The Great Unfinished Novel

An online friend wrote me: “I'd like to share a response I received from another FM authoress, who has the nasty habit of posting multi chapter stories, and leaving them unfinished. I've rebuked her for this habit in reviews before, and this is the first time that she has responded.”

Their words were: “i understand the frustration of reading a FM story, becoming excited and interested in the story line, but then feeling let down when nothing more is written. I don't know why, but I have many, many thoughts for stories, but after I write about a thought for a while, I have no energy or desire to add anymore. It is almost like making love, having a release, and then walking away. Sorry. I am being very honest with you. On each of my story lines I reach a point and there is nothing left in the tank. Maybe I enjoy the set up and not the finish. I don't know”.

I have to say my friend was very disappointed, perhaps like the bored writer’s sexual partner, and her response to that was harsh. There is no doubt that she was fully invested in a story or more by this writer, and now to be told that there will be no ending was simply intolerable.

I don’t read serials, or full stories if they are very long, only because I don’t have time. But years ago I read a few stories on FM called “incomplete” which were never added to, and I do find that frustrating.

I don’t write them either, although “Talk Show” was posted on FM in 4 parts, and “Rear Window” started as a short and had another 4 chapters because of intense pleading which I made part of the story when I posted it here. My correspondent clearly believes that if you do start a serial you are committing yourself to finish it.

Is she right?