The never ending cycle of writing serials...

Filed: Blog @ 6:04am on August 15, 2014 No comments yet! :(   Word Count: 502

When it’s time for me to write new chapters, I check my buffer and find the holes in my schedule.

Yesterday, I still had two holes left to over all chapters until August 11th: Lizzie Chapters 29 and 30.

And so, I sat down and managed to write two chapters which go hand in hand with each other and form a little arc between them, just like Harmony 24 and 25 ended up forming a little arc between them despite the planning showing otherwise, simply because they were written one after the other.

Having a buffer helps me write in close succession 2 or 3 chapters of a single serial which end up forming a more coherent narrative, but it also creates gaps…

For example, over the week-end, I will probably write a new chapter of Sam (chapter 22).

Chapter 21 was written on June 25th or roughly a week ago.

Since then, I wrote perhaps 8 new chapters for other serials, and before it’s time for Sam, I have in theory to write 2 other chapters (Sue #14 and Suzy and Jill #38).

Do I fully remember the mood I was in when I was writing Sam Chapter 21? Are my notes clear enough to move forward for this specific chapter?

I have a good idea of what will be in chapter 25 or so, and in the case of Sam, I also know what will happen in chapter 30 or so.

But what is supposed to happen in chapter 21, is it sufficient to support a chapter?

I made in 2011 the decision to not publish chapter very shorter than 600 words because I felt like it was cheating the readers of content.

In the case of Sue, I planned the chapters to be perhaps half introspection and half action, but it’s a “gimmick” I can’t use on every serial. That one was designed this way, but it’s not something I want to use in every serial…

But the most depressing part isn’t even that you have gaps between writing chapters, it’s when you give yourself an objective like “keep a 6 weeks buffer”.

I seem to be able to more or less keep a 5 week buffer, but getting that 6th week is really a never-ending quest because every day of the week, the buffer empties by 1 chapter.

Back in 2011, I was able to consistently publish 5 new chapters every week, but honestly, I had help from pre-existing work.

Now, every week where I do not write at least 4 new chapters (and a blog) means I am shrinking my buffer, but unlike 2011, I want to make sure that each chapter builds the story and moves it forward because apart from my 2 new serials (Karen and Pat) and my newest old serial (Sue), all of my primary stories are now seriously past their initial phase having more than 20 chapters and in many cases, having used all of their planning.

And so, I keep writing, trying to reach and keep that 6 week buffer while creating the best content I can.

I hope you appreciate…

 

 

 

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