How long do you wait?

[CloverReef]

Edit: It seems this topic has been brought up already, and pretty much covered, so if any mods stroll by, by all means, close this.

Eh, it did get covered about 10 threads below this one but only for about ten posts so unless one of the moderators has a inclination/time* to merge threads I doubt anyone will mind overmuch about a second one...

When you start a new story, how long do you wait before you begin to post it on AFF? Do you wait until the whole thing is written and finished? (talking multi-chapters, not oneshots) Or do you post each chapter immediately after you finish them?

Since I'm so fickle and tend to drop fics almost as soon as I start them, as a general rule I don't like to post anything until I'm at least five chapters in. What about you guys? What's your take?

Edited March 13, 2011 by CloverReef

[Windrider Shiva]

I generally post when I feel like it. I've dropped a couple fics out there, but I go where my inspiration takes me. Which is why I dropped some fics (Sweet As The Punch - M/M OC, and Perfection - FFIV, to name a few). I hit writer's block in places I don't think I might when I plan the fic... or in Perfection's case, when I don't plan enough.

Right now I'm posting to DPLS, but I have 16 chapters written to it (the first 14 were done in about a month or two, then it took like two months to get from 15 to 16). I tend not to write when I don't have concrete ideas, so I can't post what I usually can't finish... because I haven't written it [completely].

In other words, I have no set time or chapter count XD;;.

[CloverReef]

I generally post when I feel like it. I've dropped a couple fics out there, but I go where my inspiration takes me. Which is why I dropped some fics (Sweet As The Punch - M/M OC, and Perfection - FFIV, to name a few). I hit writer's block in places I don't think I might when I plan the fic... or in Perfection's case, when I don't plan enough.

Right now I'm posting to DPLS, but I have 16 chapters written to it (the first 14 were done in about a month or two, then it took like two months to get from 15 to 16). I tend not to write when I don't have concrete ideas, so I can't post what I usually can't finish... because I haven't written it [completely].

In other words, I have no set time or chapter count XD;;.

Mmhm. I admire people who can finish a whole 20+ chapter story before they post anything. If I waited that long, I wouldn't have anything to post.

[Windrider Shiva]

Mmhm. I admire people who can finish a whole 20+ chapter story before they post anything. If I waited that long, I wouldn't have anything to post.

As her proofreader, I can assure you that this is true. XD

I think it's why I love to write one-shots, anyways, when it comes to fanfiction. I don't have to worry about hitting a block, or losing interest. I write one chapter, maybe 10 pages or so, and it's done, I can move onto something else. I do feel bad when I can't finish a fic, though sometimes I can't avoid it for the sake of (whatever remains of) my sanity. And this is where the difference between OC and fanfiction comes into play for me...

It's easy for me to come up with a one-shot when the characters are already known. When they don't need a background, because the background, or most of it, is already there. It's hard to develop a one-shot with OCs, considering you need to explain their background for the story to make sense. Sure, I could pull off some OC one-shots, but my characters tend to have complex backstories I can't necessarily put in one chapter. I may not lose interest TOO fast, but I can't, for the life of me, write one or two chapters and lose interest, because if I'm writing, I have my beginning and my ending set in stone. If I lose interest, it might be after 9-10 chapters or so, because I need filler material, or characters won't cooperate with my setting anymore.

So maybe I could plan some more, if I wanted to finish OC stories.

[JayDee]

Eh, it did get covered about 10 threads below this one but only for about ten posts so unless one of the moderators has a inclination/time* to merge threads I doubt anyone will mind overmuch about a second one...

My answer's there FWIW.

(*or eagerness to use the merge function. I've seen some moderators elsewhere who just about get orgasmic over it. You kind of imagine the moderator control panel just got a gushing every time you duplicated some old topic.)

[CloverReef]

Eh, it did get covered about 10 threads below this one but only for about ten posts so unless one of the moderators has a inclination/time* to merge threads I doubt anyone will mind overmuch about a second one...

My answer's there FWIW.

(*or eagerness to use the merge function. I've seen some moderators elsewhere who just about get orgasmic over it. You kind of imagine the moderator control panel just got a gushing every time you duplicated some old topic.)

My bad. I really should have read back further before I posted. Thanks!

[CloverReef]

For me, it depends. I like to say that I wait until I finish the story, but that's just not true.

I am generally quite a few chapters ahead when I start posting, however. I am about to post the fourth chapter to my current WIP, and am writing chapter twelve or so. I do hope to finish it by the end of May, and only be posting chapter twelve or so at that time.

It gives me breathing room. If I am tired of writing it, and don't want to look at it, I am free to do that, and still update on a regular basis. One has to consider that I spend more time writing a chapter than most do, as I write by hand, and then transcribe it. It is something I fully recommend everyone trying.

Yeah, I do that too on occasion. Write by hand, I mean. Really it depends on the story for me. Some feel like they need to be typed to start with, others seem to flow better when written by hand.

[yukihimedono]

For me, it depends. I like to say that I wait until I finish the story, but that's just not true.

I am generally quite a few chapters ahead when I start posting, however. I am about to post the fourth chapter to my current WIP, and am writing chapter twelve or so. I do hope to finish it by the end of May, and only be posting chapter twelve or so at that time.

