Author:
I am getting a bit torn about posting my chapters.
I have just finished report cards (I teach) and I have more time to write. I am enjoying the writing process a LOT. It is very cathartic for me.
My dilemma is that I worry about pacing my chapter postings. I have posted two chapters in the same day a few times, and each time the second chapter gets a lot more attention. This makes me worry that some readers are missing entire chapters.
Granted, my chapters tend to be short (800-1200 words), but I really want people to savor them and form an opinion before moving on. I know that I tend to get engrossed in a story (Thank you Bronwen Welsh for hooking me on Harriet "The Might-Have-Been Girl" ) and often do not post comments and kudos.
So....should I start holding posts back and stagger them every few days?
Comments
One question that could
One question that could affect this: do you have the story entirely written already or are you writing it as you go along? If it's already written you might be best suited in increasing the length of your posts by combining what would be individual parts into longer posts that way the same amount is read without fear of flooding the site with posts. A lot of authors do this with their work.
If you are still writing it then consider just writing a few chapters then posting them as one part and indicate it's chapters x to y. This way you know it'll be read together instead of having one chapter get more notice than another.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Posting Rate
If you want response to each chapter, don't post more than one per day. With short chapters, you probably don't want to go over weekly. Every other day or every 3rd day could work well for you.
posting
As an interested reader, I would advise against multiple postings in one day as it makes missing postings too easy. With your story jumping among different perspectives, the reader may not realize they are missing something. I would suggest trying to be consistent (every day, or every 2nd day, or Mon Wed Fri) whatever works for you. If your schedule is disrupted by real life, a blog note would be nice.
All Great...
...Ideas.
I thank you for the suggestions. My mind is very tangential, and what some people see as simple solutions are rarely obvious to me.
My plan will be to start posting on Wednesday and Sunday. This will allow me to post however many chapters I have completed at that time.
Hopefully, I will be able to put multiple chapters in one single entry.
waif
Be kind to those who are unkind, tolerant toward those who treat you with intolerance, loving to those who withhold their love, and always smile through the pains of life.
Posting more than one chapter in a day...
Not a good idea because in order to leave room on the front page for new postings by as many authors as possible, any time there is a newer chapter up, the older chapter is unstuck from the front page if it has more than 150-200 reads.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Idea
Erin,
My plan is to write as much as I can before Wednesday and post it all as one file named Chapter 21-23 or however many I have ready. Kinda like the Chapter 1-5 that I have now.
Would that work, or are you saying I should post only once a week with a multi-chapter file?
Be kind to those who are unkind, tolerant toward those who treat you with intolerance, loving to those who withhold their love, and always smile through the pains of life.
Posting
Post as often as you like, just be aware that making two posts in one day is a problem. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Why not unstick the 'newer'
Why not unstick the 'newer' one? If there's a 'next' leading from the older to the newer post, then people reading it will catch it anyway.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Not always
There isn't always a next leading to the newer chapter. I have to do that. And no, they won't always catch a next chapter. You'd be surprised how many people have never noticed the links at the bottom or in the sidebar. I get asked about how to find the next chapter about twice a week.
And I want the listing on the front page to be the newest chapters, not a mix of some newest and some not newest. This is the way I do it and frankly, one of the reasons is to discourage people from posting multiple posts in the same serial on the same day. Because it makes more work.
It ain't hard to do it my way. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Doing It...
...Any Way You Like!!!
I am just grateful that there are people dedicated to fixing these mistakes I make.
Thank You !!!!
waif
Be kind to those who are unkind, tolerant toward those who treat you with intolerance, loving to those who withhold their love, and always smile through the pains of life.