Boot Camp Thursday

[oddlittleturtle]

Atteen-huut!

Welcome to Boot Camp, Maggots! Prepare to hurt!

Time to whip you grunts into ship shape!

The Reapers are HERE.

FAQ:

Comments

[sinvraal]

Welcome!

A lot depends on how quickly you write, how your muse tends to act, and your personal discipline levels. Experienced writers can tell you what works for them, but ultimately you're the best judge of your own capacities. That out of thew way, I can tell you what works for me.

I post weekly, on the same day of the week. I find this useful both for my own discipline and as a benefit to my readers- they know when to expect something. Now, I don't know exactly how that stacks up raw hitcount-wise with more random posting, but I think a schedule is a good thing. When things are running smoothly, I can do 3-5K in a week on top of my normal job, but of course life usually doesn't cooperate. For a long fic I'm generally anywhere from 4-8 chapters ahead of my recent post, and since I have a set schedule, this translates into a 1-2 month lead time. So weeks I can go gangbusters and get a couple of chapters done, others I get next to nothing done. And the lead time takes into account beta turnover, too. When I'm first starting a fic, I aim for at least 8 chapters done, but of course that number would vary depending on the projected finished length.

I've settled into 3-5k chapter lengths, though I've gotten as high as 8k before. I make sure I have a good idea of what each chapter is trying to say or establish. Usually it's a pivotal moment or even a bit of dialogue, but I use these as a guidepost to try to stay on target. Basically, I make sure each chapter contributes to the overall goal in some way, even if the results won't pan out for a while yet.

[alienne4]

Thank you very much! These are some very clear and well-reasoned guidelines. I really appreciate it and am going to start thinking about how to parse my story into chapters.

Thanks also for reminding me to find an editor, ha ha ha! Important.

Of course if anyone else wants to chime in I'm interested in hearing other opinions too!

[skellington1]

You can manage more than one chap a week sometimes? Color me very impressed! My chapters average about the same length, but I've only ever been able to manage a chapter plus a scene or so -- and that was back when I was updating weekly.

I think for the new thing I need to give myself more lead time. I started posting astshb with only three chapters done, which in retrospect was a mistake.