which is better?

[enslaved lioness]

i am writing a story that is coming out rather well. in fact i think it is my best work to date. it is still up in the air whether or not it will get posted to the stories here but if it does than i have a slight problem.

the more i work on it the more i find to put into it. it has a plot, description and sex all in one story. and the additions enhance the story not take away from it. i will be working on it quite a bit more but i have a question for the experienced authors out there (sorry about beating around the bush).

do you find it better when dealing with a long story to submit it in parts in a "to be continued" format or to work on it and submit what will be a several page work all at once?

i would appreciate any feedback as it may help the decision about posting the story.

 

[Weird Harold]

If there are natural chapter breaks in the flow of the story, then a multi-part submission would probably be better.

Very long (multi-page) stories will lose a lot of readership because of people who don't have the time to read something long online in one sitting, but it's still better to post them that way if you have to manufacture breaks every 3500-4000 words or so.

 

[garyblue]

a reader's viewpoint

I usually would prefer that an entire story be self-contained. Of course, a novella might be presented as a serial, and a lengthy short story (in the oxymoron category?) might be broken out as separate stand-alone episodes. Make them work as individual stories, not as chapters. There's no rule that says you can't create a cast of characters that show up in multiple tales. Think of Ian Fleming's Ms Moneypenny, or M1ke (<-yes he does spell it that way) Hunt's stories on one of the usenet groups.

Well, for all the penny candy it'll buy, that's my $.02 worth.

g

 

[enslaved lioness]

thank you for your comments. i was worried about losing reader interest and that is why i asked.

the story does take natural breaks and i am coming to one now. if the decision is made to submit it than i will keep those points in mind. thank you again for the help.

 

[qqnforyou6]

I believe that posting stories part by part is helpfull. First if the story becomes too long then readers might not be able to finish the story. Second, When you submit your story chapter by chapter you can get the feedback from your readers. This often tells you what direction to take your story in. Use your feedback to your advantage.

 

[garyblue]

Ah well. I am obviously a minority of one. A story that is too long to read at one sitting will not run me off for being too long. If I am run off, it is because I got bored. A Tom Clancy opus or the John Adams bio too long for one session? Bookmark it and come back later. The same here.

On the other hand, to reach the end of an installment before I'm ready to stop is frustrating. I hate to read an article to be told the conclusion will be in the next issue--or worse, that the intro was was in the last issue.

Please have pity on this lone voice in the etherwilderness. Give us the whole story. If you think the story is too long and might drive away the reader, it is. Get out the blue pencil and savage the work. Make it tight. Make it strong. Is it still too long? Consider whether it's of the whole cloth, or episodic. If there is a single major plot (and maybe some minors) with a beginning, middle and end, then make your novella. On the other hand, if it is a series of connected episodes, break out separate short stories. Flesh them out as needed so they can stand alone. Your readers (ok, this one) will love you for it.

Look what you get for $.02 American.

g

 

[enslaved lioness]

submitting it to the novella collection was not something i had considered. though that is an option. it is certaintly going to be long enough.

so now another question. has any author submitted one and, if so, how good of a response to you get. meaning are the views good on them. i know that a lot of readers like the quick reads.

it certaintly is one plot and one story. but it follows many things in one woman's life. i could piece it out in a "to be continued" format or i could submit it to the novellas or i could even write it all and submit it in parts.

i am lured in by the fact that i would be getting reader feedback on each part though so that i could adjust the story. but then again i dont want to get discouraged from submitting the whole thing and leave the readers who do like it hanging.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Send it in parts, unless the overall story is less than 2 pages. Most people won't read something that's eight pages long, no matter how good it is...it's too easy to pass it over for something shorter.
Anyway, can't you post it in parts, then, once you've submitted it all, post it together as a novella, leaving in both parts and as a whole?
Just curious...

 

[Guest]

Long-assed post warning

EL, I was in your shoes once. I intended to write a short story. The more I wrote, the more ideas that came to me. I decided to write "part two." Then the characters started acting on their own, making decisions about themselves, and before I knew it, the short story and become a ten chapter novella.

This was almost two years ago, before the switch over to the new format. So I cannot give you accurate information about the number of reads. I can tell you that before the switch, it remained on the Top List from the day it debuted. Then after the switch, all the stories started at ground zero.

Here are my thoughts on submitting longer pieces.

1. If you submit a novella, say 20,000-40,000 words, give it to Laurel in one fell swoop, but with chapter divisions. That way she can post it a chapter a day, or even every other day.

It's difficult as the writer to delay your "gratification" that long, but think of your readers. I don't know of anyone who prefers to wait between installments of a series they like. When you have long periods of time between your installments, the risk of losing readers due to lack of interest is far greater than if you just have a long tale.

I've never actually researched this, but I'm willing to be there are a ton of stories on the site that have "Part One" or "Chapter One" attached to the title, but that never wrap up. That, in my opinion, is dishonest. When you start a long tale, you are making a promise to the reader that you will resolve it for them. If you post the story a little at a time, as you write it, you will always be in danger of failing to fulfill that implied promise.

2. To keep people interested between parts, end your chapters at somewhat suspenseful points in your plot. Mickie recently posted something about that around here somewhere. Another device is to end the chapter with a question. Often the reader will read on just to find out the answer to the question.

For example,

Larry left Samantha sleeping in her bed. The last few hours had been the most intense he'd ever experienced, and yet, he wondered, What will happen when she finds out I'm just a phony?

3. If you're submitting it as a novella, please make sure it is a novella. A novella/novel is different from a series. A series is a group of stories that revolve around the same characters. Like James Bond or Tarzan. Each story in the series can stand alone.

A novel/novella's chapters MUST be read sequentially. There is a distinct beginning, middle, and end. The beginning and middle introduce and develop conflict and problems for the characters, and the end ties everything up.

Neither format is preferrable, but it's important to know which one you are writing.

I hope I've been helpful.

 

[Whispersecret]

Ah, that long post above was mine.

 

[enslaved lioness]

i havent been able to get back to Literotica for a couple of days so sorry for the delay in thanking everyone for their input. it certaintly helps put my thoughts in order.

if i submitt it i think i will choose to go the novel/novella way. and i do think i will finish it all first. letting down the readers was one of the things i was worried about.

thanks to all who contributed feedback to my question. it was greatly appreciated.

 

[Couture]

I would submit it in parts. The reception is rather cool around here for the first chapter, but they receive the following chapters much better. An advantage in this method is that it gives you more visability. It also, gives you feedback that might give you a couple of ideas you haven't thought about for your story.

Whatever you decide, have fun with it!