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[RokofAges75]

VeeLynn said something in one of her answers to Erika's writing survey that I thought was interesting.  She said:

I have one story in progress and yes I've gotten into the habit of not posting until they are almost done or complete.

I just wondered, how many other people do that - wait to post until the story is done or almost done?  And if not, at what point do you decide to post a new story you've been working on?  Do you post it right away, as soon as you finish Chapter 1, do you wait until you're a few chapters in, or do you wait until you finish other stories first?  Does it matter to you if you have other unfinished stories waiting to be updated?

Discuss!

[VeeLynn]

For me I want to make sure I don't leave anything out. I may have an idea half way through the story but to help explain it better, or maybe add more of an impact to it, I need to go back to chapters near the beginning to tweak somethings. As far as when I know it's ready to post? Usually when I feel the beginning chapters are complete, there's no need to go back and tweak anything, when I get to the point where I'm ready to end the story.  I'll start posting and get readers feed back. Even then I warn my readers that there is a chance the chapter(s) will get pulled because it's not complete, not till I post the last chapter.

[mare]

I used to wait until I had at least 4 or 5 chapters written that I felt confident in. I also tend to wait until I know for sure I'm willing to commit to finishing it. If I'm not confident on the direction and in which case I'll end up stuck half the time, the story will never see the light of day.

[RokofAges75]

That is how I am.  I wish I had the willpower to do what you do, VeeLynn, and keep the story to myself until I'm almost done because it's nice to give yourself that flexibility to go back and edit, incorporate new ideas, and make sure it's perfect before you post.

I am more like Mare, though.  I take a lot of time before I even start a new story to think it through and at least start to outline it; I never actually start writing until I have at least a general idea of where the story is going and how it will end.  Once I start writing, I try to get a few chapters written to make sure the story is flowing well and turning out the way I want it.  If I'm confident in what I have and confident that I'll be able to continue it, then I post.  I enjoy posting stories as I write them because I like that ongoing feedback; it keeps me motivated and on track and sometimes gives me new insight that helps me write the rest of the story better.

My problem right now is, I'm sitting on this new story I technically started last summer, but have only been making real progress on for the past week.  I finished Chapter 1 over spring break a week ago, and I'm on Chapter 5 now, which is pretty good progress for me lately, since I haven't been able to write consistently on anything else since I finished Curtain Call.  I'm getting to the point where I'd like to start posting it soon, but at the same time, I feel bad doing it because I have two other unfinished stories that I really should be writing instead.  I don't know what's worse - adding another fic to my list of stories that need to be updated, or just not updating at all.

[Sakabelle]

I used to be really bad for posting everything I was writing right away. This resulted in stories that weren't well thought out and stories that never got completed. I also always ended up with a main story that would consistently get updated, and the others would fall to the wayside. I wouldn't even pick them up once the main story was done - I'd just start another new main story! It was like all the other ones I was working on were side projects, and if I ever did feel like writing on them, I found I'd shy away from it because I hadn't updated in so long I wondered if it was even worth it because I didn't know when I'd be updating again after that.

When I started writing Running Up That Hill, I tried a different approach. I knew that story was very different from the others I'd normally written (Nick romances)  so I had 4 chapters of it finished before I started posting it on the site. I wanted to make sure I was going to keep up with writing it and that I would still be interested in it past the first chapter. I also made it so that was the only story in progress on my profile - I removed all the other ones I knew I had no hope of ever updating again. This has worked for me, because even though I got really stuck on Running Up That Hill, I did eventually come back to it, and I think it's because I made it my story that was my main one. I do have a bunch of stories I'm still working on but not posting. But by not posting them, I only write on them when I want to write on them and I don't feel pressured to at all.

I'm not saying I only write on Running Up That Hill because I post it on the site, but it's a difficult story for me to write. However, I have always wanted to challenge myself to write that kind of story, so having it be the only one on the site for me forces me to have it as the main one I'm updating. I think if I would have added one of my trashy Nick romances to AC, I would have fallen back into form, it would have became my main story and Running Up That Hill may have been forgotten about.

Once Running Up That Hill is finished I'll post another story, and the nice thing about that is I'll have a backlog of chapters by then! So maybe I'll be updating a lot quicker? LOL.

[colorguard_diva]

It depends on the story.

When I first started writing I posted as soon as I wrote a chapter. I was excited and just had to post.

Now for most stories I have at least 5 to 10 chapters written before I post. That way I can post but still have time to work on chapters.

I have other stories (mostly ones that are 5 to 15 chapters in length) that I will write all of it before I post.

It truly depends on the story.

[VeeLynn]

That is how I am.  I wish I had the willpower to do what you do, VeeLynn, and keep the story to myself until I'm almost done because it's nice to give yourself that flexibility to go back and edit, incorporate new ideas, and make sure it's perfect before you post.

