Asking for advice

[serai]

.
...from those of you who read, and especially those of you who've written, chapter fics.

High Contrast really does seem to be turning into an actual chaptered, long-form fic. I'm working on putting together an archive page, so I can point people to it when I get a new piece, etc.

My question is this: how should I arrange the listing? The first bits of the story I got over a decade ago, and now this stuff is coming in. But it's not now, nor has it ever, emerged in chronological order. The pieces come in willy-nilly, all over the place. So which would be more useful, do you think - listing in order of writing, or in the chronological order of the story?

Which would you do as a writer, and which would you prefer as a reader? I'm on the fence, honestly. Opinions?

Comments

[gabi-fics.livejournal.com]

I'd say chronological in terms of fic. That way, you slot in your latest piece and anyone finding them late isn't confused by the order. It could also help readers when you write a piece that isn't in a clear place in the timeline. A snippet, between here and there. It helps knowing where it falls in their timeline.

So glad you're making a long term go of this beautiful tale.

[serai1.livejournal.com]

I am skating along at the mercy of these beautiful boys. I have no idea if the thing will get finished, or even from one moment to the next whether they'll ever talk to me again.

Thanks for the input. Yeah, chronological seems best. I may present the original three drabbles separately first, then the whole thing with them in context. I'm kinda jazzed at how those three pieces present something that ends up being so different than what it seems like at first.

-sigh- Jesus, this whole thing has been so unexpected. I feel like I'm riding a rip current here, no idea where it's taking me.

[gabi-fics.livejournal.com]

Just hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

[danae_b]

As writer and reader, chronological in terms of of the story itself is what I prefer.

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that is logical. Guess I was just uncertain, sheesh. :)

P.S. Wrote another couple of pieces this last week, in case you hadn't seen them.

[danae_b]

Wooo! Yeah, I've seen your posts, but I've been in 'super hardcore writing' mode myself, and the two don't really mix. I either write or I read, and right now I am writing... I am looking forward to enjoying things <33333

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Ah, most excellent! Party on, dude!

[aliensouldream.livejournal.com]

1. I'll take it any which way it comes baby.
2. When they rearranged The Godfather in chronological order it didn't work for me as well as it did with the flashbacks. Make of that what you will.
3. But I get the value in chronology if plot demands it.
4. Glad to be so clear and helpful ;-)
5. Keep it coming!!!

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the points you make. I actually have a copy of that Godfather Rearranged, and yeah, the shape of the story is different depending on how you tell it. The order it's coming in for me reflects how they want to tell it, so I guess I should pay attention and not fuck with it.

Thanks!

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

I'd say post it as it comes to you and list it that way. That sounds complicated, and I do know how difficult it is when the story comes to you at their will and not your own. Sparrow was like that for me. I had a skeleton but it was like kneebone connected to the neckbone connected to the footbone and I've never been able to put it in a chronological order.

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Thank you, hon. Between you and fantasy_fan, I think I've decided to post written-order first and then put up a chronological list if anyone wants it.

[fantasy-fan.livejournal.com]

I would say for now, list it in the chronology in the order you are posting, until it is finished. The reason I say that is, another author had a similar many chapter fic that she wrote as you are, starting with a piece that ended up roughly in the middle, and higgledy-piggeldy after that. Readers who were following along as she wrote it were happy to read it that way, and could certainly follow the unfolding of the story and the way the author's thinking evoked evolution of the characterizations, especially the main OC, along the way. When she posted a story-chronological listing later, if you read it that way it didn't quite hang together. Some of the things that were written earlier honestly needed a little tweaking to keep the characterization and continuity together. As far as I know, she never went back and fixed it, and so it remains a bit jarring.

Another long long piece written the same way was tremendous fun, and suffered from exactly the same problem. So the authors took down the whole thing, and started over again from the now-recognized beginning, changing and tweaking and reposting episodes that were sometimes significantly different now that it had all come together. But they never finished it. They lost the muse, or the friendship, or something, and now there is a 1/3 story posted, and the earlier work is gone. I still wish that someday it will be finished, but I don't hope for it.

So my thought is post it as it has come to you, enjoy the ride, and worry about chronology later. Or, use a short header at the beginning of each episode of the story to let people know roughly where it falls in the timeline.

[serai1.livejournal.com]

Ah, you bring up an important point, one that I'd been worried about. There are indeed things in these fics that wouldn't be there, or at least where they are, if the story was being written step-by-step timewise. I was thinking that I'd have to go back and tweak eventually, but I don't know if I'll even want to do that. So I think I will post as I write, so to speak, and then put up a chronological list as a kind of map, so people will see what the timeline looks like even if it's not best read that way.

Thank you so much for bringing this up. It pretty much locks in my thinking. *HUGS*