Comments on: Serial Fiction http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/serial-fiction fiction matters Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:30:39 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Fiction Writers Review » Blog Archive » Recommended Reading: Aryn Kyle story in Five Chapters http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/serial-fiction/comment-page-1#comment-3638 Fiction Writers Review » Blog Archive » Recommended Reading: Aryn Kyle story in Five Chapters Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:31:54 +0000 http://fictionwritersreview.com/?p=5909#comment-3638 [...] more about Five Chapters and other serial fiction and why slow might be good for [...] [...] more about Five Chapters and other serial fiction and why slow might be good for [...]

]]> By: Celeste http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/serial-fiction/comment-page-1#comment-3320 Celeste Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:11:01 +0000 http://fictionwritersreview.com/?p=5909#comment-3320 Nick, I love your comparison between Twitter and the snail-mail serial form. You're right--they're essentially analogous, parcelling the story out to readers in tantalizing ways. And I hadn't thought of the serial form as a way of forming dialogue, but it definitely is: by pacing the reader, so to speak, it opens up space for thought and conversation about the story. Your project is fascinating--thanks so much for sharing. John, you raise an interesting point: even though the serial form does create openings for conversation, does it also run the risk of breaking the reader's concentration? I suspect this is something the writer might need to take into account when structuring the story. If a reader just stopped at a random point, momentum might dip, but if an installment stopped at a crucial moment--a moment of choice, a twist, etc.--the suspense might be heightened. On the other hand, too many twists and turns might seem contrived. Do you think a serialized novel would have an easier time managing these gaps? Nick, I love your comparison between Twitter and the snail-mail serial form. You’re right–they’re essentially analogous, parcelling the story out to readers in tantalizing ways. And I hadn’t thought of the serial form as a way of forming dialogue, but it definitely is: by pacing the reader, so to speak, it opens up space for thought and conversation about the story. Your project is fascinating–thanks so much for sharing.

John, you raise an interesting point: even though the serial form does create openings for conversation, does it also run the risk of breaking the reader’s concentration? I suspect this is something the writer might need to take into account when structuring the story. If a reader just stopped at a random point, momentum might dip, but if an installment stopped at a crucial moment–a moment of choice, a twist, etc.–the suspense might be heightened. On the other hand, too many twists and turns might seem contrived. Do you think a serialized novel would have an easier time managing these gaps?

]]> By: John Vanderslice http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/serial-fiction/comment-page-1#comment-3318 John Vanderslice Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:34:23 +0000 http://fictionwritersreview.com/?p=5909#comment-3318 Fascinating post, Celeste. I admit to being more sympathetic toward Nick Rombes's idea of serialization than any other. I also have to wonder if serializing a short story, in any form, is at all advantageous to the story. Isn't the point of a short story that we are able to ingest it all at once, so the effect is most immediate and most powerful? How many times have I had to put down a short story, for one reason or another, and then pick it up again an hour or a day later, disappointed that I couldn't finish it all at once, wondering if I'm getting the same vital experience? Can't image choosing that method of receiving a short story. For a whole lot of reasons, however, seriaizing a novel makes a lot of sense. Merry Christmas! Fascinating post, Celeste. I admit to being more sympathetic toward Nick Rombes’s idea of serialization than any other. I also have to wonder if serializing a short story, in any form, is at all advantageous to the story. Isn’t the point of a short story that we are able to ingest it all at once, so the effect is most immediate and most powerful? How many times have I had to put down a short story, for one reason or another, and then pick it up again an hour or a day later, disappointed that I couldn’t finish it all at once, wondering if I’m getting the same vital experience? Can’t image choosing that method of receiving a short story. For a whole lot of reasons, however, seriaizing a novel makes a lot of sense. Merry Christmas!

]]> By: Nick http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/serial-fiction/comment-page-1#comment-3309 Nick Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:19:22 +0000 http://fictionwritersreview.com/?p=5909#comment-3309 Hi Celeste, Thanks for the good post. From my own experience, I was inspired to take the "paper" route not in spite of instant communication sites like Twitter, the comments sections on blogs, etc., but because of these. I really love the way these forms allow for dialog between writers and readers, and wanted to capture some of that same feeling in print form. So in some strange way, snail-mailing a short segment of the novel-in-progress to individual readers, I'm sort of replicating the Twitter form, except that the communication is not instantaneous. But it's personal and individual, and the serial form guarantees at least a year-long dialog with reader/subscribers. Best, N. Hi Celeste,
Thanks for the good post. From my own experience, I was inspired to take the “paper” route not in spite of instant communication sites like Twitter, the comments sections on blogs, etc., but because of these. I really love the way these forms allow for dialog between writers and readers, and wanted to capture some of that same feeling in print form. So in some strange way, snail-mailing a short segment of the novel-in-progress to individual readers, I’m sort of replicating the Twitter form, except that the communication is not instantaneous. But it’s personal and individual, and the serial form guarantees at least a year-long dialog with reader/subscribers.
Best, N.

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