and every episode begins with "Previously on...".

But here on Lit, with chapters (or sequels, however you want to call them) being published weeks or months apart, and readers clicking on a link on the "New stories" page, you can't assume that everyone who's opened the story has read the previous instalments.

(Also, the chapters in "The Rivals" are standalone stories. With my other series "The Dome" I don't provide recaps, because that's one long story.)

 

[THBGato]

Just put a hyperlink to the first story at the top and suggest readers might wabt to (re-)read that first.

(Example here if you aren't quite sure what I mean.)

 

[BobbyBrandt]

In traditional publish, sure. I'd hate it if I was reading a novel that gave a recap at the start of every new chapter. I find it annoying enough when I'm streaming television shows and every episode begins with "Previously on...".

But here on Lit, with chapters (or sequels, however you want to call them) being published weeks or months apart, and readers clicking on a link on the "New stories" page, you can't assume that everyone who's opened the story has read the previous instalments.

(Also, the chapters in "The Rivals" are standalone stories. With my other series "The Dome" I don't provide recaps, because that's one long story.)

I understand and that's kinda why I said advice here can be confusing.

Let's face it, few, if any reader here had Literotica as their first experience with literature. I think we all can safely assume that they had some previous exposure to chapter stories, series, and sequels through traditional publishing.

Just because a chapter story here can be published differently than in mainstream publishing, should we assume that the terminology used by a new writer here applies to what Lit allows or what is elsewhere in the publishing world?

I could argue that your classifying of stand-alone stories (The Rivals) as chapters instead of a series or "parts" of the same story may make sense to you, but not to others. It's your prerogative and I wish you nothing but success, but hopefully you see my point where advising new writers is concerned.

 

[StillStunned]

Let's face it, few, if any reader here had Literotica as their first experience with literature. I think we all can safely assume that they had some previous exposure to chapter stories, series, and sequels through traditional publishing.

"Alright class, did we all do the reading I assigned you?"

Just because a chapter story here can be published differently than in mainstream publishing, should we assume that the terminology used by a new writer here applies to what Lit allows or what is elsewhere in the publishing world?

I could argue that your classifying of stand-alone stories (The Rivals) as chapters instead of a series or "parts" of the same story may make sense to you, but not to others. It's your prerogative and I wish you nothing but success, but hopefully you see my point where advising new writers is concerned.

It was some of my earliest publishing here. Looking back, I'd classify the instalments differently, like I've done with other connected-but-separate stories.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

I like the short summary in an author’s note, but if you’re going to repeat, it should be a few lines at most. The sequel may attract readers to the original story and those will likely go from A to B with little or no pause. They won’t appreciate a long repeat.

 

[SimonDoom]

Big nope. Not necessary.

If you want to continue a previous story so you make it a series, then give it the same name, chapter 2, and tell the Site when you submit it that you want the story to be made part of a series. The site will do the rest. There's no need to recap what happened before. Readers don't expect or need that.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I’ve done recaps before. Some said it was a distraction and some liked it. Looking back, I think the best way, if one is needed, is to keep it short. Good luck.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

A couple paragraphs of recap suffices, IMO. If they want more than that, they can read (or re-read) the previous story.

Being Lit, certain key facts are more key than usual - I now have in the back of my mind that when re-using certain characters, there are points to mention on the first page - name, appearance, and basically age, sex, location. Sexuality, if important. One or two salient background facts. But get on with the new story.