Unfinished stories

[sr71plt]

Sounds pre-written to me.

What does future stories have to do about past stories? And what I have banked into 2014 are not chaptered stories. The chaptered stories I'm running now are to get me into the top-ten production list on Literotica (since you seem intent on knowing my business--and getting it wrong with your speculation). Other than the chaptered stories I'm posting now, all of the chaptered stories I've posted were, in the past, published by eXcessica, and most them were expansions and variations published by eXcessica after they were posted here. Up to now, I haven't posted any of my chaptered e-books published by anyone other than eXcessica on Literotica.

Once again putting your nose into my business hasn't told you anything relevant to my business. It's just painted you again as someone who is obsessed with me.

So, here goes again on my sig line:

I don;t spend time checking on what other people are doing, I just worry about my own shit."
--Lovecraft68

My point on not posting until it's finished goes beyond having respect for readers (and wanting to keep them as readers). Short stories follow an arc, they aren't complete as stories until finished and what you write in the beginning needs to track to what you are writing at the end. Open-ended stories tend to be rambling messes with irrelvancies and dropped threads dangling all over the place and restricted in how they can end, if you start publishing the beginning before you get to the end. You have to be highly expert to carry an ongoing story off. And permitting readers to sway you in where the characters and plots go also usually ends up with a rambling mess. There are so many good stories here that I see no reason to be reading a rambling mess. And if you start off writing a rambling mess, you don't have respect for your readers if you don't tell them what sort of a ride it's going to be--or even if it's ever going to be resolved.

 

[LuvinWritin]

unfinished stories

I understand pretty much most of what was said. And I appreciate those authors who have told us of how they try to let the reader know if they have finished thier story. I like the idea of finishing the whole story first then post it chapter by chapter. This is what I'm planning to do with the story I'm currently working on (my first here) but I know some authors like to get reader feedback before continuing. I was wondering if there was a way that stories could automatically get tagged as incomplete or unfinished which the author can remove when they have finished.

I love the fact that this site has free posting and free reading. I am amazed at how much effort each author puts into thier work and I in no way wish to suggest an impedement to the creativity that flows through here. But those of us who do like to write must also realize that we do this not only for ourselves but also for our readers. We love the appreciation and the positive feedback we get from them. We therefore have at least a small measure of responsibility to them.

 

[sr71plt]

I understand pretty much most of what was said. And I appreciate those authors who have told us of how they try to let the reader know if they have finished thier story. I like the idea of finishing the whole story first then post it chapter by chapter. This is what I'm planning to do with the story I'm currently working on (my first here) but I know some authors like to get reader feedback before continuing. I was wondering if there was a way that stories could automatically get tagged as incomplete or unfinished which the author can remove when they have finished.

I suggested in the post above this that the author could put a slug at the beginning of the first chapter explaining it was an ongoing chapter and asking for any help they wanted in directing where it goes. When the series is finished, they could always file an edit taking the note off.

 

[SecondCircle]

So basically, no one is allowed to be human and lose focus and leave a story unfinished, or open for a fresh start at some later point? No one is allowed to use this site as a skill building experience, where we learn from our mistakes and strive to get better?

Whatever reason any author has for not finishing a story, be it laziness or loss of creativity, or that they've simply moved on to something else, or whatever their personal struggle is, it's their right as an author. It may not be fair or even correct. I've already made note that I support both sides of this argument, and that no one is wrong. I do, once again, agree that stories with chapters are better when they are completed in full. It should be something we all try to do.

But I do not accept that, as authors on a free site, anyone should hold it against someone if they don't complete it. Big whoop. Not everyone can be as skilled or professional as Pilot. I know everything goes perfect for you and your 5,879 stories, and that you are such a better writer than anyone, and absolutely cannot fathom leaving a story unfinished. It's fine to be proud of your accomplishments. It's even fine to talk about it all the time, just don't think that everyone else has to operate by your rules.

We have an obligation to our readers to strive for excellence, because they are the ones who gotta read the stuff. But I don't think we should crucify anyone who experiences the bumps along the way.

...I'm gonna go have a beer now...

 

[lovecraft68]

So basically, no one is allowed to be human and lose focus and leave a story unfinished, or open for a fresh start at some later point? No one is allowed to use this site as a skill building experience, where we learn from our mistakes and strive to get better?

