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Post haste or not so much?
Dec. 3rd, 2025 10:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rattfanI've been pondering two questions regarding posting fic online. One involves chapter length. I know this can vary tremendously, but what do people actually prefer? I'm not a fan of very short chapters; I read fast and find there's not enough to settle into. In terms of number of words, is there a preferred range? I've been cutting them at around 4000 words, sometimes less, sometimes a bit more if I can't find a good spot to break it.
The other question is posting something that you haven't finished writing. That's something you never do in pro writing, of course, but it happens quite a bit with fanfics. Perhaps the author is hoping for input to help them decide where to go with it. I do surreptitiously go back and fix things I didn't notice first up, whether or not anyone has seized on them! But I like reading the comments and responding to them. And kudos, of course, are how fanfic writers get 'paid.'
So is there an acceptable length of time between posting chapters? Is it too annoying to have it go months between chapters, as I admit to sometimes doing? I do have notes and a vague plan for the ending, but not certain atm just what will happen between now and then. So I'm debating whether I should finish the thing first before releasing any more chapters into the wild.
The other question is posting something that you haven't finished writing. That's something you never do in pro writing, of course, but it happens quite a bit with fanfics. Perhaps the author is hoping for input to help them decide where to go with it. I do surreptitiously go back and fix things I didn't notice first up, whether or not anyone has seized on them! But I like reading the comments and responding to them. And kudos, of course, are how fanfic writers get 'paid.'
So is there an acceptable length of time between posting chapters? Is it too annoying to have it go months between chapters, as I admit to sometimes doing? I do have notes and a vague plan for the ending, but not certain atm just what will happen between now and then. So I'm debating whether I should finish the thing first before releasing any more chapters into the wild.
