One story arc or multiple options?

porneia

porneia

Really Experienced
Which do you find more enjoyable (primarily as a reader but also as a writer): T0 continue with one story arc or have multiple options for each chapter?

I am having a blast writing my current story (Blind Date with Catwoman) but I can't decide if it's better to run with one thread-line with single options until it's finished or focus on giving the reader as many options early on. Basically, should it be more about chapter depth or number of chapters?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
In my opinion will be better continue one story line, finish and after that started next. And bdsm is in my opinion the best line.
 
Regin34 said:
In my opinion will be better continue one story line, finish and after that started next. And bdsm is in my opinion the best line.
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Thank you. Should I stop it at a logic point (ex: after they have sex) and then go back and pick up another option in the BDSM line or push that one thread line until the very end?
 
I like having more options (to present the reader a choice), but it's your story and you should do whatever you're comfortable with, especially if you have a clear idea for a storyline you want to write - although sometimes you might play with giving the reader a choice to go off on a tangent for a chapter or two and then loop back to pick up the main branch.
 
Figure out a good stopping point. I typically finish arcs with “Ending: ...”. This marks it as where I think the story should end.

Typically it’s not directly after sex. Usually because I write transformation and fantasy stories this is where the character’s adventure ends.

Got magical powers, you have the option to get rid of them or abuse them.

Mind controlled your sister into loving you? She was never mind controlled in the first place, or you use the device to turn her into your sex slave, or use the device to turn her back to normal without any memory of this happening.

You can always go back to expand on things, but typically I find around 20 chapters to be a good stopping point.
 
Whatever is easiest. If you are on a role for a particular branch, keep writing. If its becoming a slog or your getting writer's block, finish your though put in a bit of resolution and try somewhere else. Readers will want chapters as fast as possible. As long as you're not perpetually starting branches and not following them up with juices bits (we've all seen those stories that feel like a maze of introductions) most people won't care where you write your erotica.

When I'm adding to others' stories my rule of thumb is three. If I have more, I write more, but three chapters is usually plenty to flush out an erotic idea. Then I leave it open in case I or someone else wants to pick it up later.
 
Zeebop said:
I like having more options . . . have a clear idea for a storyline . . . play with giving the reader a choice to go off on a tangent . . . loop back to pick up the main branch.
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Yes, yes, yes and yes. I agree with everything you wrote, thank you. I have both clear visions of long arcs and many options. I was just curious which the reader would prefer to first have.
 
RejectTed said:
we've all seen those stories that feel like a maze of introductions
.
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I completely agree. That is something I have tried to work on. Starting a story in the mid of an action and grabbing the readers attention with the first sentence. Instead of a long introduction, like I use to do.
 
Having multiple story arcs is more likely to get more views the a contentious story as people will want to see what paths lead where but on the other hand it gets hard to advance the plot of a story if the writer is just making branches and no conclusion.
 
RicoLouis said:
Having multiple story arcs is more likely to get more views the a contentious story as people will want to see what paths lead where but on the other hand it gets hard to advance the plot of a story if the writer is just making branches and no conclusion.
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I’d argue that even with multiple branches you’ll need a bit of length on each one. Not crazy lengths like 60 chapters, but 4 main branches at 15 chapters each would probably get more views than 30 branches with two chapters.
 
RicoLouis said:
Having multiple story arcs is more likely to get more views the a contentious story as people will want to see what paths lead where but on the other hand it gets hard to advance the plot of a story if the writer is just making branches and no conclusion.
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Thank you for your thoughts, that is the problem I am wrestling with. And, btw, I am a fan of Bianca Beauchamp, too!
 
Zekar said:
Figure out a good stopping point. I typically finish arcs with “Ending: ...”. This marks it as where I think the story should end.
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Why? Don’t you want to encourage others to work on stories? Find a stopping point and add to other threads but I have asked writers before why they stopped somewhere as I wanted to add to it.
 
Tip said:
Why? Don’t you want to encourage others to work on stories? Find a stopping point and add to other threads but I have asked writers before why they stopped somewhere as I wanted to add to it.
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I actually like the convention -- it hearkens back to the original Choose Your Own Adventure books and the concept of the Visual Novel 'end' as well.

That said, I don't see why -- if someone's open to chapters -- you couldn't add a new chapter. Just put ALTERNATE: in the front of your subject to demonstrate this is a branching path away from the arc ending and I'd think that'd be fine.
 
porneia said:
Which do you find more enjoyable (primarily as a reader but also as a writer): T0 continue with one story arc or have multiple options for each chapter?

I am having a blast writing my current story (Blind Date with Catwoman) but I can't decide if it's better to run with one thread-line with single options until it's finished or focus on giving the reader as many options early on. Basically, should it be more about chapter depth or number of chapters?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
I try to do multiple in order to give other writers more to work with.
 
I've been trying to split the difference with Lois Lane's Night Out - a lot of branching, but also moving the branches toward definite ends. Certainly not the only way to do it, and I might die before I'm done at this point, but there's 700+ chapters and 7 different endings at this point - and three of those endings have epilogues, so even "The End" isn't necessarily the End. I think it works in this case because there's a fix setting (a single night), and ever night ends eventually, but other stories are more open-ended, and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
...and suddenly I’m reminded of After Hours with Griffin Dunne. And then I’m reminded that I’m probably the only person who remembers that movie. Or Griffin Dunne.
 
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