Whatever reason any author has for not finishing a story, be it laziness or loss of creativity, or that they've simply moved on to something else, or whatever their personal struggle is, it's their right as an author. It may not be fair or even correct. I've already made note that I support both sides of this argument, and that no one is wrong. I do, once again, agree that stories with chapters are better when they are completed in full. It should be something we all try to do.

But I do not accept that, as authors on a free site, anyone should hold it against someone if they don't complete it. Big whoop. Not everyone can be as skilled or professional as Pilot. I know everything goes perfect for you and your 5,879 stories, and that you are such a better writer than anyone, and absolutely cannot fathom leaving a story unfinished. It's fine to be proud of your accomplishments. It's even fine to talk about it all the time, just don't think that everyone else has to operate by your rules.

We have an obligation to our readers to strive for excellence, because they are the ones who gotta read the stuff. But I don't think we should crucify anyone who experiences the bumps along the way.

...I'm gonna go have a beer now...

Amen.

And try JD its better than beer.

This thread has inspire me to start a chapter series with no clue how its going to end or what the hell is going to happen, just for the hell of it.

Nah, never mind, I'd suck myself in to having to finish it.

 

[sr71plt]

So basically, no one is allowed to be human and lose focus and leave a story unfinished, or open for a fresh start at some later point? No one is allowed to use this site as a skill building experience, where we learn from our mistakes and strive to get better?

Whatever reason any author has for not finishing a story, be it laziness or loss of creativity, or that they've simply moved on to something else, or whatever their personal struggle is, it's their right as an author. It may not be fair or even correct. I've already made note that I support both sides of this argument, and that no one is wrong. I do, once again, agree that stories with chapters are better when they are completed in full. It should be something we all try to do.

But I do not accept that, as authors on a free site, anyone should hold it against someone if they don't complete it. Big whoop. Not everyone can be as skilled or professional as Pilot. I know everything goes perfect for you and your 5,879 stories, and that you are such a better writer than anyone, and absolutely cannot fathom leaving a story unfinished. It's fine to be proud of your accomplishments. It's even fine to talk about it all the time, just don't think that everyone else has to operate by your rules.

We have an obligation to our readers to strive for excellence, because they are the ones who gotta read the stuff. But I don't think we should crucify anyone who experiences the bumps along the way.

...I'm gonna go have a beer now...

Nice set of "it's all about me" irrelevant excuses. (The real problem isn't in not finishing the series; it's in not telling the readers it isn't finished from the get go.) Paint it in the extreme and discuss it as the general situation. Yes, since you push it, if you start posting a story series you haven't finished yet, and you can't even be bothered to put a slug on the front of it to that effect so the reader can decide whether to invest attention to an iffy proposition, you are saying it's all about you and to hell with the reader. I do acknowledge that a lot of writers are that self-centered.

And you're the one who is snotty here with personal attack. That too doesn't surprise me about you. This issue isn't about me and my writing, nor did I bring it up--the complaint is brought up by readers frequently (which should give you a clue). It's about common courtesy and the valuing of readers. If you don't want it read, just stick it in a drawer. If you do want it read, it's no longer all about you.

It's not rocket science. You either have it finished when you start to post or you don't. I see no reasonable excuse for not informing the reader if you don't.

 

[SecondCircle]

If they should invest in a story? Like it's a time share or something? While it may be a story that they grow to really enjoy, I've yet to encounter a reader that was so invested in a story that when they found it unfinished they went into a coma like state of depression. It's a story. And I've found that if readers really like the story, they'll keep looking for the next chapter, even if it never comes. Even if it was never plugged as "a work in progress."

I value the readers that enjoy my stories. And I do try to see that they have completed chapters. But if I was reading a story that had yet to be concluded, and may not ever be, I'd be disappointed but I wouldn't be so upset that it ruined my day.

What if a story started as a single piece but was good enough and had room for advancement? Should I start by saying "stick around guys, this could wind up being 80 chapters with no end in sight! Just figgered I'd warn ye who dare to tread here!"

Dude it's a story. And again no one is wrong here.

If I threw in anything selfish here, I'd assume that it was something about not being a dick when approaching stories that aren't finished. Give people a break.

Unless it was the part about the beer....

 

[sr71plt]

If they should invest in a story

Oh come on, you're just being stupid now. Is English your first language? Or are you just being purposely obtuse and nasty?

" I've yet to encounter a reader that was so invested in a story that when they found it unfinished they went into a coma like state of depression."

