Desiderius Price

It’s always a balancing act, because a large chapter/episode makes each scene less significant to the overall chapter/episode, however, a short chapter/episode might not get much done or be fulfilling.  Also, there’s the take-a-break-and-come-back, easier with smaller chapters/episodes, tougher with longer.

Also, whether I’m doing a story as “episodes” vs “chapters” matters too.  In a chaptered story, where it’s one overarching main plot, I’m more likely to do cliffhangers, stretch it out; whereas in a serial/episodic story like Jefferey is, I kinda need to wrap up plot points in an episode, because that’s the episode allotted to it.

Yes when you were saying ‘episodes’, I thought maybe you were doing it kinda like a semi-self-contained mini plot in a larger overarching plot. I’ve tried to do similar things in collab fics. Makes sense that those would be a bit longer than chapters. 

Jefferey was intended as backstory whose story-wide overarching plot was just Jeff living his life.  So, it’ll explain why he’s okay with Jaimie preferring to be naked when brought on as a swimming instructor.   (I seem to like my main characters doing that, regardless of age.)  As the Jefferey story has evolved, it’s become a good way to portray the workings of a group that’s more “shadowy” and “implied” in the other stories; at least in the first part.  The second part… releasing a clothes-hating Jeff into the general student population of a typical high school   And on the plus side, he’ll be able to make a decent wage with bachelorette parties (not strictly legal, but common enough), supplementing his “college fund”. 

So, yep, Jefferey along with Dolbourne Chronicles are both episodic, which eases me from requiring that mega-plot.  Instead, they’re both about life, in general, in this universe that I’ve created.  I do have some very recurring themes, and some plot threads that are strung out between episodes.  I’ve even taken to doing some “mini-arcs” that are similarly related by a common plot that’s resolved toward the end of them.  Episodes 5-8 for Jefferey is a mini-arc and right now 11-[redacted] is the second of the mini-arcs.  And once Jeff hits high school, that’ll be another mini-arc (which is where I had stalled on the first attempt to write this story, simply from burnout).  I expect the same will be true when I really get going on Dolbourne Chronicles again, some mini-arcs, and parts – a rather complex structure for a story!

Added the rice krispies, and they’ll be edible once they cool down!