JuanSeiszFitzHall
yet another
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2019
- Posts
- 1,098
I’m sure there’s been quite a lot posted here about writing series vs. writing standalone stories. Sometimes the development of a character (including the character’s exploration of a kink) must be done gradually, through several events and encounters with other characters, and a series could be the best approach. Sometimes that development can happen in a single narrative, perhaps with more impact for the reader if all events are included in a single reading. Well and good. I’ve had occasion lately, however, to wonder if one approach or the other is better for specific Lit categories.
Not very scientifically, I looked at the new-story hubs of most categories to see how many items in each are series. The only surprise under Novels and Novellas is that the total was 24 series, instead of 25. Turns out that the non-series was a story by a new writer who may not have figured out yet what the categories are.
I skipped a few categories which weren’t relevant to this (Audio, Reviews, etc.). The category with the fewest series is Humor and Satire, where basically everything posted is a joke or a shaggy-dog. There is, however, one series there. The next fewest, also understandably, is First Time. In fact, if everything there is ‘first,’ the seven series there might be stretching the point (unless the ensuing chapters deal with post-‘first’ development or consequences). The only other category with fewer than ten series (as of now) is Anal.
All but one of the other categories show 10 to 19 series (with Nonhuman and Exhibition/Voyeur at 19). The exception--and what I had a hunch was the case, and it’s why I looked into this--is SF/Fantasy, where 22 of the 25 hub items are parts of series.
Again, it’s no surprise, when one thinks about the fictional templates in this category: quests, world-building, depiction of aliens and fantasy creatures (probably a big factor in Nonhuman as well). Does anyone get the sense, however, that the dearth of standalones might turn away readers who might otherwise be interested in an SF/F story? Or, would an SF/F reader pass over a standalone in the belief that it doesn’t offer enough of what that reader wants?
https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=5116173&page=submissions
Not very scientifically, I looked at the new-story hubs of most categories to see how many items in each are series. The only surprise under Novels and Novellas is that the total was 24 series, instead of 25. Turns out that the non-series was a story by a new writer who may not have figured out yet what the categories are.
I skipped a few categories which weren’t relevant to this (Audio, Reviews, etc.). The category with the fewest series is Humor and Satire, where basically everything posted is a joke or a shaggy-dog. There is, however, one series there. The next fewest, also understandably, is First Time. In fact, if everything there is ‘first,’ the seven series there might be stretching the point (unless the ensuing chapters deal with post-‘first’ development or consequences). The only other category with fewer than ten series (as of now) is Anal.
All but one of the other categories show 10 to 19 series (with Nonhuman and Exhibition/Voyeur at 19). The exception--and what I had a hunch was the case, and it’s why I looked into this--is SF/Fantasy, where 22 of the 25 hub items are parts of series.
Again, it’s no surprise, when one thinks about the fictional templates in this category: quests, world-building, depiction of aliens and fantasy creatures (probably a big factor in Nonhuman as well). Does anyone get the sense, however, that the dearth of standalones might turn away readers who might otherwise be interested in an SF/F story? Or, would an SF/F reader pass over a standalone in the belief that it doesn’t offer enough of what that reader wants?
https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=5116173&page=submissions
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