How much backstory/description do you give in subsequent chapters?

[MistressKatana]

Hello! I'm a new writer. I've posted only 1 story so far, but plan on making it into a series.

I have several questions for other writers:

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

I know there's not a correct answer, but just want to get a feel for what other writers do since this is so new to me!

English isn't my first language, so please forgive me if my questions are confusing.

Thank you !!!

Kat

 

[AStrangeDesire]

I just went through this for the latest thing I published.

It's part 5 of a novel length work, and due to real life interfering, it got spaced out. So I put a short dense summary at the beginning, just to try and catch the readers up. I didn't put it in the story, so that if someone reads the parts back-to-back, it's easy to skip and they don't go "but I just read that!".

How well it works, I don't know. But I've seen other do it in longer series and it's helped me as a reader, so hopefully it's appreciated.

For an outside reference, I used to read a lot of W.E.B. Griffin, who put extensive recaps in each book, which got tedious in my opinion.

Best of luck in with your series!

 

[StillStunned]

If the chapter together tell a single story, I don't recap. If they're separate stand-alone instalments, I might provide a brief recap at the start. More and more, with my sword & sorcery stories, I've been introducing the characters in each story, as if the reader has never met them before.

 

[Fluftixxx]

I don't think it's bad in any way to include some text at the beginning.

that said i have never read or written such a text.

I do think it's worth reminding people of appearances, but only in a subtle way. I'm not giving a full describtion each time, but if I mention a characters hair I might add that it's long, or if I mention a characters shirt I might mention the color, etc.

I'm of the opinion that if a reader is completely lost, they are better off going back to previous chapters.

Over on chyoa, where stories are split up into smaller chapters, I have also seen side chapters at the start that are just a description of every character. That does come in handy on occassion, but it's really helped by chyoas format.

 

[TheIntrepidBoyager]

Good for you on your first story!

I just posted a Part 1 and Part 2 of a story. I look at it like movies. I want just enough background for a reader who didn't read the first installment to get the basic gust of the setup and not be a requirement to read the previous installment/s. But I also don't want to bog down the readers who have read the previous work.

I think each part should be able to standalone but still be relatable for the story follower.

Now, I do think chapters can just flow in the way @StillStunned says above.

 

[Voboy]

I'm unsure why it would be assumed that a reader will start at Ch 3 or Ch 5... unless I missed a memo somewhere?

I've only written a handful of series. "Recaps" were something I didn't really bother with much, and when I did it, I usually used dialogue for that. I dislike info dumps whatever the reason.

Just let the characters refer to prior events a bit obliquely. What you need to ask yourself is just how much backstory a "new" reader actually needs. You won't be able to do it all (which is why you wrote previous chapters in the first place), so your provided recap shouldn't need to include much information I reckon.

In general, I figure a latecoming reader who's confused by past events has only themselves to blame. Not your problem, as the writer. Your job is to tell a story. If a tardy reader likes your story, they'll go back and read from the beginning. Honestly, I generally avoid this kind of problem by simply writing longer single works. They've usually found their audience.

As to character appearance? I've tried both ways (descriptive and non-), and for me, whether I choose to describe or not usually depends on my choice of narrator. Some narrators are more voluble than others.

 

[THBGato]

Welcome to Lit and the AH.

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date?

No. I will put a hyperlink to Chapter 1 at the start of each subsequent chapter (you can include links only to Literotica pages). If readers don't want to start at Chapter 1, what can you do?

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter?

No. But then I'm not very visual. I rarely describe characters' appearances in detail (as a reader I immediately stop as soon as an author writes "she was 5 foot 4 with an hourglass figure and C cup boobs"). Just speaking for myself, I'm far more interested in personality and attitude. Yeah, if it's relevant I'll mention something (e.g. a tattoo, cosplay) but otherwise I don't bother. Ask yourself how important appearance really is? Do you need readers to picture characters exactly as you imagine them, or can you leave us to colour in the lines for ourselves?

