The Art (and Craft) of Seasonal Storytelling
Some Things I’ve Learned About Writing In Rhythm
Writing Seasonally
Here at Talebones, we publish on a Seasonal Publishing Schedule. Each season lasts three months, and within that timeframe I publish weekly short fiction as well as longer-form, serialized novella-length stories.
This seasonal rhythm has a few practical (and even spiritual) considerations behind it…
It helps to break the year up into obvious and easily-digestible pieces.
It helps my readers to know what to expect from me, and when.
And, as a person who puts a lot of value into seasonal living, it inspires and motivates my fiction and makes it a natural part of my daily life.
Recently, I was asked on Notes to share some of the things I’ve learned from writing in this way, specifically how it affects my serialized stories. While I’m still quite early in the process (only two and a quarter long-form stories under my belt at the time of writing this), there are a few things I’ve figured out while writing seasonally that I think (and hope!) could be of use to others.
NOTE: By writing this article, I’m NOT saying that I’m a genius at these things. I’m not, and I constantly fall short of my own standards, because that’s just part of being a person with a creative practice.
The point isn’t perfection, it’s growth. Always, always growth.
Now, let’s get started!
Seasonal Tips: The Craft and the Art
In my mind, I break these tips into two categories: the Craft and the Art.
The Craft centers around the actual meat of storytelling on a seasonal basis. When you only have three months or less to tell a long-form story in pieces, that isn’t as much time as you think! Keeping a few craft-related pointers in mind can really streamline the process.
The Art has more to do with the way you engage with your readership in this kind of schedule, and some things to remember when publishing online.
Last NOTE: You may notice that a LOT of these tips and tricks could apply to any kind of online writing, not just seasonal. And you may also notice that I already preach about a lot of this stuff. And you would be right! That’s because I really believe in this, and it informs all of my online writing. Take what you like and leave the rest, my friends.
The Craft: Story Structure and Pacing
First, before all else, Write Good. (I’m being cheeky, but you can read the article linked to get a more in-depth idea of my thoughts on upping your fiction-writing game online in general, including storytelling basics.)
Format: It’s important to choose a format that fits your unique story well. My first serial, Ivy & Ixos (currently in our Archive), was what I would call a true novella; it was a chapter-book that I broke into weekly chunks, and each chapter led naturally into the next. My current serial, Freelance and Fishmaids, is more of an episodic serial; I treat it like a season of a TV show. Each episode has its own mini-arc, but there’s an underlying arc tying everything together. Whatever format you choose is up to you, but it’s important to choose before you start so you’re not mixing the two up, which can get confusing and interrupt the story flow.
Chapter Lengths: I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule for chapter lengths. It often depends on the story. But I will say that—in my experience—anything under 2,000 words will often feel kind of abrupt and tough to get into, and anything over 5,000 words starts to feel a bit long for someone reading over a cup of coffee. It can be helpful to try and keep all of the chapters in one story a similar length, as well, to set reader expectations. Use your best judgment, but do keep your chapter lengths in mind.
Pacing: Your story’s pacing is paramount. Attention is in short supply these days, and the only thing that will keep people reading is a story that moves at a healthy pace. If you want folks to stick with you week after week, your story has to feel dynamic. It has to draw people through. A few things that can help cultivate good pacing:
Clear, strong character motivations, because a motivated character is an interesting character
A good balance of action and contemplation in every chapter
A solid overall outline based on a clear understanding of storytelling structure
I love my “pantsing” friends, but that last one is really important for a limited serial. You really should know, at least, where you’re going. Also, I’m not saying that slow, thoughtful work can’t be presented in a serial format, but I am saying that if you only have twelve chapters or less to tell a story (one per week for three months, as an example), you can’t land for too long on any particular plot point. Keep things moving.
***
The Art: Public Publishing and Reader Relationships
Navigation: I’ve seen some writers dismiss the idea that we need to make site navigation easy on our readers, because they think it’s too much like handholding. I disagree. Readers are very smart, and out of courtesy to them we should make our pages as easy as possible to use and navigate. This is especially crucial when you’re running a limited serial and you want to lead as many people as possible to start from the beginning and read the whole thing. Some tips:
Keep your story posts free of housekeeping clutter; instead, give your readers clear links at the top and bottom for how to navigate through your story.
A Table of Contents page is a must.
Provide “Next” buttons at the bottom of the chapter so they can keep reading without skipping a beat.
As a matter of practice, put yourself in the shoes of a total newbie landing, by accident, on Episode Five of your serial. How do you reorient them? Give them a quick link back to where to start; don’t make them search.
Substack’s format isn’t perfect for fiction, but there are ways to make it work well, and ways to make it difficult. Overcommunicate. Make it dead simple. Not because your readers are dumb, but because you care about their experience.
Comments: Comments can be a contentious issue in online publishing spaces, so I’m not going to go deeply into my philosophy, here. But as an editor myself, and especially when writing a serial, I feel very strongly that public feedback on ongoing stories should be treated more like data than critique. I do have more detailed thoughts on this, but the short version: many writers (even HUGE show-runners on big TV series) have gotten into trouble changing their stories partway through because of public feedback they received. Do NOT do this. I’m begging you. The result is always low quality and unsatisfying. Instead, use the feedback you receive like data points: what’s working, what are people noticing, what are people NOT noticing, etc. You can certainly make small changes based on important information you realize you need to plant, for example, but DO NOT change whole plot points or character arcs because someone caught on to a twist or guessed a surprise. That doesn’t matter. A satisfying story is what matters. Let the story play out the way it needs to.
Consistency: I know this is hard, but if you’re going to publish a serialized story—especially a shorter or limited-length one—and you want folks to stick with you, you really do need to be consistent with your posting. Make it a priority on your calendar. Set a schedule that works for you, that you can handle. Don’t overcommit. For me, weekly on Fridays works great with my current schedule. But you should always, always pick a rhythm that works for you, so that your readers can get excited and look forward to the next piece. If you DO need to take a break for any reason, this needs to be communicated to your readers clearly and quickly. Treat them and their attention with respect; they are looking to you to set the tone.
On A Final Note…
My last tip? Just do it.
I’m serious. I was VERY skeptical of publishing any kind of serials back in May, when I first started Talebones. But it has been one of the single best things for my writing practice and my writing life, and I consistently learn SO much about story structure, my own work routines, and my evolving skills whenever I start a new serial. The rhythm, the flow, and the endless lessons have supercharged my writing in more ways than I can quantify. If you’re considering it…just do it.
I, for one, would love to see what you come up with!
Written by S.E. Reid