I am more like Mare, though.  I take a lot of time before I even start a new story to think it through and at least start to outline it; I never actually start writing until I have at least a general idea of where the story is going and how it will end.  Once I start writing, I try to get a few chapters written to make sure the story is flowing well and turning out the way I want it.  If I'm confident in what I have and confident that I'll be able to continue it, then I post.  I enjoy posting stories as I write them because I like that ongoing feedback; it keeps me motivated and on track and sometimes gives me new insight that helps me write the rest of the story better.

My problem right now is, I'm sitting on this new story I technically started last summer, but have only been making real progress on for the past week.  I finished Chapter 1 over spring break a week ago, and I'm on Chapter 5 now, which is pretty good progress for me lately, since I haven't been able to write consistently on anything else since I finished Curtain Call.  I'm getting to the point where I'd like to start posting it soon, but at the same time, I feel bad doing it because I have two other unfinished stories that I really should be writing instead.  I don't know what's worse - adding another fic to my list of stories that need to be updated, or just not updating at all.

Trust me it's hard because I'll get about 10 chapters in and I'm like OMG I think this story is sooo good, I wonder what my readers would think...I can't wait too show them for them to read it and then I start thinking about posting but I pull myself back.  It's hard. LOL

[mare]

That's how I was at first too, Rachel. I think when I first started writing I was just so eager to post my work and get feedback on it, I tended to post right away before actually thinking it out.

About ten years ago it would be normal for me to have about four to five stories going at once on the site. The older I got, the more patience I had to just wait and make sure I wanted to write the stuff I was writing and went the Saka Steph way lol

I never wrote an entire story before posting. I just didn't have enough will power to do that. Maybe if someone was reading it on the side, but i'm always too excited to share with someone to just wait it out.

[tiggerc128]

I'm usually 20 chapters in before I start.  If I post immediately, I feel pushed to keep posting and that has a negative effect on my writing.  When I posted the Price of Fame, I had it completely done, as was Don't Turn Out The Lights, with those being relatively short stories.  I'm currently 28 chapters into one new one, 16 into another and 6 into another. Finally getting back to my favorite leading man:  NICK!  LOL  Sorry, I took a Donnie sabatical, but I've loved him since I was 16.  Watching him on Blue Bloods fueled the fire. 

I have to say the formation of NKOTBSB has really opened up fan fiction.  Look how many characters we have to choose from!!  I LOVE IT!!

OK, off to work.    See you all soon with some new Nick stories!!

[RokofAges75]

I also always ended up with a main story that would consistently get updated, and the others would fall to the wayside. I wouldn't even pick them up once the main story was done - I'd just start another new main story! It was like all the other ones I was working on were side projects, and if I ever did feel like writing on them, I found I'd shy away from it because I hadn't updated in so long I wondered if it was even worth it because I didn't know when I'd be updating again after that.

This is exactly where I'm at with Guilty Roads and Secrets of the Heart right now LOL.  Secrets has always been a side project and never been updated consistently, so whatever, but GR was supposed to be my main story, until I got the idea for Curtain Call, and I haven't been able to really get going on it again since.  It sucks!  If I had known that was going to happen, I wouldn't have posted it, but I guess you never can tell when true inspiration is going to strike.

[julilly]

I use to wait until I was 10 chapters in thinking that would give me plenty of buffer but it's inevitable as soon as I start posting something my writing slows to a crawl. Then I would catch up with what I'd already written and things would go to hell.

So I've started to not post anything prior to it being completed - which is why I'm not posting anything right now because I have nothing completed. -_- At least this way though there's no expectation for me to finish something. (Except that Saka-Steph might hurt me)

[mare]

Speaking of wanting to kill you, Julilly lol I think as a reader it's so frustrating when people do rush to post and then just stop updating because when that happens, I know I usually don't remember what I had read before so I end up going back and having to reread the entire story again. In that aspect as a reader, it's nice when people wait and post it all at once this way you know you do not have to wait forever for an update and know it's all there for you when you do have the time to read it.

[julilly]

Rush to post?! I was 11 chapters ahead of myself when I started! Then I dropped the ball and couldn't find the damn thing again. I'm the worst. Sad face.

[Carter-Orange]

I tend to post once I've got a couple of chapters written, and then I post as I write it - which is why my updates are a little irregular at times.  I wish I could hold on until my stories are complete, but I just can't.  Maybe if I did that, I'd never post them.  I don't know.

With the collab I'm doing with Lore, I'm working differently though!  We're about 5 chapters ahead of what is posted, so we can update on a certain day.

Julilly and Julie - I hope to see updates one day

[mare]

Rush to post?! I was 11 chapters ahead of myself when I started! Then I dropped the ball and couldn't find the damn thing again. I'm the worst. Sad face.

Yes, you are! LOL