Kyou and Kagura Author Support

Essay Two: Length

I think that the best place to start is to cover the things that apply to all fanfics, not just Kyou and Kagura ones. These are the simple things that most everyone knows but can never be stated often enough, in my opinion. So here they are; the basics.

The length of both a story and/or its chapters has a major impact on who will read it and whether or not they'll keep coming back. I'm also going to cover time under the header of length because it's equally important. This means the time between updates or until a story is written from start to finish.

Story Length: A story should be as long as it needs to be to say what the author wants to say. In some cases, this is a single chapter; in others, many, many more. There's no set length for all stories to conform to and there never will be. Each story and it's writer are unique and will handle things in their own way and at their own pace. There are a few things to look out for when writing, however, which are listed below.

Point 1: Descriptions. Make sure you add enough of them to let your readers picture what's going on in their minds. You might have the benefit of knowing exactly what you mean but you have to make sure they will as well. But beware of using too much description because it can make a section lose it's impact.

Point 2: Plot. Make sure that you have a beginning, a middle, and an end to your story. You should explain everything that the readers will need to know in order to understand what's going on and why. Don't add something in if you don't have an explanation for it. Things shouldn't pop out of nowhere in that there needs to be a reason for something to happen. Also make sure that you wrap up everything by the end. If it takes an extra chapter or extra long chapter to do, give your readers some kind of conclusion. There's nothing worse than being left hanging.

Point 3: Characters. Make sure you only include (in a major way) the characters that you need to tell the story. Cameos are great and fun, but adding in unnecessary sections that have nothing to do with the story just to have another character in it can backfire. If you'd like to include a lot of characters under a certain plot but don't want to overcrowd, try doing a series of fics all set in the same universe. Arcs like this can be extremely popular. It's also a great way to write extend a story that you're having fun with without running the risk of turning people off with an epic.

Story Types: I don't mean genres but types as in length. This is just a listing of some of the kinds of fics that you'll find. Make sure that you choose the one that is best suited both to your writing style and the plotline rather than what will get the most reviews. Remember, each of these will equally attract some readers and deter others, so there are pros and cons to all of them.

Chapter Length: This can be a touchy point for a lot of people and ideas on the best length vary. There is something of a guideline though, and that's at least 2000 words per chapter. Obviously, there are exceptions to this (oneshots, songfics, poems), but I think that that's a good length to aim for. Extremely short chapters can be little annoying, especially when you've been waiting for a long time or they don't really have much advancement in them. Extremely long chapters can be daunting, as well. The length is your choice but remember that it will affect who reads your work.

Tip: If you tend to write really short chapters, try combining two or three of them to form one longer chapter. This can be done on a rewrite or even before posting.

Updating Time: Ooh, this is a tough one to cover. There are a lot of people who update daily or weekly; others who go months between chapters. It's not my place to decide who's right or wrong, so I'm just going to offer some advice here.

Never set a deadline for yourself unless you mean to keep it. Waiting is one thing, having a set day be ignored is another. A lot of readers will be upset if an author names a date and then continuously misses it. Try giving a general target (by the end of the month, before Christmas, etc) but again, only if you mean to keep it.

Quality over quickness. If you think that your chapter is going to be better if you take a few more days on it, take a few more days. However, months and months for a rushed 500 word offering is nothing to be proud of.

Don't start something that you don't intend to finish. It's rude and unfair to your readers. If you post something then you have to expect that there's at least one person who will read it. Think of what you'd feel like if some story you were enjoying got dropped for no reason. (There are good reasons for dropping fics, but there isn't a good reason for starting a fic with no intention to finish it from the beginning.)

Don't refuse to update unless you get a certain number of reviews. Blackmailing people will earn you more scornful people than it will fans. Not only are you offending the people who work hard for any reviews, you're also insulting the people who do review. You're saying that it doesn't matter how thoughtful, supporting, or helpful they are, numbers are all that count.

Write to please yourself, not anyone else. Tried and true advice that everyone should believe in. You can't please everyone and so at least one person is going to not like something about your story. If you write to make yourself happy then others will like it, too. This also extends to not caring what flamers have to say.