This Week
August 3, 2009
Word Count Whupsies
This week, Choose is going to be a little bit different.
I try to make Choose installments figure in around one thousand words each. One thousand is easy to write, easy to read, and nets a reasonable amount of plot and character movement.
Making polls can be a challenge for me, as I don’t want to plot too far ahead with them.
Unfortunately, last week’s poll failed that challenge – I’m about two thousand words in, and I still haven’t finished prose-ifying the poll results.
Rather than offer a poll after each 1k word “chunk” of story and have a week-long wait while everyone votes, I’m just going to use this week to catch up to last week’s poll.
This Week
Expect 2-4 posts throughout the week, culminating in a final post and poll next Tuesday.
Feedback
Although I strive to avoid this situation, I can’t guarantee it won’t happen again. Do you guys like this solution – just write till I hit the next unpolled section – or would you prefer a different one? Keep writing the smaller chunks and post a poll at the end of each, regardless of whether I’ve caught up in the story? Write one giant post and slap it up all at once?
Heh, I think I’ll make that a poll.
NEW POLL : Dealing with Unexpectedly Wordy Poll Results
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August 3rd, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I voted for for the “Skip The Polls” option, I like that one the best. 1k words is a nice break from work but not so long that it greatly affects my productivity. I’d rather have several bite sized chunks even if it takes several posts to get to another poll.
Lauren´s last blog ..What’s For Dinner?
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@Lauren
Thanks for voting (and for the note on your reasoning)!
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I voted for skip the polls but I sort of wanted to vote for two options together if at all possible.
A large part of the fun of this unfolding story is being able to help influence the content of the story, in major ways or even in minor ways. While I definitely think it would be more…flowy (is that even a word? Haha) if you wrote straight through till you finished with the major plotline polled content, I think that it would add some fun to it if occasionally during these types of situations where you find a post extending further than you planned for, to include small non plotline minor polls?
Just little things that wouldn’t affect the overall nature of the plot but some small influences on what’s happening; like maybe Remora buys a certain type of snack as she passes by a store? Or maybe which specific portion of Bones suffers a minor mechanical malfunction on their way to wherever? Haha, or maybe even whether or not the next passing lady that Hank hits on responds positively or negatively as they head on their way hehe.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
@Snow
I think I allowed double-voting (which I probably should have mentioned) but I take comments just as well.
The types of polls you’re talking about are probably more along the lines of what the polls would be like. My biggest concern with those is whether people would feel like I was wasting their time on nonsensical polls when they might rather just get on with the story.
Your comment definitely indicates polls like that would be considered more fun than irritating, though, so that’s great to know!
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Well, the beauty of it is that it wouldn’t really be a waste of time at all as the overarching plot would still be being built and whatever was decided in the mini poll in the interim would just be something that happens on the side whenever you felt like tossing us a bone ^^
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
@Snow
The other concern I had with regards to that is time – each poll takes a week to complete, and I hold off writing till I see the winner, so a poll feasibly adds anywhere from a week to two weeks of writing time. =]
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I voted to keep on polling…but I also don’t mind skipping the polls to see more content sooner (hey…we’re starvin’ out here!) *grins*
Seriously, I liked Lauren’s reasoning a lot. But I do enjoy helping to influence the direction of the story, or even whether Remora goes for pretzels or chips. :D
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