No, they don't go into a coma. You exaggerate it like this to belittle what they do. They come here and complain. That's what this thread is about. It's a little dumb of you to say it's not a problem when that's what this thread is about--one of the frequent reader complaints that writers aren't giving them warning they're not completing their story series. You're being obtuse and more than a little bit ugly about it.

Why again are you dancing around not wanting to simply state up front that your series isn't finished? (While you're avoiding answering that, I will--it's because you don't want to lose readers who won't start reading something unless it's finished. You are thinking only of yourself. You don't give a shit about the readers. If you did, it wouldn't be a burden to simply state in a slug up front that it's being posted without a conclusion written.)

 

[LuvinWritin]

Found another

I found another unfinished work called "Rainey's Song". I clicked the author's name, Evehasfallen, and found that it was 9 chapters and the last was in 2008. That should indicate that it's complete. It's also mark with a H and W. I reached the end of chapter 9 and found that the story was unfinished. Now, I don't mind that the story was unfinished, that was the authors choice, but it if the story had been mark with a H a W and a U (for unfinished) I never would have read the story and never would have been left disappointed after 5 hours of reading.

 

[sr71plt]

I found another unfinished work called "Rainey's Song". I clicked the author's name, Evehasfallen, and found that it was 9 chapters and the last was in 2008. That should indicate that it's complete. It's also mark with a H and W. I reached the end of chapter 9 and found that the story was unfinished. Now, I don't mind that the story was unfinished, that was the authors choice, but it if the story had been mark with a H a W and a U (for unfinished) I never would have read the story and never would have been left disappointed after 5 hours of reading.

The Web site is not set up for the editors to determine and mark a series that's unfinished, I don't think.

And, as you can see from the thread, there are writers here who won't lift a finger to identify works they are posting that are openi-ended. They are so greedy for views and ratings that they don't care that they are sucking you into something without an ending.

There are other writers who are concerned for their readers and who will provided road maps on what they can expect. I suggest you concentrate on works by those thoughtful writers.

 

[LuvinWritin]

And now another

I just found another unfinished story. It's called "Nothing Gets Through " by PennLady. I didn't read this one though. I found one of the chapters in the contest winners' list and clicked on the author's name. I found the last chapter and clicked on that. Then I scrolled to the bottom and clicked the last page of the chapter. Then I scrolled down to the comments. I found several comments requesting that the author finish the story and that's how I knew the story to be unfinished and I didn't need to read it.

I've read in this thread, several people suggesting that the authors are not obligated to finish thier stories. But I ask you this. Do you think it fair that anyone who wants to read a completed story must go through the process I just described or that they have to spend 6 or 7 hours of reading to find it's unfinished (like I did with Elianna's work - her writing was excellent though.)

I'm not asking that the authors be forced to complete thier work. What I am suggesting is that an automatic tag be place on ALL submissions and it's up to the writer or maybe thier editor to remove the tag when it is done.

 

[BONNIEBREA]

So basically, no one is allowed to be human and lose focus and leave a story unfinished, or open for a fresh start at some later point? No one is allowed to use this site as a skill building experience, where we learn from our mistakes and strive to get better?

Whatever reason any author has for not finishing a story, be it laziness or loss of creativity, or that they've simply moved on to something else, or whatever their personal struggle is, it's their right as an author. It may not be fair or even correct. I've already made note that I support both sides of this argument, and that no one is wrong. I do, once again, agree that stories with chapters are better when they are completed in full. It should be something we all try to do.

But I do not accept that, as authors on a free site, anyone should hold it against someone if they don't complete it. Big whoop. Not everyone can be as skilled or professional as Pilot. I know everything goes perfect for you and your 5,879 stories, and that you are such a better writer than anyone, and absolutely cannot fathom leaving a story unfinished. It's fine to be proud of your accomplishments. It's even fine to talk about it all the time, just don't think that everyone else has to operate by your rules.

We have an obligation to our readers to strive for excellence, because they are the ones who gotta read the stuff. But I don't think we should crucify anyone who experiences the bumps along the way.

...I'm gonna go have a beer now...

A couple things.

