I’ve been sick since Tuesday and it is a rainy Friday night right now, as I write this. I am hoping I have come out of the worst of it, but we’ll see how I feel tomorrow. What this really means is that I haven’t been doing much of anything and it sucks, So for now, I figure I would write about my reasoning for writing my two novels, Fang & Bone and The Dead Life, simultaneously, while also releasing chapters as serialized updates.
Isn’t That Kind of Stupid?
Yeah, I think if I were pursuing traditional publishing avenues, then yes, I think my strategy is kind of stupid. The thing is I am not really interested in pursuing traditional publishing for these stories. If someone wanted to publish the material, I’d happily pursue it, but not at the risk of compromising my desire to just share these two stories with as wide an audience as possible.
I am at a good place right now regarding finances where the motivation to make money through my writing doesn’t really factor in as much as it did earlier this year. I have done a lot of freelancing over the years and I am happy I can dial back on that. Now I work as a college English/Composition instructor (at full time, which I am just about used to) and can find time to just make things for people to enjoy.
Things like stories about werewolves and zombies.
I just want to make my stories available for anyone wants to read them, and right now that means posting these chapters for free, weekly, based on my current writing schedule. I’ve been doing this for a while, but I am feeling even better about that choice because of changing circumstances.
Aren’t You Worried About Quality?
Oh most definitely I am constantly worried about the quality of my serialized chapters. I am not turning a profit and can’t exactly invest in editors, so it comes down to me alone or the rare beta reader. Also, I know there is a perception of free things, especially fiction, being lesser quality. I knew this coming in.
So this a kind of two-part question. Regarding the first part, I am fortunate to have a Master’s degree in Literature and Composition. As an instructor I have a critical eye. Each chapter usually gets three rounds of drafts so maintain the pace of my schedule. A first draft for the narrative, a second draft for polish, and a third draft for the proofing. It’s about as much as I can afford to do and still maintain the pacing I want regarding the serialization.
Okay, Explain That Typo I Saw?
Does that mean errors slip in? Yes, it can happen. But I’ve seen proofed and published books with errors. Besides, if someone makes me aware of them, I fix them. No big deal. I’m a one-man team. Given the work I am doing out of my own pocket, some typos here and there are fair. I don’t think they are damning, especially when I can change fix them on another read through.
As for the other thing, free online fiction being perceived as lesser quality? Not much I can do about that. I can only control what I create – I work to my schedule, do three drafts, and keep running. The truth is, I don’t consider these chapters finalized and I am learning as I write.
I also think the latter half of the question may also involve unfinished or partial stories – things people read but stop updating. I don’t want to do that – I promise any readers as much.
Except if I die. Then it is what it is.
Why These Serialized Stories?
I chose to write Fang & Bone as a nod to pulp stories I’ve read. The whole story, if you’ve read it, is a lot of sword and sorcery elements. I mean, the titular Fang is a seven-foot tall werewolf swordsman. It’s all indulgence. I make no excuses for that.
I wrote an earlier draft of the narrative as a novella, and while it was fun and the readers enjoyed it, I knew I could make it even better. In the future I may write about some differences between the original draft and the current version sometime, actually. For what it is worth, my goals for the current version of Fang & Bone were twofold: one, double the length, and two, introduce more characters. I am succeeding at that so far. As for how much of the novella I am reusing, the novella is essentially just an outline. So much has changed already between this version and the first version.
Beyond that, I think the story itself is very accessible and has a lot to offer. But we’ll see how making the chapters serialized here on the website will go in the long run. I am optimistic the right audience will find the story.
The Dead Life
The Dead Life was a serialized novel I had already begun writing for a horror website called Haunted MTL. I retained the rights to the material and needed something to post on my website, so here we are. I had written about 24 chapters before I left Haunted MTL, so admittedly I am just editing and reposting existing material now. However, it has been nice to polish each chapter and find spots to improve the narrative.
If I had to put it in percentages, 85% of the material I post here is based on those older versions at Haunted MTL. But I do think the 15% coming in from this weekly chapter editing process has added a lot of nuance and character to the overall story. As this week’s update goes out, we’ll be about half way through the existing chapters and it will be time for me to continue the story. I am very excited about that.
How Is It Going So far?
Good, I guess. it’s an underwhelming answer, but it’s also about what I expected. Am I lighting the internet on fire with these stories? Not at all. But I am having fun posting them. They are available to everyone who wants to take the plunge, no paywall involved. I am also sticking to my schedule despite some hiccups regarding the recent job transition.
I find I am happy with the chapters I have released week after week, and as I am my own biggest critic, I think that is a good thing. Putting this stuff out there is risky. This isn’t polished and I know I could benefit from more readers and a copy editor. But I don’t have the budget for that, for now, so I work with what I have. And you know what? It works for now.
Once these two novels are done, I may go back and edit them and build on the foundations of this serialized collection. I recognize that these chapters are very much first drafts.
But I don’t think that’s going to hurt me very much. Especially as I am not really rushing to find a publisher here. I wouldn’t mind more readers, or financial support through Ko-fi subscriptions, but I am not hurting here, either.
So Why Do You Still Do It This Way?
For the love of the game, really.
I think as long as I am having fun and happy with what I am writing, that is all that really matters to me.
