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Multiparter publishing

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So, I am making progress with my first multi-chapter story. No idea how long it will be in the end since I'm only on chapter 2.

However, I am starting to think about how to publish it. My current thinking is that I'll wait until I've got 4-5 parts complete, then start putting up one a week. That means it will be a month or more before I run of stuff to post, which should let me get a couple more done and then keep ahead of things from there. Of course, it may end up being only 4-5 parts but I don't think so. The first couple chapters are fairly short and punchy.

Alternatively, I wait until it is done and then publish at a faster rate, but that could take a while since, while I've got the basic outline done, I haven't got it completely parsed out into scenes and chapters yet so I'm not sure of the final length.

One thing I don't want to do is to start publishing and then "lose the plot" and leave things hanging. That's why I want to wait until at least a few chapters are done before I start actually posting them.

So, authors of Lush, how do you do your multiparters? Publish as you write, get a head start and then publish, or wait until it is complete before posting anything?
Jen
Charming as fuck
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My first story here was the first of a trilogy. I got the second part up fairly quickly (for me) after the first, but then I had about a year's gap before I managed to get the final part finished, and no-one really cared by then, lol.

I have another trilogy in mind, which will probably take me until 2019 to complete, but my plan would be to write it all and post them about a week apart.

Problem is, I get so excited about posting that I can't wait to get the first part up. Then I inevitably get distracted by something shiny, or some music, or Rachel gets me addicted to izombie and then I'm useless for weeks on end.



PS. Hi Scott
sprite
Her Royal Spriteness
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Quote by Jen
My first story here was the first of a trilogy. I got the second part up fairly quickly (for me) after the first, but then I had about a year's gap before I managed to get the final part finished, and no-one really cared by then, lol.

I have another trilogy in mind, which will probably take me until 2019 to complete, but my plan would be to write it all and post them about a week apart.

Problem is, I get so excited about posting that I can't wait to get the first part up. Then I inevitably get distracted by something shiny, or some music, or Rachel gets me addicted to izombie and then I'm useless for weeks on end.



PS. Hi Scott



i get blamed for everything silly

i'm like Jen, i finish a part, get excited, put it up, and then get distracted forever. my advice, finish the whole thing, then release the chapters a week apart.

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.

Just_A_Guy_You_Know
Certified Mind Reader
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Quote by seeker4
So, I am making progress with my first multi-chapter story. No idea how long it will be in the end since I'm only on chapter 2.

However, I am starting to think about how to publish it. My current thinking is that I'll wait until I've got 4-5 parts complete, then start putting up one a week. That means it will be a month or more before I run of stuff to post, which should let me get a couple more done and then keep ahead of things from there. Of course, it may end up being only 4-5 parts but I don't think so. The first couple chapters are fairly short and punchy.

Alternatively, I wait until it is done and then publish at a faster rate, but that could take a while since, while I've got the basic outline done, I haven't got it completely parsed out into scenes and chapters yet so I'm not sure of the final length.

One thing I don't want to do is to start publishing and then "lose the plot" and leave things hanging. That's why I want to wait until at least a few chapters are done before I start actually posting them.

So, authors of Lush, how do you do your multiparters? Publish as you write, get a head start and then publish, or wait until it is complete before posting anything?


I just published one. I waited until the entire story was done before I started publishing episodes. There were a few reasons to do it that way. The first is wanting to avoid losing the plot as you mentioned, or else running into some kind of block that would delay publication. Secondly if I knew how many 'chapters' or parts of the story I was going to publish, then I could label them accordingly (e.g. "[Part 1 of 14] etc.). This would give the reader a sense that they could expect a whole story rather thaan keeping it open-ended (maybe I'll finish, maybe I won't). I often get discouraged when I'm into a series and the author doesn't complete it. Finally (and maybe most significantly), as I wrote, I found myself going back to earlier parts of the story and modifying them to support developments later in the story. For example, if a character's ethnicity becomes a plot point later, then it's a good idea to at least introduce the idea earlier, so I'd go back and mention it in an earlier part of the story. Once the episodes are published, it's harder to make those changes.

When I was satisfied with the story, I published episodes back to back. As soon as an episode was up, I'd submit the next. The mods were really great in working with me, and I had a very quick turn-around time on them (on average a day or two). I think by being able to publish episodes quickly, it kept the readers interested in the series. IF there's too long a delay, I think you risk losing readers.

Post-avant-retro-demelodicized-electro-yodel-core is my jam.

Master_Jonathan
Active Ink Slinger
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Personally, I wait until the whole thing is finished before publishing any of it. My stories sometimes have a tendency to turn on me and go a different direction than I had anticipated. I have often said my stories write themselves - all I do is get it down on "paper". So if I was to post one or two chapters and it decided it wanted to do something else, I couldn't change the first part and keep it flowing right.

I have also had stories die out on me and I lose the storyline and have to scrap the whole thing. I wouldn't want to have a couple chapters up and not be able to finish it. So I wait until the whole story is written to my liking and then publish it. I usually publish once a week unless (like now) I have a lot of stories built up that I want to whittle down.
Unknown User
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Quote by Jen
My first story here was the first of a trilogy. I got the second part up fairly quickly (for me) after the first, but then I had about a year's gap before I managed to get the final part finished, and no-one really cared by then, lol.

I have another trilogy in mind, which will probably take me until 2019 to complete, but my plan would be to write it all and post them about a week apart.

Problem is, I get so excited about posting that I can't wait to get the first part up. Then I inevitably get distracted by something shiny, or some music, or Rachel gets me addicted to izombie and then I'm useless for weeks on end.



PS. Hi Scott


Hi, Jen.

Distraction is my big worry, not so much something shiny or Rachel turning me on to a TV show as my mind wandering to a new plot. I have a story idea (non-erotic, though it started out erotic) that I came up with years ago (before I discovered Lush) that I've never really been able to stick with long enough to get the plot fully worked out.

Quote by Sprite
my advice, finish the whole thing, then release the chapters a week apart.


That does seem to be the consensus on here so I'll keep plugging away. for you, too, Rach.
browncoffee
Coco Pop
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I've written 600 words of the next part of my series. I kind of like the pressure of having to write fast to keep people hooked. And the writing then reflects exactly who I am in those couple of days. I couldn't bear to write it all beforehand and then tinker with it before steadily releasing it. Wouldn't work for me. And I don't have the zeal to write a whole novel without getting constant feedback. Comments and messages do shape where I go with it.