First. I think the most basic thing a writer should know when they sit down at a keyboard is just what the story they are about to tell is about and what that telling entails. Anything else really seems to me an exercise in flailing. I get the impression I'm unusual in this regard, but when I start into a story I know the beginning of the story and I know where and (at least in general terms) how the story ends. It's how to get from the beginning to the end that is the real work. And, yes, there is a bit of flailing to be done as I get issues of plot and theme and character development and story arc worked out - but I don't think there's really any avoiding that to some degree. But all of that is really something I apply to myself as a writer, and I don't judge other writers based on those standards. I simply want to tell my readers complete stories, and I respect my readers enough not to waste their time and attention with an incomplete story. But, again, that's me, and if other writers want to tell partial stories or abuse their readers enthusiasm and good will - well, that's really not any of my business.

Second. When I post a story here I always put a foreword on the story to the effect that the story is finished, it has X number of chapters, this is chapter #X, and the chapters will post one every few days, as I want to make sure one chapter is posted completely and correctly before submitting the next, until the story is completely posted. Readers really love that.

In the same way, there is nothing stopping other writers here from adding a foreword to their stories saying. 'This is the Xth chapter of this story. I've written X number of chapters, but the story is definitely not finished. I don't really know when I'll get around to finishing it since I have a busy life. But I'll get around to it as soon as I can (or alternately - 'It's possible I may never get around to finishing it, but I hope you enjoy what I have to offer to this point.').

It's really a matter of truth in advertising and being honest with readers. But I think most writers have no problem with roping their reader into a story they likely know they'll never finish or not finish for years (or simply have no idea what the end of the story is or where it's going). And while all that is their business, as a reader I expect writers to be honest with me.

So, okay, start a story you don't intend to finish, or think you'd like to finish but realistically probably won't, but at least be honest enough with readers to make them aware of that probability.

That lack of honesty and candor is the aspect that bothers me.

 

[i_would]

I never would have read the story and never would have been left disappointed after 5 hours of reading.

At least you certainly did enjoy reading the other nine chapters, or you wouldn't have come that far.

I know it's irritating when stuff is left in limbo, but it happens, and it happens a lot. Having nine chapters, last posted five years ago, really doesn't mean much when it comes to being finished or not. If you really want to know in advance just open the last chapter and read the last paragraph or two. That usually tells you whether it's finished or not.

 

[i_would]

That's odd. Normally a second chapter has a higher score. First chapters in most series are lower because a lot of people may not like it and vote low.

Most of those same readers don;t come back to the second chapter, but the people who like it do so usually a higher score.

I was just looking at the scores and views of my own stories, and then remembered your remark. What you say, makes total sense, but it's not what I see in my stories.

One story series (Full Moon Beach Party) follows your observation perfectly. First part has most views, every subsequent part less views, the first is rated lowest, the last highest.

However looking at Full Moon Beach Party 2 (essentially the same story from an opposite pov) and the first chapter has 5600 views, the second 7700 and the third and final 8100.

And for my longer series The Hunt, which is posted over various categories, the number of views seems more related to the category (the two "romance" chapters have far less views than the other chapters) than how far it is in the story. Though the later chapters have less views than the earlier chapters, the third part comes out on top in terms of views.

For me it's not too much of a surprise to see lower scores on the first chapters which tend to be rather introductory, no hot sex taking place (often little to no sex even). And that's of course disappointing to many readers here that're in for a quick stroke.

 

[Bramblethorn]

So, okay, start a story you don't intend to finish, or think you'd like to finish but realistically probably won't, but at least be honest enough with readers to make them aware of that probability.

That lack of honesty and candor is the aspect that bothers me.

But do a lot of authors really start writing a series expecting that they're going to leave it unfinished? I could be wrong, but I'd guess it's more often a matter of an inexperienced author who underestimates just how much of a slog it is to complete a long work.

As for 'dishonesty'... I don't see that as applicable, unless the author has explicitly said the story is complete and then fails to produce it. When a pro author publishes the first installment of a story, we don't usually take that to mean that they've got the rest written - why should we expect it of amateurs?

(And while pros do have a higher completion rate, it's certainly not 100%.)

 

[lovecraft68]

But do a lot of authors really start writing a series expecting that they're going to leave it unfinished? I could be wrong, but I'd guess it's more often a matter of an inexperienced author who underestimates just how much of a slog it is to complete a long work.

As for 'dishonesty'... I don't see that as applicable, unless the author has explicitly said the story is complete and then fails to produce it. When a pro author publishes the first installment of a story, we don't usually take that to mean that they've got the rest written - why should we expect it of amateurs?

(And while pros do have a higher completion rate, it's certainly not 100%.)

Yes, thank you. People here are starting to act like this is some type of sin.