Most importantly though, write how you want to!

 

[Britva415]

Hello! I'm a new writer. I've posted only 1 story so far, but plan on making it into a series.

I have several questions for other writers:

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

I know there's not a correct answer, but just want to get a feel for what other writers do since this is so new to me!

English isn't my first language, so please forgive me if my questions are confusing.

Thank you !!!

Kat

I feel like you might as well assume that the reader already knows and remembers all the information from the previous chapters.

Because, they'll assume you wrote it that way. They probably won't even open your story at all if they know that it's Part N and not part 1 of a series. Either that, or, if your title, description and tags are compelling enough, they might go back to part 1 and start there. Maybe.

There frequently are surveys of the Authors' Hangout regarding reader engagement with series. And the results consistently show (well, are interpreted to show) that later chapters or episodes only get readers who already have been through the previous ones.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Just let the characters refer to prior events a bit obliquely.

To question 1: I'm a big fan of this ^^^. I'm kinda averse to putting a "previously on" because that only helps people who are currently reading, but a lot of your readers will probably be spread out over the years as they stumble upon the story well after it's finished. But, because I'm writing with 2 - 4 weeks between sections currently on average, I also like to include in-universe recaps that are less about recounting the details and more about the character thinking about them. Then again, it helps that my character is an overanalytical thinker who is procesing events after the fact. So it's less about the recap and more about summarizing how he's feeling after the events of the previous chapter:

If someone had given me odds on my night going anything remotely like this...

Get tricked into going to a kink club by my quest-master Abeni. Find a submissive red panda more than willing to give me a shot despite having zero experience being a dom. Actually do a pretty decent job at being her Sir until my damn brain and old habits conspired to ruin it for her. Sulk on a bench. Have a MILFy polar bear sit beside me and offer to teach me how the whole D/s thing actually works.

And then to be sitting in an Uber with her on the way back to her place...?

Personally, if I read that in a novel, it wouldn't feel wholly out of place (given who the character is). Yet it's also serving to ground the reader back in the events of the previous chapter. However, the main thing it's doing is showing his disbelief in the wild rollercoaster of a night he's had.

For your second question, I really don't think redescribing the character every chapter would benefit you at all. Almost all readers are going to read your series in order if it's a continuous story. If the pieces are more standalone episodes than something like chapters of a novel, you might want to approach it differently, but for chaptered works it's best to treat it not too dissimilar from how you would a novel. You wouldn't recap the previous chapter at the start of the next, nor would you redescribe the characters in each chapter.

Also, welcome to Lit! Congrats on your first story.

 

[RejectReality]

In a serial, no. Anybody who's going to read Ch. 5 has already read the first four. People don't just pick up in the middle of a story unless they're insane. LOL

In a series, where every installment has it's own beginning, middle, and end, I reiterate things when they're necessary. I don't assume that someone reading Daughter of the Wood has necessarily read Steward of the Wood, so I describe Xantina again when she appears. ( doing my best to mix up how I'm describing her ) I reiterate somewhere that the family is only fertile on Earth Day. ( because that's almost always a major plot point ) I may briefly mention the events of a prior story if the main character from it is appearing in the new story as a supporting character, but only if it matters. If you don't need to know anything more than this is the current MC's aunt for the story, then there's no need to mention what happened in her story earlier in the series.

 

[Imstillfun]

I don’t recap. I have an intro that points to previous chapters.
I do have a series called the wedding party. Each chapter is a separate story. Sometimes the people and places duplicate from other stories. There I describe them where it’s important. I find that just the relationship to the protagonist of each chapter typically sufficed.

 

[caleb35]

Hello! I'm a new writer. I've posted only 1 story so far, but plan on making it into a series.

I have several questions for other writers:

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

I know there's not a correct answer, but just want to get a feel for what other writers do since this is so new to me!

English isn't my first language, so please forgive me if my questions are confusing.

Thank you !!!

