I found this site a few days ago and was thrilled about the considerably large variety of stories, as well as the possibility of participating. So I started and read a few of the old, big stories, like "Absolute Power" and "Yes", during which I got the urge to write my own paths for these stories, as well as respective endings. My first question is: Do you as writers think that adding something to those stories actually enhances them, or rather begins to backfire at a certain point, since the whole construct just gets too bloated and confusing? I also noticed that there is an insane amount of opened paths, yet there are few which have an actual ending. I don't know if it's just me, but I find this rather annoying. So I decided to end the paths I like (or rather try to, since the new approval system isn't yet implemented). My second question, regarding this, is: Do you think that this is a good idea, or should I rather start my own stories and/or participate in the writing of current ones?
I think the beauty of the system is that you can choose to do either and it's okay. If you want to take a thread and wrap it up, I would just do it. That's not to say someone else won't branch off and "reopen" the story though. I believe that if you have an idea of how a story should progress and ultimately end, you may want to begin one and specify an outline to get your desired result.
I personally don't have clear cut endings to my writing beacause I tend to take each scenario and treat it as a miniature story arc. Ultimately the conflict involved wil be resolved, and while it may be the end of that arc it doesn't have to be the end of the story. I also favor this approach because unless an arc is ended with all aspects neatly sorted out, previous arcs can make good starting points for new ones. Make of that what you will.
Writing a good story and keeping it interactive or very hard to do especially if the story has any length to it. The concept of an interactive story works better with a short story then the longer stories some of us like to write. Add to that the stories you listed have dozens of different writers each doing there on thing. Once someone opens a story up its pretty much a sand box with everyone creating their own stuff or building off of others ideas so endings become even more complicated. Maybe we need an add ending button with a category for most endings so readers can look up stories with endings.
Personally I like that these things don't end, as there will always be someone out there who will think of a twist in the scenario to take it forward. If I do feel the need to "end" a story branch, I tend to try and make it as open as possible, so that someone can come along and continue it if they want, or leave it as is. Case in point: https://chyoa.com/story/absolute-power/thread/carry-on-and-on-and-on This branch I wrapped up but intentionally left the option for others to continue it if they were so inclined.
its hard to know where a story can come to a natural conclusion, particularly on a website like this that deals with erotica. there are a few stories I've read that seemed to just abruptly come to an end only cuz there's no one contributing to it, and there are some that seem to have endings that aren't all that satisfactory. One example I can think of is that one for the story 'The Shepherd Family' that says 'Dorm Life Ending'. but of course the beauty of this website is the ability to add to the stories and create new avenues the original author never thought of.
