Unfinished stories

[cmsheaff]

It is irritating to come to the last installment of a story only to see that it is unfinished...and from the dates it is clear it never will be.

We need a warning system that labels the story as unfinished so that those of us that hate this can avoid the distress.

I have had this happen many times.. The most recent is Touched by starscape

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

It is irritating to come to the last installment of a story only to see that it is unfinished...and from the dates it is clear it never will be.

We need a warning system that labels the story as unfinished so that those of us that hate this can avoid the distress.

I have had this happen many times.. The most recent is Touched by starscape

Stop whining and leave comments. LIT readers like you are fulla yourselves about what writers owe you. Comment or go fuck off.

 

[sr71plt]

It is irritating to come to the last installment of a story only to see that it is unfinished...and from the dates it is clear it never will be.

This gets discussed on the forum a lot. You can narrow your read/not read decision down by looking at the posting date of the last-posted chapter of the series (and also at the interval waits between chapter postings). The posting date is given on the author's story list page.

But I'm with you in that I won't start reading a story until I know the story is finished posting. I submit some chaptered series, but there's a proslug on the first page telling the reader how many chapters there are and when the last one should post by--which means I don't just ramble around with it for years. It's finished before I start posting any of it.

 

[Hypoxia]

I wrote various series and mini-series (RON, ALAN, DEXTER and BRIDE OF KONG) where I (mostly) finished the series before posting any chapter, so the tales were complete upon arrival. One series (RON'S JOURNAL) had a few other chapters inserted later (and may receive even more). The DEXTER tales are (so far) two 3-part mini-series, and more may come in the future, with each mini-series being a complete package.

But I'm taking a different approach with my THE BOOK OF RUTH series. Instead of chapters that depend on their predecessors, each episode of RUTH can be read as a stand-alone. And I am NOT pre-writing them -- they'll emerge when they're ready. Hopefully, autonomous episodes will be better-received than hanging chapters.

Other single stories may grow as sequels are demanded. I'm trying to write follow-ups to JENNY BE FAIR and THAT'S MY GIRL, and the first JENNY sequel is maybe 1/4 done (with a couple moe sequals possible), but it's been stuck in neutral for a few months. And I know THAT'S MY GIRL TOO will be tough to write. Oh bother.

Yes, unfinished serials can be mucho frustrating for readers as well as writers. But the author's life is never easy. It's lonely at the top.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The proposition is absurd.

I cant imagine Harry Potter or Star Wars fans all sour and pissed, waiting for the next installments.

Fuck whiny readers who demand instant gratification.

 

[lovecraft68]

The proposition is absurd.

I cant imagine Harry Potter or Star Wars fans all sour and pissed, waiting for the next installments.

Fuck whiny readers who demand instant gratification.

I think for Star Wars it should now be "please let it stay finished"

Lucas is now talking a 7th installment he started at the end went back to the beginning tied everything together, now what?

Can someone say cash cow?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I think for Star Wars it should now be "please let it stay finished"

Lucas is now talking a 7th installment he started at the end went back to the beginning tied everything together, now what?

Can someone say cash cow?

Sure. But few are whining about it like they would if it was an unfinished LIT Series.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm on the fence about this.

My first thought is yeah it sucks to get vested in something and it never gets finished.

But then I start thinking why didn't it? I am sure mostly its a case of the writer losing interest/writer's block etc....but there could be an illness of the author or a death in the family a career change who knows? But sometimes shit happens and finishing a series is the least of the worries.

I also come back to it is a free site so, hey what do you want for free? Want a guaranteed complete work? Go spend some money on book and e-books.

Also how many readers don't vote? How many don't comment? The writer works hard on their story and gets paid in votes and comments and comments are few compared to votes.

So the writer is obligated to an audience who paid nothing to read their work and for the most part can't take two minutes to comment?

But, oh, we better deliver on those series!

So although personally I wouldn't start anything I did not plan on finishing I am never going to get upset if something doesn't get done that I'm reading. I appreciate what I can get for free here.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

It is often not clear what 'finished' means on Lit. A story is written, readers clamor for, "More, more", and the flattered writer obliges with a Ch.02. Demand continues but the writer has lost her muse, doesn't know how to develop her story, so can't continue - and gets abused.

I agree with sr that if you are writing a complete chaptered story you need to be ready to post with short intervals. LC makes a great point. Lucas has a bunch of characters and he just makes them jump through different hoops to not have to explain development of a new story. That's what a zillionaire does.

Us amateur writers are not clever in developing strong characters and using them to drive different plot lines.

Guess that's why we're poor.

If you mean to write a single story, don't be inveigled into taking the characters beyond your boundaries.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I'm on the fence about this.

