Authors with unfinished stories posting new stories

[superevil7]

How bothersome do you find it if an author posts a new story when they still have other stories left unfished? Does it bother you, or are you happy to see any post by an author you like?

Asking for a friend...

[dublinjohn]

There are some authors that have 4 and 5 stories on the go on sites like storiesonline.com

including one story currently still in progress

440,958 words
Posted: 28/10/2015, 13:33:06 in progress Updated: 20/4/2025, 12:07:19

With Chapter 99 most recently posted, so sometimes when I see this I'll let a silent yell of FFS, but, I've tried to write stories and failed so I assume what happens the creative juices of one story are drained and you're pulled in another direction for a while and hope to be drawn back.

Personally I would prefer if the story is done or near done before authors start publishing it (just a personal opinion, I've seen a few stories on sites like this where the author posts a chapter and then asks in the next post, what would you like to see next, I just know at that stage its 99.999% certain the story will never be completed).

[superevil7]

I assume what happens the creative juices of one story are drained and you're pulled in another direction for a while and hope to be drawn back.

This is exactly what happens to me.

[Debbifan]

I think there's room for both the one off 'this incident took place' type of story and for the longer form evolving story, where a kind of 'universe' is created with multiple interacting characters. Though these are harder to pull the plug on and come up with a definitive THE END.

Personally, where I feel frustrated is when there is an obvious cliff hanger that is just left there and never resolved. Especially when one thinks that surely the author must have a continuation in mind.

But to go back to the original question, if the author is still writing, there is always the hope they will return to the unfinished story and if the new story is of the same quality, then great. The problem is more when the author disappears completely but there is always the caveat that we do not know what is going on with that person. Remember, we all write for free with no recompense.

[montyblanque]

How bothersome do you find it if an author posts a new story when they still have other stories left unfinished?

I think it really comes down to communication.
Sometimes the creative juices just dry up and you need to explore different ventures in the hopes the muse will reach you again. No shame in that.
I think so long as you keep people in the loop your good. If people have been waiting for the resolution of cliffhanger for months and you post a brand new story without saying anything, they have no idea if you've bailed on the story, or are just taking a vacation. THAT is bothersome. Ive seen too many creatives 'quiet quit' their projects and ghost their fans in fear of facing facing some form of disappointment.

Tl;Dr There is no obligation to finish one story before starting another, but it's a creative courtesy to let your fans know if they shouldn't hold their breath for new chapters.

[dublinjohn]

How bothersome do you find it if an author posts a new story when they still have other stories left unfinished?

I think it really comes down to communication.
......

Tl;Dr There is no obligation to finish one story before starting another, but it's a creative courtesy to let your fans know if they shouldn't hold their breath for new chapters.

nicely put

[NickTwisp]

The unfinished one that always bothered me was "Seth's High School Humiliation." That story went on for a long time and then we were just left hanging. Did Seth end up naked in front of the entire school? Did he graduate? Were his parents in on the whole thing?

[Trundle]

The unfinished one that always bothered me was "Seth's High School Humiliation." That story went on for a long time and then we were just left hanging. Did Seth end up naked in front of the entire school? Did he graduate? Were his parents in on the whole thing?

Yeah this was the worst one for me too.

I absolutely loved the story, it was exceptionally well written and it felt like there was still so much of the story left to tell. Why was Seth targeted? What was the point of humiliating him? Who was behind it all?

Like you said, with zero warning or explanation the author just disappeared and hasn't been on here for nearly 18 months. I held out hope for a while but I've come to accept now that the story will just never have an ending. Such a shame.

[NickTwisp]

There was also an undertone of government/conspiracy aspect to it. Especially when Seth's coach tried to intervene and was immediately shut down by the principal. Like this was way more intricate than just embarrassing a student. In addition, the humiliation was progressive---starting with just being naked in front of the nursing club student and then expanding from there to Seth's brother supervising and so forth.

[Rosey]

I'm just grateful to authors who share their stories with us.