 

[lovecraft68]

I just found another unfinished story. It's called "Nothing Gets Through " by PennLady. I didn't read this one though. I found one of the chapters in the contest winners' list and clicked on the author's name. I found the last chapter and clicked on that. Then I scrolled to the bottom and clicked the last page of the chapter. Then I scrolled down to the comments. I found several comments requesting that the author finish the story and that's how I knew the story to be unfinished and I didn't need to read it.

I've read in this thread, several people suggesting that the authors are not obligated to finish thier stories. But I ask you this. Do you think it fair that anyone who wants to read a completed story must go through the process I just described or that they have to spend 6 or 7 hours of reading to find it's unfinished (like I did with Elianna's work - her writing was excellent though.)

I'm not asking that the authors be forced to complete thier work. What I am suggesting is that an automatic tag be place on ALL submissions and it's up to the writer or maybe thier editor to remove the tag when it is done.

Know what? Pennlady posts here all the time. The woman has two young kids she's home with all day that she has to chase after and take care of. She has a husband (who has a bad back that acts up rendering him person number three to take care of for periods of time) a household, in laws that from the sound of it are over frequently and none of this is conducive to getting a lot of writing done or being able at the end of the night to sit down and say "Okay, now I will write."

My wife started a series of stories on a non erotic site 6 years ago six months in her 36 year old sister was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away three months later. Needless to say she never finished the series.

I guess maybe she should go back and issue an apology to all those poor people living and dying by her next installment on a free site.

Shit happens as someone just pointed out odds are everyone who starts believes they will finish.

Second Circle put it well, this is not a damn investment its a half hour or so of your time to read a chapter. If you're living and dying by the next installment to the degree your that upset if there isn't one, get a life and learn some perspective.

As for Pilot all his arguments are is another extension of what he believes is right meaning there is no other side of the coin. He has spoken, no one should disagree.

To the OP unless you write under another name or there is something wrong with the search on the author's index, you have no stories posted here.

maybe you should give writing a series a shot before being so quick to judge.

Readers think this is easy. To some it does come easier than others, but then some struggle along. Writing is a gift, not everyone can do it whether the story is good or bad, not everyone can just sit and write just like not everyone can draw or sing or dance or direct movies (except Pilot)

Humor me. There is a thread called writing goal of the day in tha ah forum. It may be on the second page. Go read through some of it and see some of the frustration and headaches people go. Through just tp find the time to write.

The readers take yhe writers for granted and again most cant even take the time tp vote. No one owes anyone anything here.

 

[PennLady]

I just found another unfinished story. It's called "Nothing Gets Through " by PennLady. I didn't read this one though. I found one of the chapters in the contest winners' list and clicked on the author's name. I found the last chapter and clicked on that. Then I scrolled to the bottom and clicked the last page of the chapter. Then I scrolled down to the comments. I found several comments requesting that the author finish the story and that's how I knew the story to be unfinished and I didn't need to read it.

I've been reading this thread but haven't contributed b/c we've been here before. I think ideally, a story should be finished, or very close, before the author starts posting. I've tried getting about halfway through and posting, but I still run into lags. But everyone is different, and it is a free site, so I don't get too upset when a story is unfinished. It'd be nice if the author included a note of some kind -- but also, you as the reader could make an effort to see if the story is done.

Now, about "Nothing Gets Through," since I wrote it: It is finished, and I told several commenters that via email, although I did not post a public comment (I don't think). I know a lot of people wanted or expected something different, but I can't help that. The story is done.

ETA: I had to go look, as it's been a while, but there is in fact a short note at the beginning of the final chapter of NGT, which says: Thanks to Cristalball for editing. The puck's in your zone, MugsyB. Which is a bit cryptic, I admit, but that last bit was the indicator that it's done.

I've read in this thread, several people suggesting that the authors are not obligated to finish thier stories. But I ask you this. Do you think it fair that anyone who wants to read a completed story must go through the process I just described or that they have to spend 6 or 7 hours of reading to find it's unfinished (like I did with Elianna's work - her writing was excellent though.)

Well, do you think it's fair for authors to spend all that time writing, yet most people do not vote or comment? I don't see that it's so hard to find a title, then go to the author's page to see if it's done. That won't always work, of course, b/c Lit does not specify if a story is finished (only lists stories as X-part stories), nor do authors always give those kinds of updates.

