Backlogs or Not? And How Many Chapters?

[Queenfisher]

Do you have backlogs for your stories? If so, then why do you feel you need them? If not -- then why not?

Also please share your actual number of backlog chapters (if you have any) and your comfortable or ideal ones.

Lately, I get very frustrated because my backlog is creeping to an uncomfortable number of chapters before the publishing deadline. So I wanted to know what other people consider comfortable or at least acceptable number -- ideally or not (because we can all dream, right? ^^)



__________________


Myself, I can't write without a backlog because I write a plot-heavy mystery with political intrigue. If I don't have a backlog, there WILL BE plotholes. Only a ~comfy amount of backlog chapters allows me to avoid them. (so far)

My ideal would be at least 30 chapters but oh well

My comfortable number is 12+ chapters released at 3/week, thus giving me a full month worth of backlog.

My actual number is now 9+ which is ... making me sweat profusely and giving me constant panic attacks of slipping even lower than that!

 

[Temple]

I dream of the day I can make a backlog of chapters.

 

[Erios909]

In my opinion, backlogs are really critical for your own sanity. Web serials don't give the benefit of being able to go back and rewrite or change things (at least not more than minor fixes) once they are released and a long backlog lets you scoot back a few chapters and fix some plot hole you introduced a while back.

A novel writer might write their draft, then redraft it multiple times until everything is perfect, but for Web serials, we can't do that.

The only way you're going to be able to hone the prose closer to that quality level is with a huge backlog preferably a whole story arc. That way you can draft the arc, redraft & edit it, etc.

I know some people don't have any backlog at ALL, and if something happens they'll miss a release day which is one of the big "NoNos!" if you're trying to be serious above your serial.

I would say 3-4 weeks of releases minimum is what you want (assuming you've already started releasing) otherwise I would say wait until you have two months worth or two full story arcs full polished Yeah, that's probably just dreaming.

Next time though I'll probably wait until I have 50-60k words *polished* with another 50-60k words drafted before the first chapter release. (Assuming we are talking a web novel with a length of 500k+ words)

 

[Saileri]

Definitely. There always will be a time when you just physically can't do shit with the merciless time.

At least 10 chapters ahead for me. Currently, 10 for BIAW (was 11 for 3 months until that thing above happened) and 7 for TWS (it's a fresh series).

 

[crimson_carnation]

I usually have the whole story planned in the outline, including the details, so two or three chapters of backlog used to be enough for me. Now I have about five chapters, but anxiety is already creeping up since the chapters take too long to be written I just hope I'll be able to finish without having to extend the schedule...

 

[K5Rakitan]

I don't count the chapters in my paper notebooks, but there are probably at least another twenty in there. Maybe fifty.

I type about four chapters ahead and let them sit for a month before they go through another round of editing the week before posting.

 

[ZoeStorm]

Yes, but I call it a buffer. It allows me to be consistent with my releases (once per week), and to not stress if because of life stuff I'm unable to write for like 3-4 days in a row: this way, I don't have the Damocles' Sword hanging over me of "you have to write a chapter by X date or you'll miss your deadline."

 

[Freesia.Cutepearl]

I dream of the day I can make a backlog of chapters.

Same! I had one, once. It was a wonderful chapter, I was very happy to have written it.

I only managed to hold on to it for one day before excitement overtook me and I thrust her before the world for all to see, only to regret it, as it then took four days, to create the next, I was so perplexed.

One day, I say, I will be okay, to hold them at bay, I pray, for yonder day, I can shout yay, more chapters are they, gathered to send unto the fray, so stand they may, before my readers' way, to exclaim 'Namaste!'

 

[BenJepheneT]

im still a novice in this shit so i don't have a backlog. i do try to post consistently (monthly release) though.

not, as of now, since finals is looming over and that shit's my ticket to college.

 

[Freesia.Cutepearl]

im still a novice in this shit so i don't have a backlog. i do try to post consistently (monthly release) though.

You have completed more stories and written more chapters than me, with a far higher word count. I started in early October.

Your motion to declare yourself a Novice is DENIED!

 

[IDreamNovels]

My backlog is finished.
I thought I would be able to stack more chaps by lowering release speed, but it just made me more lazy...

 

[BenJepheneT]

You have completed more stories and written more chapters than me, with a far higher word count. I started in early October.

Your motion to declare yourself a Novice is DENIED!
View attachment 4770

My nigga two out of the four of them stories are one shots. One of them is discontinued and the other is a rewrite of that discontinued series.

I'm not just a novice, I'm an uncommited whore of a writer

 

[yansusustories]

I try to have a stockpile of about a week's worth of releases. Because I write several projects at once, that's about 15-20 chapters overall but sometimes only one chapter per project while the one with the daily releases will have seven. It works ... most of the time but stops working as soon as I do a special or something. Then it's a race against time where each of the individual stockpiles will deplete in cycles. First, it's for one project, then when I sit down and write several chapters for that to make up for it, another project's stockpile will reduce because I didn't have time for those chapters. Rinse and repeat.

I actually seldom have bigger plotholes in my stories though. If I do, it's not something that could have been prevented by a bigger stockpile because it's something that happens over several volumes when I change my mind on something in between (e.g., a person where it's insinuated that they died but after that, everyone pretends we don't know for sure even the person who insinuated it before - it's because I originally thought they should be dead but figured it made more sense to just have them be vanished). If smaller stuff happens, I see that as a challenge to work with it going forward. Like, if I could have made something work better before, then it's my task to make it make sense later on.
Also, after a series is finished, I go through everything again and revise so even if there are some plotholes, I think it's alright. I'll just fix them at that time. Those who don't enjoy having to read something with plotholes can just wait until that time.

