Writing serials vs. one shots

Feb 19, 2013 21:26

I am working on a brick-verse story about Javert (more about the story in a different post ( Read more... )

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Comments 7

carmarthen February 20 2013, 03:54:02 UTC
I don't do serials, partly because I am a slow writer (so I would leave people hanging for ages), partly because I don't write linearly, and partly because for the two longest stories I've written, I ended up significantly revising the beginning and middle once the story was completed. Some people are very reliable, linear writers and can edit as they go. I'm not one of them, and I am at peace with that. I'd rather complete and edit the story as a piece.

(Also I love Brickverse Javert fic, romance emphatically not required. Tell me more?)

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avon February 20 2013, 13:16:57 UTC
Yeah - I think writing a serial was not a good move for me. I thought it would be cool, but, I am not getting the benefits I thought I would get from it.

See my next post for info about the story! I am wondering if I have bit off more than I can chew! But it is fun to write. I get to create a whole cast of police for him to work with. I really am having fun with how some of them are coming out.

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lucre_noin February 20 2013, 08:21:26 UTC
I usually write chaptered stories but I only publish a chapter if I have already written the majority of the story. I write in Italian and my English stories are only one shot (too much English!) but usually I write half the story first and then I start publishing. While I publish the first chapters I finish the story so that I am not too influenced by people's review or asking for stuff to happen.

As much as I am quite influenced by reviews I am a bit indifferent at the stats and how many people read it because I write in arthurian legends and in the Italian fandom we are like... 6 people, so I know that probably I will never get too many people reading my story but I am glad anyway.

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avon February 20 2013, 13:13:22 UTC
I think this approach is what I need to do - write the whole thing and post it all at once. I've been writing ahead of what I have posted, so that I can go back and edit and stuff - only posting a chapter once I had stopped tinkering with it, but that is clearly not working. :)

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latin_cat February 20 2013, 12:49:29 UTC
On the occasions when I'm working on multiple-chapter fics I post a chapter at a time, simply because I write when I get the opportunity, which is not very often these days and if I didn't my AO3 page would look depressingly abandoned... more than it is already. This does leave gaps and does get a few impatient people annoyed, but I only do what I can, when I can, and if people do want to continue reading they usually find their way back.

And I shouldn't bother too much about stat and review-chasing. Yes, it is exciting when people do find and read your stuff - the Internet is a very big place and the chances of anybody finding, reading, and liking your story enough to comment is always a bonus - but, really, if you're not happy with what you write, what's the point of doing it? The reason I write fanfic is because I write what I want to read. Anybody else liking it is an added extra.

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avon February 20 2013, 13:09:59 UTC
On a purely logical level - you are completely right. I love to be logical, but try as I might (and over the years I have tried!) Spock, I am not. I guess I am too insecure for that.

Prior to this experience, what you said above is what I would have said is what I believed. However, I am finding my gut reaction to be rather different. Writing for me is what I want to be doing. Posting chapters is getting in the way of that.

On some level, I know the internet is a big place. But I grew up in the world before the internet, and having people from all over the world read my stuff is pretty heady stuff.

*shrug* As I said above - my reaction is stupid. It does not make sense.

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anonymous February 21 2013, 18:50:26 UTC
Well, it's been awhile since I written serial anything *looks over at her neglected fanfics that still need to be finished* But I can offer some of my perspectives.

I've really written one serial work that was more or less consistently updated for a while, and that I did have to go back to and add something occasionally. Mainly, I'll admit it was hard because it was a blow to my pride - I couldn't get it right first time.

On the other hand, serials are a way to draw more readers in. Leaving out the popularity games caused by reviews or stats, fact is that by publishing it over a period of time you're allowing more people to discover it. And I can say that knowing that readers are waiting for an update can be a huge writing incentive, instead of keeping it to yourself so you're the only who knows if it's been abandoned.

Ultimately, I say go with what makes you more comfortable.

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