Long vs. Short

[13pumpkin]

If you have read my "Sunday Sims" you might have noticed that my chapters are very short (more like paragraphs with lots of pictures). My 11 year old daughter even told me that it was real short. But, that is my style. I am not a novelist and don't pretend to be I also know that people have lives and can't spend an hour on one story. Plus if it's to long, it might get boring. Short, sweet and a little humor thrown in and very corny at times ;D. Some chapters might be longer than others but mostly (mostly) short.
I do hope for the ones that are stopping by and visiting with Veronica and friends are enjoying it...and THANKS!

[Stacy]

Not everyone has lives. I'm quite willing to spend an hour on an story. And eight hours writing one paragraph in mine, lol.

All human endeavors have a spectrum of casual to hardcore. Ain't nothing wrong with being towards the more casual end of the Sims story spectrum. But there's not anything wrong with being more hardcore about it either.

I don't have a problem with short - it'd be hypocritical if I did, considering Valley. Haha - see, Valley was short and hardcore.

[thelunarfox]

It really depends on the story. I think short is just fine.

[simslia]

I think it totally depends. I like to work on both and depending on my mood I like to read both too.

[mdpthatsme]

I believe I 've said something like this before, but my chapters tend to also be pretty short with lots of pictures too. However, my prose writing is a whole different ball game. I write more descriptive in prose for it doesn't have pictures to show certain things like what the characters look like and where they are, etc.

I spend a lot of time on paragraphs in the prose writing, getting them how they need to be and making sure the message is clear and can cross the tundra.

[13pumpkin]

I finished Ch.6 and it is a bit longer...not by much though...lol! I would like to know if any of you think mine should be more descriptive.

[meowzbark]

My most recent chapter was 943 words. My first chapter was 854 words. One of my middle chapters (3.6 Water) was 1839 words. My shortest chapter (7.1 Mission Impossible) was 582 words

There are people who can write chapters with very little wording but still say as much as those who have pages of text. Entries should be long enough to explain why the entry is important to the story but short enough so that readers aren't lost in information.

I like the length of your recent chapter. You set up the scene. The characters interacted. And you wrapped it up with a resolution. <-- Like that, no spoilers! =P

[mdpthatsme]

13pumpkin: Your chapters are fine. Each chapter has a point and explains it thoroughly. Since most of the description (setting and characters) are obviously scene in the pictures, I don't see that you should have to expound anymore in your chapters. But characters' thoughts and feelings, that's a different type of descriptive writing; however, you do well on that already.

illandrya: prose writing has it perks. But a lot of people in the Sims community frown at prose writing. Then again communities of prose writing frown at Sims stories. How is that this forum can do both and we all be happy? Oh yeah, we're all totally awesome.

[laura]

I probably count for team long, in terms of writing anyway. In reading, I've seen both done really well, and I don't mind one way or another. But an average LH chapter for me can be 1500-2000 words. 2500 is not unheard of, but any longer than that and I'll try to chop it into two parts.

(For the record, like Illandrya, I don't write to screens either, but take them after the writing usually. I wonder if that makes the difference?)

That said though, I am trying to be a novelist, so long is just what I do. An average novel chapter for me is 2500-4000 words, so my LH chapters to me are kind of short. To someone else that might be mega-long. It's all relative, right?

mdp, true, there's too much frowning in general in the whole of the writing community, both in Sims writing and professional writing. Out there, it's about commercial vs. literary. It never ends!!!

That's why I like it here, we just do whatever we do, and do it well. People can take or leave it. Not everybody's meant to write the same thing, or in the same way, or with the same amount of pictures and/or words.

[adele]

Long is what I do. I had 3847 words for chapter two, and that kinda burned me out. That and having bronchitis and four hour soccer practices every day.

I tend to read longer stories. Something you can sink your teeth into. They do get me distracted though.

So yes, I do tend to stick with longer stories but that's because I'm a novel junkie.

[13pumpkin]

To be honest...the only books I've ever read was Harry Potter
I have been around, reading stories from you all here and I do like them. I wish I could write like that.
Mine come out a bit sarcastic, humorous (at least it makes me laugh), and sugar coated. Life sucks...my Sims deserve better than that. I'm just glad you all don't think my style is (for lack of a better word) retarded.

[thelunarfox]

Sept 2, 2010 3:19:54 GMT -5 @illandrya said:

laura ... I think writing first then added the screens after definitely does make a difference because you don't feel bound to only write about what you see.

At least I think that might be it ... I've never written the other way so I'm possibly just talking out of my arse

We actually had a thread about this that I thought was pretty interesting. It's here.

I usually write first, but if I get stuck, and I know what's supposed to happen but the words aren't flowing, I find that playing the game helps loosen things up a little. Sometimes I'll do that and sit with those pictures next to me as I write (usually they're on my DS since I write at work ;D).

[mdpthatsme]

Sometimes I write first then Sim, sometimes I Sim first then write. It just depends on how I'm feeling...

[bunnylita]

I fall into the category of long I suppose. I don't do word counts, but every chapter of [post] mortem is about ten pages in Word. I don't usually set a certain limit. I just write until I think I've reached a logical stopping/posting point.

For the first chapter I took photos first and then wrote. Now I do it the other way around. But if my sims surprise me (and they often do) with little things, I may add or change something before I post.

[rad]

I think I'm short-medium on the spectrum. It takes so long to pose the sims I couldn't do long chapters for Taken and for the challenge-based blogs I take what's needed but couldn't possibly do what Moondaisy used to and record so much detail. Patience? I lacks it.

I will read things of whatever length but I'll probably read shorter chapters more often and take my time and build up to a chunk of time to read long stuff (am about 2/3 through Veronika Storm right now and have done that in two chunks so far).

13Pumpkin - your length is fine.

[drew]

I have done both. Some of my earlier updates were 80+ shots. Now, for Crime Story, I keep it 30-40, and the Blood Brotherhood story is around 25. As for reading, I don't either, I just want to be entertained!! LOL!

[celebkiriedhel]

I've just written my first prologue and it came out at 800 words. I'm not sure if that's long enough or not. Given that I'm going to have 5 prologues, it probably is.

Really I have no idea what's too long or too short. I love reading all stories and as long it tells it, I'm good.

[drew]

Sept 28, 2010 4:16:03 GMT -5 @celebkiriedhel said:

I've just written my first prologue and it came out at 800 words. I'm not sure if that's long enough or not. Given that I'm going to have 5 prologues, it probably is.

Really I have no idea what's too long or too short. I love reading all stories and as long it tells it, I'm good.

I think that would be the best gauge Kiri, do what feels long and short to YOU. It's all subjective. Even the stories themselves.
To me, 35-40 shots is short, to others, its long.
Notice I don't go by word count, like I said somewhere on here I take the shots first, THEN write. So I go by shots.
Look forward to what you do!