In regards to this:

I know some people don't have any backlog at ALL, and if something happens they'll miss a release day which is one of the big "NoNos!" if you're trying to be serious above your serial.

On my nice days, this is absolutely what I think as well. On my snarkier days, I instead think that if I'm working on my stories seven days a week, sometimes more than 8 hours a day (you know, between writing new chapters for all the projects, revising an old project, editing other projects, translating, making the covers, and doing specials there's a lot of time spent on them) while still having to make some time to work in my other job, then people can deal with the fact that a chapter comes a day later every now and then.
The only reason I actually feel bad about it is because my patrons pay for getting those releases (free chapters are behind so actually always on time). Then again, it's not like they don't get them, they're just sometimes slightly late and I'm often several weeks or more ahead of free releases depending on the project so ... I guess it's still fair.
Anyway, I write about a novel's worth of chapters (~100k words) a month so no matter the specific day, I don't think I can tell myself I'm not serious about this. So far, none of my patrons have complained either (and again, free readers don't even notice since they're behind in releases) so I guess it's okay to miss the time every now and then.

 

[tigerine]

I started with a chapter buffer of about 10 chapters (so about 30k words), and I release weekly. The buffer slowly slipped away, and now I have no buffer at all. I've thought about taking a hiatus to build up a buffer again, but a hiatus is also frowned upon, so guess I'm screwed no matter what.

I used to worry about missing chapters, but since all my readers are freeloaders and have made no attempts of their own free will to compensate me into a 'professional' writer, they can just live with the knowledge that maybe one week there will be no chapter.

Spoiler

 

[JaxCreation]

Ideally, I'd write whole books/volumes first, then upload - but I have since learned that I'm incapable of the discipline required to do that because I'm overly perfectionist and edit my chapters to procrastinate on writing new ones.

Most of the time on other sites I just upload chapters as I write them >.> (I don't recommend this approach if you ever want to get anything finished.)

I write about a novel's worth of chapters (~100k words) a month

Please teach me your ways, senpai.

 

[yansusustories]

Please teach me your ways, senpai.

Haha, it's actually not that deep. No social life (so more time for writing), ridiculously low cost of living (so fewer hours in my other job and again more time for writing), eight years of experience (less time needed to finish a chapter now), and then you just go from there. Write every day (and I mean every day). For me personally, it helps to spread it out over several projects so I don't get stuck on one and to have a rigid schedule that I try to keep to (still learning to allow myself to have the odd day where I don't). Then, preferably don't get sick and take one 7-day-vacation each year to refuel. That works for me at least

Oh, and learn to recount: While I write 100k a month, I tend to think of it as writing 3334 words a day. That looks much more managable to me. In some months, it's hard because you have other stuff (I gloriously failed back when I finished up my master's thesis, for example) but other months, it works better. I have a spreadsheet where I note down what I wrote each day to make sure I either don't fall behind my wordcount goals or know how much I need to make up for. E.g., this month, I did some more editing and revising in the first days so I have 2.5k words or so that I need to write on top today.

Basically, it's a question of how I frame it in my mind and then I try to stick to stuff no matter what happens even if that means I'm crying my eyes out at 2 or 3 am at night to finish something. Actually, I can't recommend doing this unless you want writing to be your whole life.

 

[Freesia.Cutepearl]

My nigga two out of the four of them stories are one shots. One of them is discontinued and the other is a rewrite of that discontinued series.

I'm not just a novice, I'm an uncommited whore of a writer

I was trying to be silly, apologies if it came off wrong. I don't know if I'll ever feel like anything but a novice.

If anything I was attempting(poorly) to make subtle commentary on how fickle I feel like things can be, seeing the differences between stories, the number of chapters, words, readers, views, and trending.

Good luck with your rewrite! I'm rooting for you!

 

[Maple-Leaf]

haha yes definitely have backlogs yes haha very responsible ha

 

[Deleted member 29316]

I wrote a lot of chapters before eventually discovering SH, and now, I got several backlogs while I'm writing volume 6. I don't know though...for some reason, someone (a friend) told me that my 2nd arc had a huge cast it's hard to keep up with the characters...

Now I'm kind of afraid to continue...

In any case, once I finish volume 6, I'll be releasing the rest of my backlogs so as to start arc 2 before the year ends.

 

[Schwab]

Do you have backlogs for your stories? If so, then why do you feel you need them? If not -- then why not?

Also please share your actual number of backlog chapters (if you have any) and your comfortable or ideal ones.

Lately, I get very frustrated because my backlog is creeping to an uncomfortable number of chapters before the publishing deadline. So I wanted to know what other people consider comfortable or at least acceptable number -- ideally or not (because we can all dream, right? ^^)



__________________


Myself, I can't write without a backlog because I write a plot-heavy mystery with political intrigue. If I don't have a backlog, there WILL BE plotholes. Only a ~comfy amount of backlog chapters allows me to avoid them. (so far)

My ideal would be at least 30 chapters but oh well

My comfortable number is 12+ chapters released at 3/week, thus giving me a full month worth of backlog.

My actual number is now 9+ which is ... making me sweat profusely and giving me constant panic attacks of slipping even lower than that!

I try to but keeping it filled is quite hard. It requires a lot of time and effort to make in the first place which is something I have but refuse to give up. Because why not be lazy?