Kat

1. This is your own personal preference. Some writers do this; some don't. If you feel a need to recap what has come before, I'd recommend a short (and I do mean short) note at the start of each part/chapter. You can try to work it into the story so that it comes across naturally but I don't think that's easy to do and it will likely stick out like a sore thumb. Keep it to quick summary at the start of each part/chapter with an encouragement to the reader to go read the rest of the story from the beginning.

2. Again, personal preference. Also depends strongly on what type of viewpoint you're using in your stories. If your viewpoint varies, yes, you can describe each character. If you're focused mainly on one character (either third-person limited or first-person viewpoint) then describe all the other characters as they appear to your main character but don't describe the main character (you can give away some details here and there but a lengthy paragraph of the main character discussing their own appearance will come across as artificial).

 

[ElectricBlue]

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

No. You're thinking short term, in terms of your publishing cycle, but once the whole story is out there, none of that matters. Your story will be alive for years, not just the first few months.

Do you see summaries of what went before in published novels? No, you don't.

You need to determine whether you're writing chapters of a novel, or parts of a series of connected stories. There's a difference. If each published element can stand on it's own, you've got parts of a series. If each published chunk absolutely depends on the previous section, you've got chapters of a long novel. There's a very big difference between the two.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

Absolutely no. Same reason as above.

 

[EmilyMiller]

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

I’ve never done this much. I think the only time I can immediately recall is when I wrote a semi-stand-alone sequel to a six part series. In that work I gave a brief synopsis of what had gone on before. But within a series, no.

Of course some of it may relate to how long passes between chapters .

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

I might drop a few items in about their appearance again in later chapters, but I wouldn’t include repeated full descriptions, no.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I’m told I give too much. It’s a sin I’m working on.

 

[MrPixel]

Similar to Emily. That is, sometimes, and I also weigh the time between installments. I mostly write for two series. If there's a chapter I'm working on that I intend to be somewhat of a standalone, I'll drop snippets of background when clarity is necessary, especially when "new" characters drop into the scene.

 

[OddLove]

For 1.

Some people pull it off nicely, cramming pivotal information from previous parts and catching readers back up in an efficient manner in case they took a long time between parts.

Personally I don't. At least, I haven't yet. I'm not against the idea at all.

But I do plant tons of seeds for late parts/episodes/chapters in stories.

Last story I wrote a moment where a security guard and custodian are fooling around in the security office around 1am. They have to pause and quiet down because they see a random office worker walking out the elevator on the security monitors. Then once they watch the employee walk through the lobby and out the front doors they continue.

Then I can use my imagination to figure out what that workers up too in a later episode/part/whatever. Maybe he was doing something shady, or maybe he's just having an affair of his own, or it could be something really dumb, like maybe at some point an angry wife shows up to confront her cheating husband, then it turns out that guy was just pretending to work late so he can play World of Warcraft with his friends without being interrupted.

For 2.

I don't repeat details a lot unless something changes. So like if a lady has black hair for example, as her hair styles change, such as dutch braids or long wavey or messy bun, I'd mention her hair being black each time.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Hello! I'm a new writer. I've posted only 1 story so far, but plan on making it into a series.

I have several questions for other writers:

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

I know there's not a correct answer, but just want to get a feel for what other writers do since this is so new to me!

English isn't my first language, so please forgive me if my questions are confusing.

Thank you !!!

Kat

This answers your questions.

 

[nice90sguy]

If I feel it's necessary, I do urge readers to read previous chapters, in the cases when my story has been broken up into sections because I consider it too long for a single upload (over 20,000 words).

I semi-jokingly added this at the start of one of my stories, a fictional autobiography:

At the beginning of each chapter in this story, I always tell people two things: Firstly, to make sure you have seen the tags and are prepared to read about sometimes cruel financial domination. And secondly, to please read the chapters in order. I can understand why someone would want to read a story starting from the middle, if maybe if the themes and story tags for different chapters are different; but that is not the case with my story.

