Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls Posting Stories

I've seen several schools of thought about different ways of posting stories. I was wondering what *readers* prefer. Or if there is another choice I have forgotten, please explain it here -- and if you want to explain your reason for choosing a particular answer, I'd love to hear it. I've posted both ways, and I am not sure which I like doing better. As a reader, I don't really have a preference .

I'm sure this will come as a shock to no one who knows me, but I voted for "finished stories." I only read stories once they are posted in their entirety. I do this for two very simple reasons:

1) I am unspeakably impatient and like to read even the longest stories in one sitting. I do this with novels as well. I've been known to read 700 page novels in a day or two. I simply cannot stand waiting. People have often asked me if rushing headlong toward the end the story doesn't somehow cause me to miss some of the charm of the writing, and my reply is that I'm sure it does, and that is why I almost always reread at least parts of stories I really enjoyed. Once I no longer have the consuming desire to race toward the finish, it is easy to dawdle. But I can't do that during the first read; I'm much too worried about finding out what will happen next.

2) Even the best, most talented, most consistant authors sometimes get behind in their posting schedule, leave a story unfinished or neglect to post the final parts of a story . They may do so because they have lost interest in the story, become overwhelmed by the demands of real life or any number of other perfectly legitimate reasons. But the fact remains that if it drives me batty to wait a week for the next segment of a story, waiting for the next segment for months, or perhaps knowing that I will never read another segment, is enough to drive me totally insane. So, for my sanity's sake, I wait until I know the whole story is not only written, but available online.

Annie

I voted WIPs with buffer but the truth is that I don't mind... You can have a buffer and RL come in the way and the buffer... where is it? :p

I think you forgot to add... I don't mind as option

Jose

I enjoy reading WIP's, and I like to post comments and suggestions, which hopefully the author will find useful. I have no natural writing ability myself, and find myself in awe of what the authors do here. At least providing FDK allows me to feel like an active participant in the creation of something wonderful (L&C Fanfic!). Once or twice, an author has actually made a minor change in their story due to some suggestion of mine, which was a really nice feeling.

Having said that, in answer to what I prefer, as a *reader*, I have to admit that I prefer reading the finished work, start to finish. For the exact same reasons Annie gave.

I agree with Jose - "I don't mind" should be an option.

- Vicki

Vicki's given the reason why I prefer - with longer stories, not single-post ones - to see authors posting WIPs with buffers: because it is possible to have a dialogue with authors about the story. Where a story is finished, authors - myself included, I won't claim otherwise - may tend to be more resistant to the possibility of making changes. Or, indeed, readers may be reluctant to suggest changes where they know the author has already finished the story. Where a story is still a WIP, it's very common for the discussion in comment threads to have an impact on the story.

I have on many occasions utilised suggestions from readers, either going back and amending material already posted, or adding in ideas to future scenes. Something Nan suggested last year when I was posting Carbon Copy led to my writing a short reunion scene between CK and his Lois, which otherwise wouldn't have been in the story, as it wouldn't have occurred to me. Some things Roger suggested about my current WIP got me to go back and make some changes to part 1 which I think improved it. So I think this is a positive experience, both as a reader and a writer.

However, what works for me doesn't necessarily work for everyone; I know there are people who don't like reading WIPs and just prefer to wait for the archive version. And that's just fine too.


Wendy

Well, I voted for 'large buffer' etc, but in truth, I'm just happy for people to post whatever and whenever they can.

Why did I vote for 'large buffer'? Well, I think one of the things which makes this fanfic fandom special is the opportunity the readers have to give direct feedback to authors while the story is still being written. There's a real satisfaction in knowing that something you mentioned as a reader was included in the story or helped the author write a better story.

Writers, also, very much appreciate the feedback the readers give them. We don't get so much constructive criticism in this fandom as we used to, which is a pity, but it's usually received very positively - so long as it's polite and truly constructive.

Yvonne
(who for some reason kept typing 'g' in place of 'f' when she was writing buffer...no idea what my subconscious is up to...)

Thanks for your responses, everyone! I like to post WIPs because I like to recieve constructive criticism on my stories, and, yes, it is a bit harder to change things when you are posting something that is completely finished.

As for reading, I don't care at all if it is finished or a WIP or a WIP that doesn't have a regular posting schedule! The most important thing to me is reading it in short parts. That's why I love the MBs! I can read long stories in 10 or so page segments -- something not daunting at all . Those of you that met me personally know all about my lack of attention span for reading . This way, I get to read something I really want to read, but don't get antsy while reading.

There was another reason for my post. I have a story that I have been working on for about a month. I have about 30 pages written so I don't have that much buffer at all. I also am having a pretty busy semester at school, so I can't guarantee that I will be able to hold to a completely regular posting schedule. So I think I should either try to finish the story before I start posting or get a bit more buffer .

- Laura

I had a tough time choosing between the first and the second. A finished story that shows up on the archive can seem so long it's overwhelming. But then, a WIP with a set posting schedule can easily turn into a WIP with sporadic posts So I decided I like a story that's finished, then posted in segments every day or so.

