Multi-part Stories
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A friend asked if there was a way to post long stories (multiple parts) without "spamming" her friends-list; I think she was hoping for a method of making extra-long posts.
I told her, "Unfortunately, the posting limit in LJ is 52,670 characters*; there's no way NOT to split long stories into multiple posts.
What I do is -- back-date all the posts by 10 days or so. After I finish inserting all the internal links, so that the reader can flow from part 1 to 2 to 3, etc, THEN I make a 'real-time' announcement post with a link to the first part. The back-dated posts don't clutter other people's friends-lists; they'll see only the one "Here it is" post to take them to the story."
NOTE: As princessofg points out (below), multi-part stories can elicit feelings of squee in the reader, provided they're behind an appropriate cut, so that the reader is not faced with a wall of text on her friends-page.
In other words, it is not a 'rule', or even a point of courtesy, to set things up to make only a single announcement post. Reader reactions will differ, and we can't please everyone. So go with whatever feels more comfortable for you.
Reminder: The code for hiding the story behind a 'cut', so that just the link shows 'on top' is --
Links to the next part of a story can be a fancy embedded link, but pasting the simple URL works just as well. I'll provide both samples below.
First thing to remember -- when you backdate, change the date AND check that little box that says 'Date out of Order'. If you forget that part, it doesn't function properly. (Voice of sad experience. )
I keep an open document on the desktop. (Since I'm pasting my story from a document, I usually just make my "notes" at the top or bottom of the story.) After you've posted Part 1, check it with 'view entry'. Click on that URL and copy it (Ctrl-C), then paste it (Ctrl-V) in the document.
When you post Part 2, save that URL in the document, too.
Now use your 'Go Back' arrow on the menu bar to go back to where you posted Part 1. Click on 'edit entry'. Then at the bottom you can add --
Part 2: URL
or
Continued in Part 2
When you view Part 3, you save that URL in your open document to go back and paste at the bottom of Part 2. And so on. It's a very back-and-forth process; paste a new story-part, go back and amend the previous story-part with a link, then keep repeating the process.
TIP: In the urge to post, it's easy to forget the backdating. (Guilty!) Be aware of editing that date each time.
I've learned that some people like stories in parts to have the previous-part URL at the top of the page, as well as the continued URL at the bottom. If you want to do that, you have the necessary info for each post. IE, when you post part 2, you can start off with --
Continued from Part 1
or
Part 1 is here
or
Part 1: URL
-- or whatever. Then hit 'Return' a few times to leave a blank space, then paste your story part.
By the end of all the posting, your document should have a neat little list --
Part 1 - URL
Part 2 - URL2
Part 3 - URL3
etc.
When you make your announcement post, you can link just to part one, and your readers can follow the links to each new part. Or, some people like to paste all the links in the announcement post; the reader can decide whether to follow the internal links, or go back to the announcement post and click on the next link.
Be sure to check all your links before you make the announcement post; it takes only one missing " or > to frustrate the eager reader.
All this takes time, of course. But, since you're backdating, the multiple posts are not showing up on your readers' friends-lists. You have time to play around and get it right without worrying that things are flickering on and off for someone who's trying to read. You won't be going "live" until they see that announcement post.
I hope this makes sense; somehow, it doesn't seem as clear as I'd like to be. If you have any questions, just ask; I'll amend the post to make it easier to follow.
As always, feel free to share this info with anyone who may need it.
*If you're interested, this post describes the 'research' I did to discover the 52,670-character limit. Remember that every use of code is counted; you won't be able to post as many words in each story part if you use a lot of emphasis ( or ). This is not a problem -- I'm not suggesting you cut down on your use of emphasis -- just pointing out why one person might have 10,000 words in one post while another is able to fit only 9,000 words into one post.
.
A friend asked if there was a way to post long stories (multiple parts) without "spamming" her friends-list; I think she was hoping for a method of making extra-long posts.
I told her, "Unfortunately, the posting limit in LJ is 52,670 characters*; there's no way NOT to split long stories into multiple posts.
What I do is -- back-date all the posts by 10 days or so. After I finish inserting all the internal links, so that the reader can flow from part 1 to 2 to 3, etc, THEN I make a 'real-time' announcement post with a link to the first part. The back-dated posts don't clutter other people's friends-lists; they'll see only the one "Here it is" post to take them to the story."
NOTE: As princessofg points out (below), multi-part stories can elicit feelings of squee in the reader, provided they're behind an appropriate cut, so that the reader is not faced with a wall of text on her friends-page.
In other words, it is not a 'rule', or even a point of courtesy, to set things up to make only a single announcement post. Reader reactions will differ, and we can't please everyone. So go with whatever feels more comfortable for you.
Reminder: The code for hiding the story behind a 'cut', so that just the link shows 'on top' is --
Links to the next part of a story can be a fancy embedded link, but pasting the simple URL works just as well. I'll provide both samples below.
First thing to remember -- when you backdate, change the date AND check that little box that says 'Date out of Order'. If you forget that part, it doesn't function properly. (Voice of sad experience. )
I keep an open document on the desktop. (Since I'm pasting my story from a document, I usually just make my "notes" at the top or bottom of the story.) After you've posted Part 1, check it with 'view entry'. Click on that URL and copy it (Ctrl-C), then paste it (Ctrl-V) in the document.
When you post Part 2, save that URL in the document, too.
Now use your 'Go Back' arrow on the menu bar to go back to where you posted Part 1. Click on 'edit entry'. Then at the bottom you can add --
Part 2: URL
or
Continued in Part 2
When you view Part 3, you save that URL in your open document to go back and paste at the bottom of Part 2. And so on. It's a very back-and-forth process; paste a new story-part, go back and amend the previous story-part with a link, then keep repeating the process.
TIP: In the urge to post, it's easy to forget the backdating. (Guilty!) Be aware of editing that date each time.
I've learned that some people like stories in parts to have the previous-part URL at the top of the page, as well as the continued URL at the bottom. If you want to do that, you have the necessary info for each post. IE, when you post part 2, you can start off with --
Continued from Part 1
or
Part 1 is here
or
Part 1: URL
-- or whatever. Then hit 'Return' a few times to leave a blank space, then paste your story part.
By the end of all the posting, your document should have a neat little list --
Part 1 - URL
Part 2 - URL2
Part 3 - URL3
etc.
When you make your announcement post, you can link just to part one, and your readers can follow the links to each new part. Or, some people like to paste all the links in the announcement post; the reader can decide whether to follow the internal links, or go back to the announcement post and click on the next link.
Be sure to check all your links before you make the announcement post; it takes only one missing " or > to frustrate the eager reader.
All this takes time, of course. But, since you're backdating, the multiple posts are not showing up on your readers' friends-lists. You have time to play around and get it right without worrying that things are flickering on and off for someone who's trying to read. You won't be going "live" until they see that announcement post.
I hope this makes sense; somehow, it doesn't seem as clear as I'd like to be. If you have any questions, just ask; I'll amend the post to make it easier to follow.
As always, feel free to share this info with anyone who may need it.
*If you're interested, this post describes the 'research' I did to discover the 52,670-character limit. Remember that every use of code is counted; you won't be able to post as many words in each story part if you use a lot of emphasis ( or ). This is not a problem -- I'm not suggesting you cut down on your use of emphasis -- just pointing out why one person might have 10,000 words in one post while another is able to fit only 9,000 words into one post.
.