I've published a few multi-part stories with varying results. The first in the series has good voting turnout and great comments, but then the votes and comments taper off dramatically with each subsequent chapter.
I've tried to read other multi-part stories but always seem to lose interest after the second or third installment. There are several authors that have ten or more parts to their stories.... have they experienced the same results???
How do YOU read and react to stories that have multiple parts??
I don't enjoy reading them unless every chapter can be considered a self-contained story in it's own right. I tried writing one only a few weeks ago. Seeing as it got mixed reviews, it put me right off creating the second chapter, so I ended up deleting part I. Problem solved, but not very encouraging for me to write another one. Typically, I think a multi-part story should be no more than 3 parts, perhaps 5 at most, but 10 IMHO is OTT!
I know exactly what you mean. I wrote a few series when they still allowed i____t, and fewer, and fewer people read the later chapters. I tried three chapter stories, and still had the same results. Who knows why really.
It depends on a lot of things. The type of story that is written in novel form and posted as chapters like SweetestSins Loving Lana or DancingDolls West Coast Games, it's perfect. However, some times a story is written as a short story but added to later, either by popular demand or the author came up more ideas. In many cases, the 'afterthought' additions lack some continuity.
It depends on a lot of things. The type of story that is written in novel form and posted as chapters like SweetestSins Loving Lana or DancingDolls West Coast Games, it's perfect. However, some times a story is written as a short story but added to later, either by popular demand or the author came up more ideas. In many cases, the 'afterthought' additions lack some continuity.
I have only written one multi part story. I agree as you add the stories the interest and comments drop away. I am working on a variation of one at the moment, it will involve the same characters but not be a multi. I am using a different approach and will be interested to see how it turns out and accepted.
I think I have the plot sorted, now I just need the time to get the words and dialogue in place.
I have just finished my first ever multi-part story, and yes the reads and comments dropped significantly after the first one, but it was an important step for me as a writer to move beyond the relatively short, self-contained story. This one turned out about 20,000 words in total and I posted it in four parts. I am actually quite proud of the plot and have in mind to work it up into a novel (without all the sexy bits!), so it doesn't really matter that it wasn't popular on here. I figure most people on Lush are after something that isn't too involved in terms of plot, but a well written sexy story does wonders. Who'd have thought?
A story has to be well written with a good story line and thread to pull multiple chapters successfully. Some are great, but most that I've tried to read got boring all too soon.
I've written several multi-part stories and I find that the number of views drops off, but it didn't keep me from continuing the story. A good friend and mentor told me to write about what makes me happy. If I were to get all caught up in scores then I wouldn't be writing for the right reasons.
I've done two sets of multi part stories and would also agree that the number of views, votes and comments do tend to drop off. That was certainly the case for Danni - Parts 1 and 2.
I tried doing something a bit different the second time I did it. With Allison and A Bath to Remember, they are actually parts one and two of the same story. The difference is that A Bath to Remember works just as well as a stand alone story, which was something I deliberately did.
Reaction to Part 2 (A Bath to Remember) in terms of views, votes and comments was actually better than for Part 1 (Allison). Of course that may have something to do with the fact that Allison is a love story, whereas A Bath to Remember is much steamier!
I love reading multi part stories, and I've always preferred novels to novellas or collected shorts. I'm aware that I'm not part of a majority here on Lush, and my writerly ego sometimes demands that I publish a short story between consecutive chapters to bring home the raving reviews and high votes.
Nevertheless, I've got a few longer running stories in the works, and the personal feedback from those willing to stick with an ongoing series and bear with the pauses between chapters so makes up for the lower vote count. The inquiries about when chapter 13 of my Bunnie story would be out I got while I was unable to access the computer were heart warming.
To me, writing for Lush isn't always just about satisfying the quick thrill (though I happily cater to that too and love it). It's also a place to toy with ideas and concepts and to improve my writing. The challenge to build a story arch and develop characters over more than just a few short chapters is incredibly bigger than writing shorts, and when a later chapters earns a RR or gets brilliant reviews, it's all the more of an accomplishment.
I too have fallen victim to waning interest in subsequent chapters, based purely on the number of views. That, or the bots haven't got around to Part 2 yet. Posting each of the two parts in different categories probably didn't help that, but to be fair, I was expecting it.
