Some of the time I can be prone to acts of sheer brilliance. Most of the time I prove myself to be adequate and the rest of the time I fuck up.
I have royally cocked up this time and I hope you will forgive me for having done so.
Now there are heaps of you you out there that love serials. Ang's Bike serial is getting to be more like The Archers than simply a long story and I'm sure there are others too.
Many however don't, as they don't like to end up waiting for months (or years) between episodes or worse, to discover that the story just fizzles out and doesn't end. Guilty point number one.
When I wrote Cruisin', I scoffed at the remarks about not liking serials as once the episodes are out there, they can't be changed and not releasing episodes unless the entire story is finished. I hadn't finished Cruisin', I just went from one episode to the next and managed to complete the story to many people's - and my own - satisfaction. One person even told me it was her favourite.
So there I was, thinking that I'd got this serialisation thing licked, that the aforementioned comments were unfounded.
I was wrong. Guilty point number two.
I wrote The Sight and left the ending so wide open and unsatisfactory for many, that I had to create Second Sight. About all I managed to do there was to open another huge can of worms. I answered the question of what happened to Darryl, but began several new threads that until about a week ago, had no way of either trimming off or sewing into the fabric of the rest of the story.
Couple that with the fact that the episodes were quite literally years apart and there is your recipe for disaster. Guilty point number three.
So anyway, since the accident last March, I have tried with all my heart to get some writing done and only managed one short story - Dawn Rising, which was met with a good response and buoyed me up, but nothing further came forth, even fifth. I recently picked up Second Sight again and figured I'd suffer the tellings off I was sure to get for leaving it so long, but found myself in that same position as everyone else - having to read the previous chapter again to figure out where I'd got to. Having written the damned thing, I thought I'd just be able to reread chapter three and away I went. It couldn't have been further from the truth.
So here's the bit where I fucked up.
I began reading through from the beginning of The Sight and couldn't resist poking about at it.
"You can't say that!" I said and began making changes. Now the word length of both The Sight and Second Sight together had reached 48K words - give or take, but as I said, I began poking around at it, making changes as I read through from one end to the other. Initially, this was simply to get another bunch of episodes written and hopefully finish the story once and for all, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
So far, I'm nowhere near finishing. Sure I've written several more episodes - or had until I found a flaw and went back to the beginning of The Sight only to make more changes, some of which were fairly fundamental to the plot. I also made changes to the episode lengths, coupling episodes together, turning fourteen episodes into five chapters before hitting Second Sight equally brutally. Guilty point number four
Here's the crux of the matter and thank you for bearing with me through this stupifyingly boring monologue ... Both stories currently stand at 61K words, are nowhere near finished and what's worse, I won't be able to add what I've done now to the original stories. So many changes have been made to the original that I fear the new additions won't fit with old stuff. What I'm trying to say is that it's never going to happen. Sure I'll finish The Sight and Second Sight, but it ain't gonna get posted here - not unless I rip the old down and completely replace with the new. Guilty point number five.
So there you have it. Guilty on six points, which in my book is a royal fuck up. I must therefore apologise for trying to be clever and write a serial driven by the need for those comments and hit numbers. It really isn't the way it should be done as in many cases it won't work. It certainly didn't in my case.
Mea Culpa
Comments
Why Not?
If you reckon what you have done now is better, why not take down the old versions and repost the new, improved, economy-size super-series?
Joanne
Why not indeed?
It's hardly going to be economy sized. I reckon 80-100K words at least
Worth thinking about though.
Reposting
Nick, Why don't you do what I did when I reposted SaraUK's "To Make A Wish" Story, I added "Revised, Reworked & Reposted" (or something like that) to chapters that I'd given a serious working over.
So why not post the new version, I for one will be glad to read the revised version.
HTH
Huggs
Sammi
Repost?
I'm not going to get out of this, am I?
Nick, you can certainly post
Nick, you can certainly post them here, but I tend to leave my stories that I have revised up, so that people can read both and decide which version they like better. I think that you could do that with the Sight stories.
Dual postings?
Oh I know I can post them here, but I'm not sure I like the idea of both version up at the same time.
The Sight is one story - or was supposed to be, but the way I ended it left much to be desired. Second Sight was more like part two of The Sight, but never got going. They are not separate stories.
I would say that the first person I have to please with the story is me. If I'm happy with it, then I will have to take my chances on what other people think. I've tried writing to please and it doesn't always work.
No, I think if I repost it will be after taking the original down first.
Unpubbing rather than removing
Let me unpub anything you wish taken down. That way the comments are preserved, even though they won't be visible but the whole thing can be restored as an appendix to the new version when the new version is finished. A developmental record like that would be very interesting.
And don't feel too bad about this sort of thing, I have several unfinished serials out there and it does not keep me up at night. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I know, Erin
But I didn't want to be one of that number
As they say....
"To err is human; to really screw up, you need a computer."
I've only got SIX of them and that's without those that run my video recorder, my music centre, umpteen in the kitchen running various 'white goods' and a dozen or so others around the house.
So there's no hope here - and there's always the interference of Real Life.
Don't feel too badly, Nick
Susie
Two computers and a crash ...
... a car crash, that is :)
Again, that's discounting the various 'puters that run bits and bobs around the house as well as my car, etc, etc ... So I'm way behind you - thankfully.
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions and when I started The Sight, I was full of those. I was so sure it was going to turn into something magical - at least from my point of view. It still can be I guess.
Introducing The Sight 2.0
As long as I don't follow the Windows examples ...
post the new versions
I've seriously considered going over some of my old stuff and doing so, but I'm currently stuck in the middle of my Quest story and would like to finish it sometime this century. But go for it!
