To Divide or Not to Divide, That is the Question

[SlickTony]

At last! I have finished the latest story I had been working on. Considering that I have had to write just a few sentences at a time, here and there, I thought I'd never get done with it!

Now it will be taken through the editing/tweaking stage, and after that, submitted.

My concern is that while most of my stories have been an average length of 8000 words, this one worked out to a little over 11,000, long even for me. I might bring it under 11K after it's been through the process, but still...

I wonder if I should submit it as is/will be, or if I should divide it into two or three parts.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

SlickTony,

IMHO, there is no right or wrong answer to your question. It depends on you and your story.

Depending on the dialogue to narrative ration, an 11K story would work out to about four pages. That's probably not enough to discourage most/many/some readers. If there's a natural stopping spot toward the middle of the story, it might work better as a two parter. But if there's not, I'd submit the entire story as one post instead of forcing a break.

Good luck and let us know when it's accepted.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[A7inchPhildo]

Personally I prefer it all on one post. Nothing makes me more sceptical than to see CH1 CH2 CH3... I figure I will read and the end will never be posted. So I tend to stay away from sectioned stories. 11k stories are only like reading two quality stories if it is interesting great if it is boring well? Readers have the ability to pause the story or save it if they like to finish later.

Not sure, but why would you split it? Especially if it is a completed text. I don't know about you but I do not go buy 1/2 a book to read hoping the other half will be there when I am ready for it.

Just my thoughts

 

[pop_54]

Hi

Depends on the market you're aiming at Slick, if you're happy with many views but few votes from the discerning readers like phildo. leave it in one piece. If you want the one handed readers to get off on it, split it up into two, their attention span only lasts as long as each tug off takes to paint keyboard.

As Rumple says though, make sure there's a cut off point you can use to split it up.

Me? I prefer stories in one piece, if it's a good tale I'll go all the way through it.

pops

 

[gauchecritic]

Taking note from Phildo's point I have a series of stories which are a sort of 'The adventures of...' Although I like to think that each story is complete in itself. The series all have different titles except that I add the title of the first story in brackets (Nice Work) rather than part 1 or chapter 1.

If you're only skimming for a good read in Lit. then you won't want a build up chapter if you're looking for sex. Similarly if you come across a Ch.2 you may have already missed the 'good stuff'.

I think a tale needs to start and end in the one posting especially if you set something up and then miss out on it's denoument. to be continued... You're reader can feel cheated.

Having said that, I recently received a feedback telling me exactly that on my Christmas entry. In my defence I wanted to get the entry in time for the contest so I broke off at a suitable place and am writing the follow up now.

Gauche

 

[oggbashan]

I didn't; then I did and liked it.

I wrote long stories and didn't break them up.

Votes and feedback were sparse. Seven or more Lit pages seems to be too much.

For NaNoWriMo I wrote 12 chapters - link below - and I had more votes, more feedback and consistently higher scores.

I wrote those 12 chapters as stand alone stories. Any could be read in any order without reading the first chapter. I hoped people would read them in order but it wasn't essential. I planned them that way.

If the story is a consistent whole I don't think it should be broken up. If you want to write chapters then you should plan each one as an entity with a beginning, a development and a cliffhanger end. The next chapter should start with a reprise of the cliffhanger. For stories in Literotica there should be a sexual section in each chapter.

My current project will revert to being a long(ish) single story. I have so many part-written stories to finish that it may be months before I write in chapters again.

Don't split a story unless you intended to from the beginning.

Og

 

[SlickTony]

Thanks for the good advice. The consensus seems to be don't split the story, and just as well. I looked it over and there is one place where you could spllit it, but it wouldn't be even. There'd be a 4K word part and a 7K word part. Besides, the whole thing takes place in one [rather small] room and covers about 2 hours. I'll let you know when I send it up.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Going against the common opinion, SlickTony, I think you SHOULD split the story in atleast two parts.

I know I would never have the energy to read 11K words in one sweep.









Unless the words "Harry" and "Potter" would be included repeatedly throughout the story.

 

[MathGirl]

Originally posted by gauchecritic I have a series of stories which are a sort of 'The adventures of...'

Dear Gauchie,
I have really enjoyed your "Sheep Country" series. Hope there's a new chapter soon.
Your fan,
MG
Ps. Svenska, Can I have your AV when you're through with it? Got anymore?

 

[Guest]

Svenska, Can I have your AV when you're through with it? Got anymore?

Maths, I gave it to her and if you had your twinkies or cookies turned on you'd see it in my sig line. I'll give it to you gratis.

Perdita

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Maths, I gave it to her and if you had your twinkies or cookies turned on you'd see it in my sig line. I'll give it to you gratis.

Perdita

Perdita,

I don't care what MathGirl and Svenskaflicka keep saying about you behind your back, I think you're okay.

Rumple

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Perdita,

I don't care what MathGirl and Svenskaflicka keep saying about you behind your back, I think you're okay.

Rumple

 

[Guest]

Perdita, I don't care what MathGirl and Svenskaflicka keep saying about you behind your back, I think you're okay.

LOL. Thanks Rumps, I see I might have worded my last sentence more discreetly.

gratefully, Perdita

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Ps. Svenska, Can I have your AV when you're through with it? Got anymore?

That depends... what are you going to do to the poor animal?

 

[MathGirl]

Originally posted by perdita Maths, I gave it to her and if you had your twinkies or cookies turned on you'd see it in my sig line. I'll give it to you gratis.

Dear Perdita,
Sorry, I don't do sig lines. I turned them off when some got longer than the messages.
MG

 

[Guest]

Dear Perdita, Sorry, I don't do sig lines.

Maths, no apology needed. I keep mine off most of the time too so I don't get some carpal whatever syndrome from over scrolling.

My sheep is Svenska's so you've seen it. What you may not know is that we adopted the ewe iconage to publicize ourselves as the black sheep of NaNoWriMo as we have decided we won't be finishing the required goal of 50K words by Dec. 1.

Perdita

 

[Svenskaflicka]

We're baaaaaaaad girls!

 

[Guest]

We're baaaaaaaad girls!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh.

 

[SlickTony]

To Svenskaflicka--for the reasons I mentioned above, I don't think I'm going to divide it. It wouldn't be an even division, and if I divided it in the middle, it would be totally artificial Anyway, after my trademark slow buildup, there's plenty of action, although I have an idea it might not be your cuppa tea, considering how there's a certain amount of same-sex stuff in it. Not Lesbian action, I know how you feel about that--