Like I said, ideally stories would be complete, for variety of reasons, but on a free site, all I can say is you roll the dice and take your chances. That said, I do wish Lit had a function like SOL, which tells you if a story is a series, when it was last updated, and whether it's finished or not or hasn't been updated yet hasn't been finished either.

 

[PennLady]

Know what? Pennlady posts here all the time. The woman has two young kids she's home with all day that she has to chase after and take care of. She has a husband (who has a bad back that acts up rendering him person number three to take care of for periods of time) a household, in laws that from the sound of it are over frequently and none of this is conducive to getting a lot of writing done or being able at the end of the night to sit down and say "Okay, now I will write."

Thanks, LC. To be fair, one of my kids is in third grade, so he's not home all day. But still, yes, I have a lot of stuff that unfortunately eats into writing time. I'm trying to get a handle on it and get more scheduled. I see many lists in my future.

At this point, even if I got one chapter of a long story done (and I did start one), I wouldn't post it. I would try to get at least halfway through my story before posting, but even that would hinge on whether I thought I'd be able to get the second half done on a timely basis.

I personally do hate leaving readers hanging on a story, and if it happens I try to put a note in the chapter and in my profile. However, like I said, it's a free site. I think it's worth sending these questions/opinions to Laurel and Manu, but there's not much else you can do.

 

[sr71plt]

Yes, thank you. People here are starting to act like this is some type of sin.

What people? Are you, like other conflating two issues? One is not finishing what you started, and I can see that happening. The other is not saying up front that the work isn't finished when you start posting it. Although folks are weighing in on what they do/don't do about the first issue, the real issue here is the second one. And, yes, I say it's a self-centered sin not to disclose up front that the series isn't finished before starting to post it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Know what? Pennlady posts here all the time. The woman has two young kids she's home with all day that she has to chase after and take care of. She has a husband (who has a bad back that acts up rendering him person number three to take care of for periods of time) a household, in laws that from the sound of it are over frequently and none of this is conducive to getting a lot of writing done or being able at the end of the night to sit down and say "Okay, now I will write."

My wife started a series of stories on a non erotic site 6 years ago six months in her 36 year old sister was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away three months later. Needless to say she never finished the series.

I guess maybe she should go back and issue an apology to all those poor people living and dying by her next installment on a free site.

Shit happens as someone just pointed out odds are everyone who starts believes they will finish.

Second Circle put it well, this is not a damn investment its a half hour or so of your time to read a chapter. If you're living and dying by the next installment to the degree your that upset if there isn't one, get a life and learn some perspective.

As for Pilot all his arguments are is another extension of what he believes is right meaning there is no other side of the coin. He has spoken, no one should disagree.

To the OP unless you write under another name or there is something wrong with the search on the author's index, you have no stories posted here.

maybe you should give writing a series a shot before being so quick to judge.

Readers think this is easy. To some it does come easier than others, but then some struggle along. Writing is a gift, not everyone can do it whether the story is good or bad, not everyone can just sit and write just like not everyone can draw or sing or dance or direct movies (except Pilot)

Humor me. There is a thread called writing goal of the day in tha ah forum. It may be on the second page. Go read through some of it and see some of the frustration and headaches people go. Through just tp find the time to write.

The readers take yhe writers for granted and again most cant even take the time tp vote. No one owes anyone anything here.

Readers get opinions, too, Lil Buddy. Its a pain in the ass for all, can we agree on that? I hear it from the women who want me to write IR only. They want their fix. Others harpoon me for any IR. And I rag on others like the mean lil fucker I can be. They crucified Jesus, so thats the standard for us all.

 

[laffalot]

I've been reading the comments in this thread and I have to say that I'm a bit surprised at how contentious this issue seems to be. While I can understand both points of view, in my opinion, I believe that no author has an obligation to finish a story, or to warn the readers that it is unfinished and may never be finished. As has been stated already, no one is getting paid to post these stories, so no one should expect an author to finish every story.

That being said, I've only posted stories that I consider to be complete works. I have several unfinished works in various stages of development that may or may not ever get completed. I always plan on finishing what I start, but it doesn't always happen. I've abandoned more than I've posted because what once sounded like a good idea, doesn't always turn out so great when I get into the meat of the story. I enjoy getting positive feedback from readers, so I won't post a story unless it is complete. Being an amateur author, I get enough complaints already without adding 'unfinished story' complaints to the list.