It gives me breathing room. If I am tired of writing it, and don't want to look at it, I am free to do that, and still update on a regular basis. One has to consider that I spend more time writing a chapter than most do, as I write by hand, and then transcribe it. It is something I fully recommend everyone trying.

I do this too. I tend to write ahead and post chapters leisurely so that if I hit a writer's block, it's not that big of a deal.

I also write by hand but it tends to only happen if I'm at work.

[naturechild02]

It varies for me. One of my stories was completely finished before I posted it.

Another was finished in my head but never on paper/screen until I posted the first chapter.

The one I'm writing now I'm posting each chapter as I write it so it may take longer to reach completion. You never know with me. I do know that I hate reading a really great story and the last chapter is left on a cliffhanger and another chapter isn't posted for months! Or dropped completely. (Don't leave me hanging!) But I understand that inspiration fails or life gets in the way so I try not to get too upset.

[LockedBox]

I'm not sure if I'm really qualified to answer to this, but I and I think most other beginners will want to post their chapters straight away. It's practical because I've gotten some good feedback and advice on how to make it better.

Of course, the real reason is that my attention span is on the short side. Knowing that there are people who are reading and enjoying my story online gives me the motivation to keep writing it, I would never have the patience to write out the entire thing without receiving any recognition (and hence, satisfaction) from it.

[DrunkenScotsman]

I second what the fellow above me said - I post chapters as I write. It makes my update schedule erratic, but my overall schedule is rather erratic.

Edited November 4, 2011 by DrunkenScotsman

[Artemis_Lecter]

When I was first starting out, I posted chapters as I went along, but as I kept writing I realized that often, I would want to go back and edit or add something to a previous chapter. I usually finish the story, go through it again, have someone else go through it, and then post the chapters one at a time.

[Lisbet_Adair]

I'm just starting. I managed a single one-shot which went up complete and am posting chapter-by-chapter a continuing story which is not likely to be particularly long. I am not sure if I would do this in future or not. There's a value to putting your work up to find out what people like and don't like to improve the later chapters, but there is also a value in having a whole story that ties together completely.

[dena.gray]

regardless of whether this went up in a previous post, thank you CloverReef for posting this question now I admit, I'm a little frustrated with reading things that are unfinished, so I try to restrain myself from posting something until it's done, but...I'm too much of a review-monger. They're like Pokemon. *eyeroll* Since I haven't posted any stories here, yet, this was a good question for me to see asked

Edited June 20, 2012 by dena.gray

[dena.gray]

9k-20k... Just to know if I can write the story.

that's quickly becoming a chapter benchmark for me... about 10k. i think i've read too much LKH and Lackey, lol

[BronxWench]

Your chapters are 10k words long? Jeesh, split it up a bit...

Sometimes a chapter needs to be that long. There might not be a good place to break off, or you want to finish that dramatic scene in one shot without a cliffie.

There's no hard and fast rule. James Patterson writes short chapters and his books are formulaic and forgettable, aside from the distasteful fact that he review whores in public. George RR Martin writes long chapters and I can't put his books down. If an author can hold my attention for 10,000 words straight, that's brilliant.

Edited June 21, 2012 by BronxWench

[BronxWench]

Trust me, given the quality of Patterson's books lately, we all should have let him kill off Alex Cross.

[dena.gray]

it's not that I'm shooting for 10k on a chapter. I just write what's needed. I view them as episodes in a soap opera, without the time constraint and commercials

As for the formula writers...*cringe*

I came from the romance writing genre and was behind the scenes for a handful of new authors you see on the shelves right now. We ALL shuddered at the Danielle Steele label. And then there are writing TEAMS like with Nora Roberts. She cranks out the same book (they have sex on page 239) with different names, and at one time she was shoveling out 4 and 5 a year. Can you imagine? But consumers eat it up, especially in romance.

I see authors like Patterson, Clancy (now) and Grisham (insert distressed lawyer *here*) very much like Roberts and Steele.

Give me something original and meaty so I can nom on it for a few days instead of breezing through the plot in an hour or two

Like I said, I don't shoot to make it long, I just happen to write it that way because the story I'm writing at the moment needs it. My favorite story that I've read to date is actually a novella: "Shopgirl" written by Steve Martin. The whole thing's only 130 pages.

[BronxWench]

Honestly, I don't mind if an author wants to write formulaic stuff. Just don't try and tell me that it's high art, or ask me to pay USD13 for the Kindle version of it.

[DirtyHaven]

With the story I just published yesterday, I didn't wait long as I finished it the day before yesterday. That was because it's a one-shot, though. When I've written longer stories, I've usually waited till I got the second chapter underway and knew where I was going with it.

[spiritwolf]

I'm not sure if I'm really qualified to answer to this, but I and I think most other beginners will want to post their chapters straight away. It's practical because I've gotten some good feedback and advice on how to make it better.

Of course, the real reason is that my attention span is on the short side. Knowing that there are people who are reading and enjoying my story online gives me the motivation to keep writing it, I would never have the patience to write out the entire thing without receiving any recognition (and hence, satisfaction) from it.

This goes for me as well, although I have to admit reviews are few and far between here, which pretty much makes me savour everyone of them I get. But I post them as I write them, it forces me to stay on track and if I get feedback I can use it. Until first first fan fic here, I had never finished a story, of course I also hadn't written in over 20 years but hey it was fun.