My first thought is yeah it sucks to get vested in something and it never gets finished.

But then I start thinking why didn't it? I am sure mostly its a case of the writer losing interest/writer's block etc....but there could be an illness of the author or a death in the family a career change who knows? But sometimes shit happens and finishing a series is the least of the worries.

I also come back to it is a free site so, hey what do you want for free? Want a guaranteed complete work? Go spend some money on book and e-books.

Also how many readers don't vote? How many don't comment? The writer works hard on their story and gets paid in votes and comments and comments are few compared to votes.

So the writer is obligated to an audience who paid nothing to read their work and for the most part can't take two minutes to comment?

But, oh, we better deliver on those series!

So although personally I wouldn't start anything I did not plan on finishing I am never going to get upset if something doesn't get done that I'm reading. I appreciate what I can get for free here.

For me, when the comments stop I take it as a sign to stop and move on. Its like your honey saying to you, LETS WAIT TILL WE'RE MARRIED (too many cooks in my pants, dear).

 

[Hypoxia]

Idea: Go commercial. To finish, anyway. The mother of all cliffhangers: Post chapters 0-9 here on LIT for all to read, free, gratis, for nothing, then publish the entire work (edited & expanded & sexed-up) along with chapter 10 and the epilogue --- for cash. Hey suckers, wanna know how it resolves? Show me the money. Fuck this shit about points, favorites, comments. Money talks, bullshit stalks. The voices in my head tell me so.

 

[lovecraft68]

Idea: Go commercial. To finish, anyway. The mother of all cliffhangers: Post chapters 0-9 here on LIT for all to read, free, gratis, for nothing, then publish the entire work (edited & expanded & sexed-up) along with chapter 10 and the epilogue --- for cash. Hey suckers, wanna know how it resolves? Show me the money. Fuck this shit about points, favorites, comments. Money talks, bullshit stalks. The voices in my head tell me so.

That is actually against lit rules.

Supposedly there is a rule that you are not supposed to "lead people on" like that by giving some for free and making them pay for the finish.

But it is no way shape or form upheld because there are a countless examples of it here.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Idea: Go commercial. To finish, anyway. The mother of all cliffhangers: Post chapters 0-9 here on LIT for all to read, free, gratis, for nothing, then publish the entire work (edited & expanded & sexed-up) along with chapter 10 and the epilogue --- for cash. Hey suckers, wanna know how it resolves? Show me the money. Fuck this shit about points, favorites, comments. Money talks, bullshit stalks. The voices in my head tell me so.

I was recently reading a story which did exactly this. It was a fantasy piece by TheLastChaosLord. Judging by the comments, there was quite a bit of backlash, but some seemed willing to shell-out for the "happy ending".

 

[lovecraft68]

I was recently reading a story which did exactly this. It was a fantasy piece by TheLastChaosLord. Judging by the comments, there was quite a bit of backlash, but some seemed willing to shell-out for the "happy ending".

Honestly my feeling is this. If the author entertained you for free with the first installments and you enjoy the series then shelling out the whopping $2.99-$4.99 for an e-book shouldn't be an issue to show some support and appreciation.

Problem is this is a free site and people are spoiled and they get pissed off. its another I can see both sides. One side it seems sneaky, the other side the authors work should be worth a little something if you liked it that much.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Honestly my feeling is this. If the author entertained you for free with the first installments and you enjoy the series then shelling out the whopping $2.99-$4.99 for an e-book shouldn't be an issue to show some support and appreciation.

Problem is this is a free site and people are spoiled and they get pissed off. its another I can see both sides. One side it seems sneaky, the other side the authors work should be worth a little something if you liked it that much.

I couldn't agree more with your lack of agreement.

It does seem sneaky, and people hate being jerked around. For many, it is the principle of such a move, I think, that sticks in their craws so firmly. But as you said--rather eloquently, previously in the thread--erotic writers on this site are like subway musicians: paid in smiles and a couple pennies here and there, and most don't have to time to even acknowledge the encounter or drop their two cents.

Still, it is the internet, the cyber wild west, a land full of vicious, roaming trolls, where even a ten inch penis isn't enough to satisfy a man's need to be a cock and no one owes anybody shit.
See ya, erotic cowboy.

 

[sr71plt]

I guess I won't mention that a whole lot of my Literotica stories exist in expanded and recast form in the marketplace.

 

[lovecraft68]

I guess I won't mention that a whole lot of my Literotica stories exist in expanded and recast form in the marketplace.

But they are here and for sale. Makes it a little different. Sure if they want your extra material they pony up, but if they are content with the watered down lit version its their choice.

That's different than ending a chapter with a cliffhanger and saying "What will happen to Bill? Go to amazon to find out!"