I have posted stories that have the potential to be a multi-part series, and I've gotten comments expressing interest in reading more parts, but usually when I post a story, it is a complete work and I leave it to the reader's imagination to decide what happens to the characters from that point on, otherwise it could turn out to be a never ending story. I don't write soap opera's that last for generations, I write erotic stories and smut with the sole purpose of turning people on.

One thing that no one has mentioned yet is the fact that unfinished stories happen all the time on television, when a series just stops after a handful of episodes because the ratings are too low. Shows like Zero Hour is a recent example of a show with a continuing storyline that was yanked after only a few episodes. Anyone who invested time in this show would have been disappointed, but it does happen all the time, and people survive.

So I guess that it all boils down to the author's prerogative. If he or she doesn't mind, or doesn't care, that readers may be angry when they invest their time into reading an unfinished work, then they can post all the unfinished works that they choose. That's my opinion anyway, for what it's worth.

 

[BONNIEBREA]

But do a lot of authors really start writing a series expecting that they're going to leave it unfinished? I could be wrong, but I'd guess it's more often a matter of an inexperienced author who underestimates just how much of a slog it is to complete a long work.

As for 'dishonesty'... I don't see that as applicable, unless the author has explicitly said the story is complete and then fails to produce it. When a pro author publishes the first installment of a story, we don't usually take that to mean that they've got the rest written - why should we expect it of amateurs?

(And while pros do have a higher completion rate, it's certainly not 100%.)

Well, okay. If you're going to quibble about semantics then I'll retract the 'dishonest' part.

A professional writer occasionally fails to come through, but he/she is unlikely to stay a professional writers if they miss a deadline (especially a deadline for work they've been paid an advance for). But look at all the series products on TV. All of the episodes of a season series are not filmed or even written (or even necessarily imagined in any real detail) before the series starts airing for the season. But the episodes have to be written, completed, and delivered.

You're right that this is likely a matter of inexperienced writers simply having no idea what they're getting into, and getting in over their heads. PL talks about 'lags' in writing, and everyone has them.

But saying "Well, I've reached a 'lag' while I work out this character/motivation/back story/plot issue in writing this story that I otherwise know the arc and end to." is a great deal different than saying "I think I'll start into some sort of story that I'm thinking maybe I'll go on and on with, and I'll just somehow pull whatever is supposed to happen next out of my ass when the time comes. Or then again maybe not." are two very different things.

Perhaps the value of a thread like this is that less experienced writers will tune into it, and learn, and take away from it the idea that these are issues they SHOULD address with their readers as a matter of being up front (aka honest) with them.

 

[LuvinWritin]

misunderstood

It's amazing how some people will pick one or two lines from something you said and make an issue of it out of context. I was NOT attacking PennLady or Elianna, who I think are good writers. I was using them as an example. It life gets in the way of them finishing a story I have absolutely no problem with that. Family first, work second and recreational writing is last or near to it.

What I am suggesting is that LITEROTICA do something about it. They have tagged me as "virgin" because I haven't posted a story yet and I assume after I post my first story Literotica's software will change that. Then why can't they modify the software so that when it is posted it automatically gets an unfinished tag attached to it. We don't want them to have to monitor the postings to find finished works ( this is a free site and they probably don't have the resource to do that) so when the author decides the work is complete they can remove the tag themselves. They might like it anyway because it gives them a kind of 'wow, I'm done' punctuation mark to thier creation kind of like a painter does when they sign thier painting.

P.S. Please do not pick apart my statements and make interpretations of thier meaning out of context. Like all good writing everything in a paragraph belongs together.

 

[PennLady]

It's amazing how some people will pick one or two lines from something you said and make an issue of it out of context. I was NOT attacking PennLady or Elianna, who I think are good writers. I was using them as an example. It life gets in the way of them finishing a story I have absolutely no problem with that. Family first, work second and recreational writing is last or near to it.

That's the internet for you. Actually, I never thought you were attacking me. I was just clearing up one thing -- the story you said was not finished, based on what commenter said, is finished, and I know that because I'm the author.

What I am suggesting is that LITEROTICA do something about it. They have tagged me as "virgin" because I haven't posted a story yet and I assume after I post my first story Literotica's software will change that.

Your "virgin" status here on the forums has nothing to do with stories. It has to do with how many posts you've made.

Then why can't they modify the software so that when it is posted it automatically gets an unfinished tag attached to it.

Good question. I'd like to see that feature.