I expect simple behaviours here. Friendship, and love. Any advice should be from the perspective of the person asking, not the person giving! We have had to make new membership moderated to combat the huge number of spammers who register
I have voted (reader, range of stories running concurrently), but I would like to qualify my vote, on the off chance that I end up in the majority camp. Given a totally free choice, I would lean toward having a small number of serial stories running at once - perhaps an upper bound of four to six - with stand-alone stories being interspersed as they become available, as long as their frequency of occurrence doesn't interfere with making reasonable progress on the serial stories. (And here's hoping that finding time to get the abundance of worthwhile new stories up on the site turns out to be the dominant problem, as opposed to finding worthwhile stories.)
Location: Estados Unidos
Registered: July 2007
Messages: 55
If all chapters have been written (or will be written within a few months), I prefer to wait and read the entire work at once.
However, there are sometimes good reasons for posting serially:
Some stories, e.g., Finding Tim, are like American soap operas, in that they can go on forever, without building toward a specific ending. I have enjoyed that story and would hate for it not to have been posted. (On the other hand, I have stopped reading it, for now, because I always have to go back and re-read from the beginning, to remember who the various characters are.)
Serial posting might be useful for new authors looking for editorial feedback or suggestions about plot direction.
For these reasons, and to accommodate both readers who do, and readers who do not like serial posting, I would suggest that:
If all chapters (including any epilogues) are available, they should be posted together, even if that means delaying other stories.
On the author page (the one with links to all the chapters), there should be clearer signals. Timmy has done a pretty good job of providing these (e.g., "All chapters complete" or "A continuing story"), but this should be done more consistently for all stories. Statements like "A story with xx chapters" are useful when accurate but otherwise can be problematic. (The Light is an example of this.)
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13777
Interesting, but not what I meant. It is rare that we "block post" a multi chapter tale at once. We prefer to let it out chapter by chapter. What I meant was posting chapter after chapter of tale 1 before posting tale 2 versus intermixing tales 1 and 2
Location: USA
Registered: January 2011
Messages: 4
Personally, I prefer to read a complete story, so I'll usually wait until all chapters of an ongoing serial story are finished. But I agree that ongoing sagas, like Finding Tim, can be enjoyable even if the theme meanders inconclusively. If an author is writing multiple stories simultaneously, one shouldn't be curtailed until the other is finished. There is such a wealth of stories on IOMfAtS that it's no hardship to delay reading a serial until it concludes by going back to read a serial story that concluded years ago.
I'd really like to read more short stories, but I realize you publish what authors submit.
Location: Australia
Registered: April 2012
Messages: 2
I voted for several concurrent story postings based on the fact that there are some stories which do not appeal to me and therefore I might have to wait a long time for something to come along that I like. If a story is posted chapter by chapter over a period of time and I know that there are, say, 15 chapters at the rate of one per week, I might wait until all are posted before I start reading.
I also like to find the occasional short story, or all at once posting, to fill in between chapters of the longer stories.
One thing that could be helpful is marking the index entry of incomplete stories where there seems little hope of completion. I forget now which story I was reading when it came to an abrupt stop and the last part was posted several years ago.
All in all, I think things are running pretty well as is. The big limit on how and when to post is most certainly what material the authors offer to the site, and how well that fits with the theme of the site.
Location: United States
Registered: September 2010
Messages: 20
Thank you Billy.. I was thinking along those same lines.
As a reader, I like to read a variety of stories... sometimes simultaneously, sometimes not. I've read stories that I cannot put down even though it is late at at night and I need to get some sleep! Others, I put down after the first few pages because it is not my, uhm ... cup of tea.
As a writer, I have 3 active stories all going simultaneously. They are all alive and well. And all are reaching significant turning points in their lives I've fallen in love with my characters. Those kids, each one of them, seem to be a part of my psyche. And no.. I have not completely lost my mind... I am working full time and have a reasonably busy and happy personal life.
With that said, I do not see myself becoming exclusive to one of my stories, just like I am not exclusive to any of the stories I read here and elsewhere.
I am confident that the questions posed will get answered in such a way as to satisfy all concerned - the readers, the authors, and management.
Location: New Zealand
Registered: August 2009
Messages: 317
I voted no.3. As a reader i prefer to wait until stories are finished before i start - way too many start off well and never get finished. However, i do check-out new writers and will stick with them if the story holds my interest - eg. 'Matt & Tim' is well-worth waiting for updates. Billy's suggestion is good - there are lots of completed stories from years ago on the Story Shelf.
On the whole, timmy, i think you guys do a great job & i can't see how it could be improved on. Thanks.
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13777
It is sometimes hard. We like to have 15 items per week. Sometimes we don't have them. Sometimes we wonder whether to post two or more successive chapters of the same story by the same author in a posting session. Megaman and I are debating at present whether he should zip through chapters of a serial before running the next serial from whoever.
We've discovered it's a more complex subject than we ever believed. We also know that whatever we do it won't suit everyone. And a third thing we've discovered is the huge difference between the needs and hopes of an author and the needs of a reader.
Authors need their story to start now, today. Readers like to read, or not, what is in front of them. Readers like to get to the end of a story, but readers like new stories to arrive, too.
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13777
Quote:
PeterSJC wrote on Fri, 27 April 2012 21:08
On the author page (the one with links to all the chapters), there should be clearer signals. Timmy has done a pretty good job of providing these (e.g., "All chapters complete" or "A continuing story"), but this should be done more consistently for all stories. Statements like "A story with xx chapters" are useful when accurate but otherwise can be problematic. (The Light is an example of this.)
Location: United States
Registered: September 2010
Messages: 20
Of course, no doubt our readers are the backbone... without them, our dear readers, there is no need to write nor is there a reason to have a website that hosts many good authors.
Change is inevitable... roll with the flow else get prepared for a wicked dragging. This is one of the mottos I tend to model my life around. Another significant concept I try to live by, though not always successful is what is termed "Rule 62" which is don't take yourself too damned seriously I am speaking for myself So long as I remember this concept then my life goes so much better, and serenity prevails!
Meanwhile, Joey, Peter, Matt and Andy are patiently tapping their feet after having cleaned my laptop screen, dusted my chair, pulled out the bits and pieces of Dorritos left behind both inside and outside my keyboard, so, without further adieu I shall sign off from here and go appease their impatience, and hunger
Laters. Peace out. Be well and have a great day!
JWM
) 1 Vote
] 
A Place of Safety
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
Re: The Mechanism for the Posting of Stories 
