State of Affairs

[SSobotkaJr]

Hi everyone,

Taking some time to post this, and I don't want to sound ranty/preachy here, but considering the most recent comment I got on one of the chapters I posted just within the past month it feels like this is something I have to say.


The general gist of the comment was that I was taking too long to finish this particular story: in truth, it's been nearly 5 months between chapters. While normally I wouldn't give such a criticism much thought, the fact the comment was worded like an angry customer coming up to a Customer Service desk -- with the words "Bastard!" and "Tease" thrown in for good measure, makes me feel this needs to be addressed.

For starters, I'm a disabled person. I suffer with an eye condition called keretaconus (the interior of my eyeball bulges inwards towards the center, deforming the cornea); which makes me Legally Blind.

I get around this by using specially made contact lenses, and the use of magnifiers when I use my computer. But, because my contacts are of rigid, gas-permeable plastic, I cannot leave them in for long stretches of time without my eyes getting sore and tired.

This means my time in front of the computer is limited. Add to the fact I face all of the miladies that most writers face -- writer's block, fickle muses, distractions, etc. -- and I don't have the same level of producing fiction as I did when I first started writing back in 1995.

So, I do what I can. I work on what story my muses allow for. I don't write stories to be a deliberate "tease", I just write what I feel is erotic and what suits my own style, while keeping in mind my limitations which are due to my disability.

I honestly didn't start writing erotica to piss people off. I like writing, and telling a good, entertaining story. But, I figured to at least clear the air here as to why there's been some lag between chapters of my work.

That's all I wanted to say.


-- SRS

 

[sr71plt]

The readers of the stories have no reason to know anything about your background situation. They have invested time and effort into trying to follow your stories. Five months between chapters is too long to expect someone to follow you contentedly. To use curse words indicates they really wanted to read the series, which goes two ways: using the heat is going overboard; but going overboard on complaining about you leaving them in the lurch is an indication how much they were investing in reading the series. And further evidence they wanted to continue reading the story is provided by telling you they are disappointed. Most would just drop the effort and move on (and not come back--to anything you wrote, not trusting that you wouldn't leave them in the lurch on that too).

With five-month gaps I'd say they had a right to be pissed off. The answer is to write the whole thing before posting it--or at least enough of it that a reasonable-intervaled posting of it won't catch up with the ending.

It's rarely a good idea to expect the customer to be omniscient about whatever isn't in the story or to poke him/her with a stick.

 

[3113]

I can't let you off the hook....

I honestly didn't start writing erotica to piss people off. I like writing, and telling a good, entertaining story. But, I figured to at least clear the air here as to why there's been some lag between chapters of my work.

Dude, you don't have to explain it to us--we sympathize. However, you need to post this explanation in the next chapter, because it's your readers who need to know--and, frankly, need to be apologized to.

No, you didn't start writing erotica to piss people off. BUT...you did decide to post that erotica. And that's a little different. Especially if you're posting a book with many chapters. In that case, you're making a promise to people--that if they're reasonably patient, you'll post each chapter in a reasonable amount of time. You had to know people would read the story, and want to know what would happen, and would expect to see the next chapter within weeks...not within months.

Wouldn't you expect that from an author posting chapters here?

If all you wanted was to write erotica...why post it? And if you did want others to read it...why not manage it so they could? You could, for example, have held off posting the erotica till the whole story was finished. Or you could have posted only the erotica you wrote that was a complete story in and of itself. YOU know your limits, and the means it was up to you to post these chapters in a way that would be fair to the readers--as well as to yourself. So you wouldn't feel pressured or hassled.

Your writing erotica isn't pissing anyone off. Posting it, inviting them to read it, that is what is angering them, because you seem to be jerking them around. They don't know why--and even if they did, their beef with you is still legitimate. You wanted that instant feedback, and you got it, but you knew while you were getting it that you were going to keep these eager readers waiting for the next chapter. And you didn't warn them on the first chapter that there would be a long time lag, nor explain, at the top of the next chapter, why it had been five months since the last one. You have all my understanding regarding your disabilities and why you're slow...but I can't let you off the hook here. It was unkind of you to make an implied promise to your readers that you couldn't keep. If you were determined to post this chapter by chapter no matter how long it took you, then your readers deserved to be told upfront that the chapters would be very late.

 

[sr71plt]

I wouldn't counsel giving a personal situation story along with an erotica story. People aren't reading your story to get that sort of side discussion, and it will detract from their read (and probably their satisfaction with the read).

I also wouldn't say it will be (or might be) a long time before the next installment. That is, I think, disrespectful to the readers and expecting them to do more than should be expected of them--hanging in there and keep checking for a continuation. I really don't understand what part of waiting until the series is finished before starting to post it in reasonably spaced postings is so hard for writers to grasp--for several reasons, including story quality.

If you want instant gratification, write and post shorter stories to fill in the creation gaps on the longer one.