As a reader though, I really enjoy a good multi-part story. If it's engaged me with strong character and plot development, I'll often become invested in the characters, and I have to know what happens next. SITTING is brilliant at it, and I often find myself waiting on the edge of my seat for her to bang out the next chapter. Sprite, Katje, Lisa and Stormdog100 are all authors who have managed to keep me wanting more with the series they've written.
I like it when the chapter is enough to stand on its own, but I think the secret is that it needs to flow seamlessly from the one before it, and into the one following. There needs to be that hook at the end of each part to make you crave the next instalment.
My latest story is a racy little piece about what happens when someone cute from work invites you over to watch Netflix and Chill. Because I do a lot of character development and detailed sex scenes, my stories tend to run 10,00 to 12,000 words, so I have broken them into segments/chapters. Most of them have hit 4,000+ page reads in a reasonable amount of time, which I find acceptable ... it's the comments I'm looking for in hopes of improving the next story. My first mult-part stories dropped in page reads as they went on, but I believe that is because most Lush readers aren't checking here every day and will miss the next "segment."
An interesting happened to me/us recently ... I co-wrote a story with GreenEyedKitty75 in three parts (soon to be four). Parts 1 and 3 were 4,000+ page reads. But Part 2 was in a different category (Anal) and currently has 24,000+ page reads. I don't think Part 2 is necessarily any better than 1 or 3, but perhaps it was the category that attracted more readers. But I will say that I believe that each segment/chapter must be a 'stand alone' story.
I love reading stories here on Lush. Single and multi stories BUT there my be a plot to the story. I must not just be sex with this person the sex with that person. The whole story must have a single plot though all the chapters. There must be character building and of course the must be sex but not the same sex the whole time.
I have been reading stories here for quite a few years before I became a member a couple of years ago. The first couple of lines of the story must draw me to read further. Not just I met this guy and now we are having sex. The first couple of lines must be laying out the story. If I don't find that I don't read further single or multi.
If I see a bit of plot building up I will read further. If the second chapter is just the same as the first (first chapter was about sex with a guy and the second chapter was just about sex with somebody else I read no further.
As i said I have been pert of Lust for quite a few years and only now I am writing my first story. Before I started I made sure that I had a plot for the story and yes it is a multi part story. I have laid out the whole story with character development and the development of the plot before I started with sex in each chapter but trying to have different type of sex.
My first chapter is complete. My second is just about ready for submission and I am busy on the 3rd chapter with each chapter ending on something to encourage the reader to read the next chapter to find out what happens next.
Now it is in the fantasy and sci fi category which is not very popular here on Lush but I hope that the readers will enjoy the story.
I hope to have the story finished in a couple of weeks so put it in your reader list and read it then.
Jackrabit
The tail off probably has less to do with any writing ability than with the transient nature of most traffic on Lush.
You can see this for yourself on the homepage which tells you how many people are accessing the site - but if there are 10,000 visitors only around 300 are going to be signed in members. There's no real way of knowing how regular the 97% of non-member traffic is; if the stay for long or if they're just here for a quick thrill.
Members and non-members seem to have different reading habits. Things that attract non-members attract big page views but obviously you don't get the comments. Things like poems see very little non-member interest - that's why the views are low but they still get a lot of comments.
Seeing - "chapter 4" after a title may say to casual readers "you're going to have to work a little to enjoy this" and there are plenty of other stories they could read instead. If writing a multi chapter story is where you want to take your writing then just go for it and damn the numbers.
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Why not read some stories instead
NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber I have written a few series, and I am currently trying to submit the first of a very old series I posted several years ago, under another name. The series I have written got great votes, all the way through. I think it was because I was invested in the story personally. I was turned on by the scenarios, and it showed in the story and writing.
When I lost direction, or when I had gone as far as I wanted to in the series, or was plausible, I stopped.
I don't think it matters. Good writing will be read, whether its a single story or a multi-part. But if you can't write, no one will read past your first chapter anyway. I have a 3-part story posted which people have asked me to continue, and if I continue to get requests, I'll carry it forward.
It's hardly an exclusive thing to Lush, though the readers here are tilted toward the short story/flash length more than most. No matter where you're posting, the views, votes, and comments are going to trail off on later chapters.
Someone mentioned the transient nature of the readers, and that's true everywhere. For the most part, erotica readers aren't looking for an especially deep story. They're looking for something to get off to.
