STORY VERSUS SERIES

Well I am certainly learning the views of a few people here, which was my intent.
Februs, you are correct, sorry, I do mean serials!
I too sometimes choose to read a short story if I need a 'quick fix' or a longer story if I have time to read it.
But, I love to follow a serial and enjoy the development, I simply watch the 'latest loaded' list and follow my chosen serial.
I confess to taking views and comments as a sign of the enjoyment value of a story, so if it doesn't get comments, does it mean few are enjoying it? I don't take it too seriously, but as an indication of popularity. I admit it does positively encourage me though, when comments are made. I often choose a story to read after viewing the comments others have made as I am intrigued by their opinion.
I can see the sense in completing a serial before submitting, but I find I am sometimes influenced, positively, by a comment received, so that would be a lost opportunity if I had not been prompted.
I admit my serial "Alternative Marriage Guidance' is incomplete due to an apparent lack of interest by readers, as I did not feel inclined to take it further, maybe I will finish it eventually.
'Reconicort Cruises' is complete, 10 parts, but only 6 loaded at present, I am submitting it slowly, hoping to keep interest going, but it seems it is waning, despite early popularity.
This is what prompted my post, as I wrote a quick and easy story 'A Spanked Bottom' which has received more interest straight away and I just wondered about the reasoning.
Thank you all anyway x Elorac

All of my serials were written as single stories also and broken into parts only because of the length. I would not submit parts of an unfinished work because I don't want to feel guilty for leaving readers hanging if I get stuck, lose interest, or just get out of the mood to write for several months – which I have done repeatedly.
And likewise, I usually prefer not to start reading an unfinished serial because I don't like to be left hanging, not knowing if and when there will be another installment (by which time I may have forgotten what happened before).

I'm not sure if this is true or not, but there do seem to be more series and serials appearing recently, often with fairly short episodes (under 2K words). There has also been a slow but steady decline in monthly comment numbers from the heyday of a couple of years ago. I don't know if these two speculations/observations are related.

Again, this may not be true, but I remember a "Golden Age" (Ah! Did such a thing ever exist anywhere?) when a 38-part serial I wrote kept a healthy audience for about 8 months. I'd written the first 6 or 7 before starting to submit, but after that it was one 5K episode per week, and readers did stay with it. Cliff-hangers help. And comments people made sometimes influenced the way the plot developed, too. It was enormous fun, but I'm not sure such an enterprise would maintain an equivalent readership these days. Are we all too busy?

I don't write many serials because of my habit of not finishing them. I know how to start it, I know how to finish - because I always write the end first - but in the middle either I lose the interest or I write myself into a corner and don't know how to solve it.

That is the reason I usually don't read serials unless I know they are finished. I was stung many times in magazine serials (pre-Internet era) which published serials monthly and I missed an issue. There are exceptions of course. A big example is "Song of Ice and Fire" better known as "The Game of Thrones". If I have known 20 years ago how long it would take Mr. Martin to finish it (he didn't yet), I would probably miss a great story.

I very rarely write one-off stories, in the main because, once I get even a little bit invested in the characters, it seems a real shame to say goodby to them after such a short tale!

Also, when I read (in general, not just spanking stuff) I do have a real weakness for a cliffhanger. What will happen next?

I am, though, immensely culpable in not completing my longer serials. Often, work and so on leaves me barely able to write for a month or more, and when I come back, the momentum has just gone, and I can't get back into the heads of the characters. I still one day hope to write a seminal 500-part girls boarding school doorstop, but who knows! My current tale is yet to be published but up to part 15, taking the advice above and getting deep into things before going to the readers...

That reminds me - when can we expect part 2 of Daleminster? I really enjoyed Part 1, but I was a lot younger then, of course.

Snort! Made me laugh! Get to it, Imogen!

AlanBarr

Oh God I completely forgot all about that one!

I shall have to go and read it as you obviously have a far clearer recollection of what happened than I do!

I think it's a very good point about writing a serial first then submitting. I have been making steady progress on my one serial, but it's taking me a long time, and I'm sure people forget what has happened in earlier episodes when a new one comes out. (I do have some later parts written, but I need to write the in between episodes still...) But... that's a lot of effort to put into a story without any feedback.

All very good points put forward.
RosieRad - 'that's a lot of effort to put into a story without any feedback.' Precisely! It is important to know how a serial is being received, as it is a much more involved process. I think I will try submitting all parts of my next serial at once (whatever and whenever that may be) and see if it makes any difference.
My very first submission to the library was my serial "Royal Attitude Adjustment' which was submitted all 8 parts and I remember one comment saying it was 'generous' of me to submit all parts together.
I know we write primarily for ourselves, but if that was all, I would keep my stories to myself. I like to share and am honoured if others appreciate my work and would like to know about it, also it helps me develop as an author.
I am pleased to tell an author how a story makes me feel, I think it only fair. I sometimes see my latest read list and see multiple stories being read by a single person, but not one single comment and (I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW about comments!) and I think, surely they could leave at least one comment in return?
I am surprised and excited by the number and content of comments 'A SPANKED BOTTOM' has attracted in the first few days, this is what prompted my post. It will remain personal preference and a mystery!