...

Now, about reading the chapters in order: I see some stories on this site that have dozens of chapters, which are more like serialized stories. You can bet that the authors of those stories have not planned chapter 50 before they started! That's not how my story is -- The chapters don't make much sense if you read them in the wrong order, or skip. And by now, after three chapters, there is a lot of back-story.

If you know the answer to these questions, you are allowed to read this chapter :

* What is my name?

* What is my pet's name? (I mean my human pet, I don't have an animal pet right now)

* What is the pendant on my neck, and who gave it to me?

* How many languages do I speak fluently?

* How many brothers do I have?

Did you score 5/5? Good boy.

 

[Writer61]

Most of what I write are episodes, which means that characters and settings recur, but each chapter (in Lit terminology) could be read alone. That said, there is something of a story arc in some series, so for those, I have a short rubric at the start of each episode suggesting that they should be read in order.

I do not like detailed descriptions of characters, so I make references where it helps to have an alternative label for them. For example, to say 'the redhead' instead of always using their names.

 

[Mastered_again]

All I've ever written is one series, no standalone stories (final chapters completed, to appear shortly, 25 in total) With that many, I have to believe anyone reading one has already read the prior ones.

I don't recap anything, although a short sentence will pop up within the work occasionally to clarify references to earlier chapters.

I do include rather detailed descriptions of settings because I want readers to see things as I do. In some instances, the location is intimately bound to one of the characters. Other times it is integral to the characters' behavior.

Same goes with apparel, particularly as to how it affects/reflects the actions or attitudes of my characters. That said, role playing is a frequent theme, so costuming is a critical element

As to physical appearance, I'm not as detailed. Sure I included hair style and eye color, short/average/tall, general body description (but avoid qualities reliant on inches, cup size, etc.). I want the reader to create their own preferred vision of the character.

Since you are planning a long work, don't start publishing until it's complete. Otherwise you might lose the readers who've followed the tale if too much time passes between chapter postings. I have no idea what readers' attention spans are, but not endless I'm sure. Moreover, correcting/editing chapters already posted is not convenient here, so having the entire story complete will save regrets down the road.

My two cents, but the best advice is to write what's true to yourself. Don't try to write to please others.

 

[bi_cathy]

Hello! I'm a new writer. I've posted only 1 story so far, but plan on making it into a series.

I have several questions for other writers:

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on? Because I feel like if I write a long series, which I hope to do, some readers might start at Chapter 2 or 3 or 5, so I feel like I need to give them some type of summary of what's happened before.

I've done both. With one series, I was publishing very erratically with weeks/months between chapters, even though the story was continuous (i.e. not semi-independent installments) so I added a tiny blurb in the Author Note on top summarizing things, and told people to read the previous chapters if they hadn't.

I'm currently publishing another story in a more controlled 1 chapter per week rhythm, and I'm not doing the blurb, just telling people to read because it's continuous.

What I do like doing, though, is weave in previous moments in the narrative of new ones. Think about it like this: if your character has lived through moment A, they'll likely remember it or make a link between it and another moment B down the line. So use that to add a sentence about their thought, their memory, whether they feel moment B is different, new, the same, interesting vs A. It's a realistic & human way of storytelling, imo, and can be very rewarding for me as an author when I start making links between scenes and letting my character progress, all while doing a tiny unexpected recap or reminder for readers in an organic way.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

Characters physical description matters so little to me that this isn't something I think about. I'd rather let the reader decide most of their characteristics in general. But I'll always pick a physical trait or facial expression that becomes important as the story progresses. I find that much more interesting to write. A lip crinkle, a raised eyebrow, a lip bite, dimples, etc... those definitely do come back again and again, but they're weaved into the story.