Which also contributes to the low vote to view ratio all stories get. Someone twitching from aftershocks isn't especially concerned about clicking a vote button. They're even less inclined to try to type a comment with sticky fingers.
Even if someone did get into the story, they may not be able to return to the site on a regular basis. They may be using incognito mode to hide their tracks. That makes it difficult to come back to a story on subsequent visits.
"Write a good story and they'll keep coming back" is true, but there are more factors at play with erotica. You probably lose as many readers to circumstances as you do from people who didn't like the story or lost interest.
If it's the story you want to write, write it! You just have to go into it expecting a reduced participation rate, and one that's likely to continually diminish throughout the run.
It depends on the writer. If you want to write more parts to your story. Go head it is up to you to keep the readers reading and wanting more. Tell your story and have fun with it
It's both actually. It's bad because you have to wait for the next chapter to be approved. But it's also good because you never know what's gonna happen in the story and it can take so many different turns.
I prefer slower, multipart stories with detailed character development and an extended plot line. We're all different though!
There's no reason why multi part stories shouldn't be as good as a single story. It's down to the quality of the writing.
Danielle xx
I've seen the opposite with the multi part story I am writing. The third and fourth parts have more views than either of the first two parts. I think that this is due to the fact that I have kept each part as a self contained story even though it is part of the much larger whole. Also parts three and four are almost nothing but sex beginning to end. Where the first two parts were mostly introduction and setting with very little sex. I still don't know how somebody could start reading in the middle of the story, that would drive me insane wondering what happened before, but it seems to be working. Also I have tried not to go more than a week between adding chapters.
Multi-part stories can be highly successful and popular. Many authors here on Lush have had tremendous success with them.
Put your heart into the stories, write them to the best of your ability, and most of all, love writing them.
I love Multi-part stories. When I find a good one, I'm very dedicated to them--and to the writer too. I think that's the key though; it has to be a sustainable story. Each chapter has to be independently good but create a need/want for more. And, the writer can't be lazy and coast on cliche's and just sex (which is a problem with erotica). The characters have to have an appeal and the story line can't drag or move too swiftly. It takes a lot of planning to write them, forthought. I find that with a lot of the ones here, that's lacking. They keep doing the quick stroke stuff and it just gets boring. Not every story is fit for continuation because it's not complex enough. You can tell when someone is fumbling through the story line and that loses my interest too. Timing is important. Taking too long in between submissions can kill the momentum. You find yourself with new readers and people don't like to start in the middle. That's my downfall. You know you are doing well when each segment picks up more views and your first chapter still manages to draw. I don't think you should be afraid to rewrite ones that don't do well, chapters that is. Bring them up to par.
I've written one long multi-part story "How It All Began" ran to 17 chapters and about 85,000 words. It did have a plot with the usual devices of a protagonist, antagonist, a twist and a happy ending (I had to, I loved the characters). They are all largely based on actual people I've met through life, some of the chapters are semi auto-biographical more to try and keep them realistic and grounded.
What is unusual in Lush is that it difficult to point the story forwards, if a reader finds Ch1, there is not a great deal that can help to point the reader to Ch.2.
In terms of response, I think it is a familiar pattern, the first part got a very good response, the other chapters kind of ebbed and flowed. The plot line was deliberately designed to be modular so that each chapter did stand alone to a degree. The final chapter did really well and still scores a year later.
I have written single standalone stories only then to be asked to either add another part to conclude it or develop the story some more. Both 'Latin Inferno' and 'The Road Trip' had concluding chapters added by popular response. Both of the first parts got a very positive response and the concluding parts less so but were still well received. I have written competition entries, my second attempt got a great response which I'm really pleased about.
I try to give readers what they want really, there are readers here that want the longer stories and those that want a quick 'fix' of erotica. No matter what I write, it's about 3,000 to 4,000 words at a time which I think is a happy medium. I like 'rich' characterisation and tone the sex scenes to be moderate to graphic. I couldn't write something that was 90% story with only a 10% sop to the erotic. I have written chapters which are almost 100% erotica but even then, their motives and thoughts are woven in.
Both my current stories will run to several chapters but I haven't decided yet how far.
So in summary, it's not something I worry about, I think it's just a 'Lush' thing really......