I hadn't thought about the author/reader dialog -- I do like that, too... and I'm a *huge* fan of Long Strange Trip, which has got to have the most sporadic posting schedule ever <g> So I'm pretty flexible.

Actually, the only thing that really doesn't work for me is when an author starts a story, posts a few segments, then lets it sit for awhile, and comes back later re-posting the revised beginning. Those usually make me think, "been there, read that" so I tend not to read them the second time around. Not sure why, exactly. I might or might not catch up with it when it shows up on the archive.

PJ

Interesting comments on this poll.

Pam wrote:
<<Actually, the only thing that really doesn't work for me is when an author starts a story, posts a few segments, then lets it sit for awhile, and comes back later re-posting the revised beginning. Those usually make me think, "been there, read that" so I tend not to read them the second time around. Not sure why, exactly. I might or might not catch up with it when it shows up on the archive.>>

I'm one of those who did repost the first two parts of a long story because I figured people would have forgotten the first posts after an interval of about a year. It never occurred to me that doing that was such a turn-off, not just for the new mbs posts but for the archive version too Do most readers feel this way?

Carol

Personally, I don't find that a turn off, Carol. I mean, I'd just discovered the online part of being a fan last summer. Yours was one of the ones that I would've had to hunt down the parts for if it hadn't been reposted.

Laura

It can give you a faint sense of deja vu, that's true. But, for myself, I like to have the reminder. My memory for plots is so dire that I desperately need it if there's been a length of time between the initial segments of a story and the rest.

So, I usually have a faint 'I've read this, haven't I?' moment and then get past it and into the story.


LabRat

I don't mind, too. But I usually read whatever is posted on the boards, so I usually get long stories in parts.

AnnaBtG.

As a reader I prefer WIP with a regular posting schedule however the writer is able to achieve that. Granted, if I know that the story is already finished I might be less likely to give opinions that would impact the storyline because I'd know that it would be a moot point. Mostyly I'm bummed by the fact that I won't be able to convince the writer to add some juicy whams or cut Lois' hair .

I don't generally read the finished stories on the archives because I just don't have the time to read a long story like that all at once. That's why I need WIP story bites.

When I was a writer, I started out posting as I wrote, but tried very hard to not let too much time elapse between posts. Later, once the stories grew longer this was no longer efficient for me. So I went to posting with a decent buffer. I could never wait until the story (unless it was really short) was finished to start posting because I generally need the feedback for encouragement to keep on writing.

Tank (who believes that whatever works for you is the best)

I just wanted to pop back in and add my two cents worth as an author who only posts completed stories.

Many people have commented that they are less inclined to post ideas about the storyline if they know that the story is finished because they don't think they author is likely to change a completed story. But I've always considered the stories that I post on the mbs to be rough drafts. If I didn't want opinions, I'd post them straight to the archives. Anyone who has read one of my stories on the boards and then read the version that makes it to the archive should see a marked difference most of the time. Granted, I'm not likely to change the entire plot, but I've rewritten scenes, added scenes, deleted scenes, changed diaglogue, reworded more sections than I could count, etc. Just because my story is "done" doesn't mean I don't want input, it just means that it has a beginning, middle and end and there aren't any places left that still say, "Add something here" or "This is dumb, rewrite." <G>

Annie

I've tried. Really I have, but I've never managed to actually have a multi-part story finished before I post. I usually have 1-2 parts of buffer, but my last story was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants because I had no buffer or anything.

Laura

I'd just like to echo what Annie said. Even if I were to post a finished story here on the mbs in segments I'd be doing it for fdk and in the hope that if there's a major plot glitch someone would point it out before I send the finished version to the Archive. Or, indeed, even if someone thought of a good idea to include that I hadn't. Can't think of everything and this is one of the major advantages - and fun! - of posting in segments here on the mbs. A whole pool of inventive minds to improve the story!

I know that Masques wasn't finished when I was posting it, but I got a lot of fun and pleasure out of ideas brought up by readers in the posted segments and more than once it shaped the next segment. Half the time, what I ended up posting was far removed from what I'd had planned before I read a comments folder, and it was all the better for it.

So, I would more than welcome any constructive criticism, ideas, suggestions, whatever, on a finished story, just as much as I would on one I'm still in the process of writing.

LabRat

Wondering how I missed answering the actual question on this one....

I used to avoid reading WIPs like the plague. My infamous bus theory. That is, I didn't want to start a story and get sucked into it in case the author got run over by a bus halfway through and then I'd be driven crazy without an ending.

Thankfully, got over it. These days I really enjoy reading stories in segments.

I prefer a WIP with a fixed schedule - my memory is so poor for story details that I can forget after two days of reading who said what to who, never mind after two months - but I also understand that sometimes RL (not you, Roger) pounces or the Muse decides she's had enough and heads out for a vacation and there's nothing to be done about that.

LabRat