What a great post! I am serializing a story on ko-fi and was growing self-conscious about where it was going, as I was writing mostly real time. For sure, it needs work and I would write it differently as a complete story, but this gives me some motivation to continue and see where it goes.
Sometimes there has to be planning and other times it’s time for adventure. 😝
Writing science fiction can provide a solution for this problem. You can declare a space time rift and start over on a new timeline. Consult Star Trek writers about it.
I am working on something somewhat science fictiony and putting it up on my blog in short story installments. I have already decided to make some major changes when I rework it as a novel.
Ha! Trek does indeed use that approach a lot. I prefer the way the Expanse uses science to create problems, which the characters then have to work around, rather than using it as an escape route.
Very insightful post! Writing a serial in the way you describe reminds me of running a D&D campaign. The DM goes into the sessions with a story outline, but depending on player feedback (and dice rolls), they may take the story in an unexpected direction.
There are a lot of similarities between online serialization and D&D. I think the most important thing for authors to understand is that serial fiction readers show up both for the story AND the fun of watching the story unfold in real time. At the risk of mixing metaphors, it's sort of like going to a restaurant with an open kitchen. Sure, you're there for the food, but the show of watching someone cook is also the draw.
I suspect this is why litrpg fiction seems to do very well, because it's very directly lifting from roleplaying. Not my thing, but I can understand the appeal.
Good point! Litrpg isn't my thing either, but it's huge for both serial and self-pub. FWIW, I don't think trad publishers have really noticied Litrpg, and I'm not sure they will, but there's def an audience there.
I think it's probably too far outside their comfort zone - a bit like choose your own adventure-style books, which seem to exist almost solely as self-published projects these days.
Great post, Simon! Love seeing another Wattpad Star in this community. I had a similar experience when I first started serializing on Wattpad. My first attempt was a book that I had worked on for years. In that instance, serializing was really about polishing the language and looking for good places to break the story so that readers would be eager to come back for the next update. This process was fine, and good things happened with that novel. But the next time I tried serializing on Wattpad I did it as a NaNoWriMo project. I had an outline, but I drafted live to the internet. Obviously, that wasn't the final draft. But what I liked about that process was that it really brought in the energy of the community. People would make comments and ask questions that would inform the next day's writing. It felt like a hack, of sorts. And to my surprise, that's easily my most popular story on Wattpad.
Absolutely! I've always thought of it as a bit of a brain hack. I went from never finishign any of my fiction projects, to now having completed 3 novels and currently publishing my 4th. Obviously they all would benefit from further edits, but I'm so pleased to have got them to where they are already.
I haven't quite managed to create the sense of communal reading here on Substack, but I'm working on it!
What a great post! I am serializing a story on ko-fi and was growing self-conscious about where it was going, as I was writing mostly real time. For sure, it needs work and I would write it differently as a complete story, but this gives me some motivation to continue and see where it goes.
Sometimes there has to be planning and other times it’s time for adventure. 😝
Embrace the unknown! :) Thinking of writing as an adventure is a good approach, I think.
Writing science fiction can provide a solution for this problem. You can declare a space time rift and start over on a new timeline. Consult Star Trek writers about it.
I am working on something somewhat science fictiony and putting it up on my blog in short story installments. I have already decided to make some major changes when I rework it as a novel.
It is also somewhat comedic and politically allegoric. If you want to see, https://yaxls.wordpress.com/2021/12/09/basic-outcome-story/
Ha! Trek does indeed use that approach a lot. I prefer the way the Expanse uses science to create problems, which the characters then have to work around, rather than using it as an escape route.
Never heard of The Expanse. I'll have to see if I can find it n Canada.
It's on Amazon Prime, if that helps! Based on a series of books which are also very good.
Very insightful post! Writing a serial in the way you describe reminds me of running a D&D campaign. The DM goes into the sessions with a story outline, but depending on player feedback (and dice rolls), they may take the story in an unexpected direction.
There are a lot of similarities between online serialization and D&D. I think the most important thing for authors to understand is that serial fiction readers show up both for the story AND the fun of watching the story unfold in real time. At the risk of mixing metaphors, it's sort of like going to a restaurant with an open kitchen. Sure, you're there for the food, but the show of watching someone cook is also the draw.
I suspect this is why litrpg fiction seems to do very well, because it's very directly lifting from roleplaying. Not my thing, but I can understand the appeal.
Good point! Litrpg isn't my thing either, but it's huge for both serial and self-pub. FWIW, I don't think trad publishers have really noticied Litrpg, and I'm not sure they will, but there's def an audience there.
I think it's probably too far outside their comfort zone - a bit like choose your own adventure-style books, which seem to exist almost solely as self-published projects these days.
Great post, Simon! Love seeing another Wattpad Star in this community. I had a similar experience when I first started serializing on Wattpad. My first attempt was a book that I had worked on for years. In that instance, serializing was really about polishing the language and looking for good places to break the story so that readers would be eager to come back for the next update. This process was fine, and good things happened with that novel. But the next time I tried serializing on Wattpad I did it as a NaNoWriMo project. I had an outline, but I drafted live to the internet. Obviously, that wasn't the final draft. But what I liked about that process was that it really brought in the energy of the community. People would make comments and ask questions that would inform the next day's writing. It felt like a hack, of sorts. And to my surprise, that's easily my most popular story on Wattpad.
Absolutely! I've always thought of it as a bit of a brain hack. I went from never finishign any of my fiction projects, to now having completed 3 novels and currently publishing my 4th. Obviously they all would benefit from further edits, but I'm so pleased to have got them to where they are already.
I haven't quite managed to create the sense of communal reading here on Substack, but I'm working on it!