My advice is to find the balance that works for you between telling the reader exactly what a character looks like and letting them add a bit of their own fantasy on top, then weave that in the narrative of the chapters. The eye color can come back at one point, the hair length and color at another, the figure at some other point, etc... As a reader, I find that smoother to read, and I don't feel like the author is forcing a photo in front of my eyes and telling me "memorize every trait, there's a quiz in 2 minutes."

 

[bobbykialla]

As someone about to embark on the daunting task of writing and posting their first series here, I found all the comments and feedback in this thread so helpful. Thanks for the original question and all your answers.

 

[Bramblethorn]

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date? If so, do you just work it into the the story, or include a brief prologue at the beginning of each chapter as a review? Or, do you assume that each reader has read everything from the beginning, and is aware of what's going on?

The latter. If they haven't read everything, then they should be able to figure out where to find the earlier chapters.

I don't see anything wrong with opening with a brief "Last time...", no more than about a sentence, but it shouldn't be necessary.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head. So do you, as a writer of a series, describe your characters' appearance in each new chapter? Or do you again assume that the readers are familiar with everyone and everything?

The latter. If an author kept on re-describing the same characters every chapter I'd find that quite odd and probably annoying.

(I don't usually do a lot of physical description the first time around either, but that's another discussion.

In a serial, no. Anybody who's going to read Ch. 5 has already read the first four. People don't just pick up in the middle of a story unless they're insane. LOL

One time when it will happen is if the chapter places high on a toplist or wins a contest. I had one hit something like #2 in the category toplist years back, and while it was in that position it was getting views much faster than the other chapters. So I assume some readers were seeing it in the list and checking it out without reading the earlier chapters first.

But outside of that, yeah, I think it's safe to assume that most readers have read the earlier chapters, or failing that know how to look them up.

 

[designatedvictim]

Hello! I'm a new writer. I've posted only 1 story so far, but plan on making it into a series.

Welcome aboard. Above anything else, have fun with your writing.

1. When writing a series, do you mention the overarching plot in each chapter to keep the readers up to date?

The whole linked chapters mechanism here doesn't warm my heart, but it is there.

I have a multi-part story and aside from titles that state that they're Part XX - and the main chaptering mechanism - I didn't do anything else.

In my current work-in-progress, I am writing a Part Two to an originally stand-alone story. I have a link back to Part One in an opening Author Note, but I'll use the chaptering feature, too. Not yet sure if I'll keep the link.

Having said that, about recaps...

(Story - recent college grad visits older-sister and roommate out of state only to discover they're living the nudist lifestyle. Hijinks ensue. Simple plot.)

In the opening parts of the WIP, they discus what he should say if anyone else in the family finds out that she does that and what he did in relation to it, since they know he'd spent three weeks with them the summer before (no one in the family is aware of it - he wasn't until he arrived). Her reply does a very brief thumbnail overview of each week of the earlier trip, each week actually had its own level of escalation as he starts to join in with them for his visit.

My approach went like this:

“If asked directly, just admit that, yes, we do walk around the house nude,” Jo suggested. “Use the first week of your visit, up until the trip up north as your baseline scenario.

“Admit that you were blindsided. We weren’t bothered. We just went on with the visit. You met the neighbors.

“If you want to answer that we talked you into joining the Dark Side, use everything through the second week, right up to the end of the fireworks as your story’s baseline.

“And,” Jo went on with deadly precision, “if you ever decide to tell them that anything else happened, use most of what happened in week three.

“Rie invited you to stay with her. We’re all adults, here. I had no grounds to stop you two.”

Nothing detailed, but it conveys the escalation.

I hadn't consciously intended to do a recap, but it emerged as a consequence of how I wrote the dialog.

2. Along those lines, I have a similar question about characters. I like to picture what I'm reaching, and have an image of each character in my head.

Full description? I'd say no. That should probably be done over the course of the first chapter. Not in one, big, undigestible chunk, but spread out over the course of the chapter.

Don't rattle off the details like a character stats sheet. That's something we all need to keep in mind.

But specific details? As they become relevant to a scene? Sure.

Just my opinion.