Posting the new versions
Is a good idea, but I've just seen one below that's also appealing. I have to finish the darned thing first :(
Take 'em dcown and repost the new stuff!
I did kind of the same thing with one of my real screw ups, so I had Erin pull it, and I've replaced it with my series, Wild Magic, to fairly good reviews.
Another option would be to rework and finish the stories and put them on Kindle. You've already got one customer waiting.
How ever you do it, let us know! I'd really like to see the complete stories!
Wren
Finishing to post on Kindle ...
That's a damned good idea, but for one thing: I really owe it to the readers here to post it complete.
I can produce it for Kindle too I guess ...
I'll Have to think about that, but as I said to Dorothy, I have to finish it first :)
You're not just NOT guilty...
Love, Andrea Lena
Awww shucks, Drea
You know just what to say, don't you?
I don't just look it, I'm buggered if I know what to say, dammit!
Dear Nick,
don't worry about it. By the way if the "Dear Nick" shows up twice it's because I accidentally hit the enter key.
If you go to your 'stories' listing on your right hand menu you will discover that when the list pops up, one of the features is 'EDIT'.
While posting some of Teddi's stuff I found this and it allows you to completely remove the content and replace it with other so I was able to update some of the shorter things (the longer one probably also) without removing the chapter and re-posting.
Sort of a cut and past-over feature.
If that which you are going to repost isn't umpteen chapters long then this is one way you could change the material without a lot of hassle.
Renae Dumas
Dear Rénae
I know about the editing bit on this site and have used it numerous times, but what I don't think you realise is that I can't just whip one bit down and overwrite with another.
That was the original plan when I set about trying to move the story forward, but because I was winging it when I tried to write it before, certain things didn't gel, so I have found myself changing the whole thing on a fundamental level. Sure the story is basically the same, but now bits that were carried forward to Second Sight have been changed as the story has grown.
Had I been able to simply replace the old with the new, I would never have needed to write the blog and apologise for not being able to finish :)
Anyway, it means BC will get something that might be old, but it will be old in a new sort of way.
I think.
Just take the old one down and repost it.
A new posting is really kind of nice. I actually reread one or two of my stories now and again and am surprised at what I wrote. A repost will be like an complete new novel. Most readers don't remember what they've read and I'm one for sure. I'm trying to finish my Twisted mystery which lay dormant for two years and the first thing I had to do was read it from the beginning. I'm actually quite pleased with what I wrote up to this point, although there are a few updates to take care of, but the story still flows. I could post the first half of the story, but I won't until it's finished. I tried that with Assassin and won't make that mistake again. Finish what you've started and then post it and as for as that fifth you mentioned, open it and take a shot, it might help, Arecee
Take it down and repost
Rereading old stuff is often quite entertaining for me. I often find myself wondering where the hell my head was when I wrote it :)
Rereading The Sight and Second Sight made me realise it really did have potential and yes, I have done a lot of work to try and get it finished. The twists and turns that I've been able to add are getting the old juices flowing and I hope I can do it justice.
We'll have to wait and see, won't we?
Yet another idea...
Keep the old ones up for posterity's sake. Then start posting the new versions as something like "New Sight", "New Second Sight", "New Third Sight" etc.
Besides which, doing it that way also means some who haven't read the originals may do so - either out of sheer curiosity or to compare / contrast old and new :) Either way, you'll get more views, more kudos, and possibly even more comments :D
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
More views, more comments, more kudos?
I'm up for that :D
Where is the screw up?
I think it sounds great, the whole thing.
I occasionally go back and look at some of my old stuff and tweak it. If I felt it needed major revisions, I'd go at it with an axe.
As far as I'm concerned, what happens is up to you: whether you post the new version alongside the old, or wipe out the old in favor of the new.
Kaleigh
It's like this, Kaleigh
Actually, the question was, would I finish it at all?
Well that question remains unanswered as I haven't yet got to that point to call the whole thing finished - not by a long chalk. I am trying to complete the story and from what I've heard in these comments, I should try my hardest to, which I will and am spending an unhealthy amount of time working on. So the forecast is favourable.
However, most of you seem to feel that the idea I won't finish is complete poppycock anyway.
The suggestion that I should post both or rather, leave the old and post the new alongside is one I'm warming to.
Fact is, I won't do anything until I have the new version finished, done, dusted and ready to go anyway. So although people have been re-familiarising themselves with the original, they needn't have worried, as the current version won't be going anywhere for some time - but thanks for the rekindled interest (no pun intended).
This new spurt has provided me with ideas for many new twists, turns and plot changes that begin in The Sight although the really major changes don't occur until Second Sight. However, there are enough changes in the former to prompt me to feel that reposting is the only option - for coherence, you understand.
Nevertheless, I thank you and everyone who feel that not only should I complete the story, but don't seem in the least bit concerned whether I repost or add to, as they're happy either way. Even if I don't finish, as Erin said, they "... won't lose sleep ...", so that and these heart-warming comments are sufficient to encourage me to try.
So here I am at four-fifty in the morning, with my first coffee, second cigarette and itchy fingers to continue ...
Merci beaucoup mes amis.
P.S.
Should the whole thing be completed, it will be available on Kindle after completion of posting here.
Heck, Why Not ...
Just change the titles on the older postings of The Sight and Second Sight to Sight Unseen, parts 1 and 2? Along with that, remove them from the book outline, and uncheck the "promoted" option in publishing options.
Now Post the new version with a blurb on the title page on what brought this about
Heck, why not indeed
Good idea. I had half a mind to do something like that, but then I only have half a mind anyway.
Sorry, I've just been watching a film about the life of Spike Milligan.
Things like that rub off on me.
Nick
Did you know?
Did you know he had a messy half-cousin named Mike Spilligan?
Oh dear ...
Groan
He's fallen in der water ...