Some days it's meta, some days it's wank, I guess. Depends on if you agree with it!

[amanuensis1]

On Veela, Inc., peachus said she was thinking about how some writers are happy to hear requests for sequels to their stories, while others go stark staring ballistic. And why it wasn't just a case of not having been polite enough in the request (she knows perfectly well that, "WRITE A SEQUEL NOW OR ELSE" might be flattering to some but risks being seen as pretty damn rude, for the most part, but even gently-phrased requests seemed to set some people off anyway).

So I opened my big mouth.



While I am not annoyed, exactly, by requests for sequels, they make me shake my head sometimes. There are two reasons for this: the first is that every writer tries to learn when the story is done, when it has been told, and when any more would be superfluous (what dear Lillypearl calls "tying it up with a bow," which I quote all the time and which is meant to be A Bad Thing in a story). A good story should leave you feeling just slightly hungry for a little taste more. But a good reader should know that it's important not to actually take that bite-- where it's important to say, "If I eat even one bite more, even if I could, I'd be overstuffed and unhappy." (I like food analogies, don't mind me.) Over the years, I've gotten better at knowing when a story should be done-- and "I'd love to read a sequel" requests either fill me with doubt at my ability to know when a story should end, or put me on the defensive and make me think uncharitable thoughts about the reader: "You silly person, you don't really want what you think you want! Tying it up with a bow is never good!" And I don't like to think uncharitable thoughts. Takes me back to the "why am I being defensive, are they right? Was the story unfinished?" cycle. Blah.

The second reason brings me to another food analogy: Imagine that you prepare a special holiday dinner, and after it's been eaten, you're met with, "That was great; what's going to be for breakfast? Are you making quiche? I like quiche. How about pancakes, oh, aren't pancakes good..." You'd feel rather disappointed that no one commented on your use of cardamom in the chicken, the dijon vinaigrette you made from scratch, or the nine-layer torte that had just been consumed.

"SEQUEL!!!111!!!" does not make me want to write a sequel, any more than "So what's for breakfast?" makes me want to cook breakfast. It makes me want to never cook again, if no one can tell me that they appreciated what effort I put into that dinner. No one gets addicted to that kind of "praise"-- the feedback we get addicted to is the stuff that actually takes a person a bit of time, the feedback that says what bits were particularly liked, that quotes lines that really got you, or paraphrases them-- do you know how flattering it is to have someone care enough about your lines to try to remember them off the top of their head, getting them not quite right but with their own unique take on your lines? It's INCREDIBLE. Yeah, you write me that kind of feedback, and I'll be so terrified by the thought of never inspiring that kind of in-depth analysis of my creations ever again that I'll never leave the keyboard! And who knows? I might discover the wish to continue that particular story in a sequel, too...

And yes, it takes effort to put together that kind of feedback. And yes, I'm ecstatic for the short little "That was really sweet! Thank you!" comment too, I'm not saying that all positive feedback must go on and on or it's insulting; no, hardly. Short notes to say "I liked it!" are worth their weight in gold, and please don't mistake all those "Please send short feedback replies to the author and not the list" messages for some idea that short, took-you-ten-seconds-to-compose-and-send-them feedback emails are somehow not welcome to the author. (The list moderators are just trying to save their webspace from clutter.) But understand that pleas for sequels to stories that look completed often make the writer feel that you've ignored the effort they put into writing what they did write.

This is all from the point of view of someone who does not post WIP's as a rule, mind you. I don't say that this applies to those, but to completed stories. On the other hand, if a sequel has been promised, *cough third story in Droit Du Seigneur sequence cough*, then I think the writer's earned the pestering and shouldn't bitch. ^_^ (Well, I think they shouldn't bitch anyway. 'S not polite.)

Comments

[herbmcsidhe.livejournal.com]

That was a really great post!!! Could you write another one?

(grin, duck, run and hide until Part 3 of DDS is available...)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

You're just sooooo pleased with yourself, aren't you? ^_^ Funny!

Hm..

[slyther-inn.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean..(nice food metaphors) although as both an author who's been asked for sequels and a fan who's asked, I have to say that asking for sequel doesn't necessarily mean that they uh...scarfed down the dinner and asked for breakfast. I think its rather...That was a wonderful dinner and your such a great cook, i want more. Usually if someone asks me for a sequel, I examine the story, see if theres a point to a sequel, and if there isn't, ignore them. -.-; Take it as a compliment, not as a "your story sux, but maybe the sequel would be better". And I always find that people in their minds think they want stories that end all convinent and happy, but usually they really like it better if it doesnt. It keeps them more interested in the writer..Or at least thats my perspective on things. ok, i'll shut up now. -.-;

Re: Hm..

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

D'jou read Neil Gaiman's Coraline? Not a bad little book; a great point that's made is that the young protagonist, promised of world of girlish dreams come true, recognizes what a bad bargain it is when she says, "I don't want what I think I want." Staying up late all night and eating the food you want and not going to school isn't something you can make a life on, even when you really think you resent your parents on a daily basis for not letting you do those things. So. I like that answer. You don't want what you think you want. (It's why I haven't enjoyed Mercedes Lackey books for many years-- she's become an expert at giving you everything you think you want, so that there are no surprises. And no enchantment, either.)

[salazaar.livejournal.com]

I think another thing to remember is sometimes the world you create is so compelling that people just want to spend some more time there.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I LOVE that analogy! That makes so much sense! Yeah, JKR done good. ^_^

*blinks*

[slyther-inn.livejournal.com]

hm...true.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I always appreciate posts like this. While it seems like an odd thing to have to learn, it does take effort and learning to be a good reader (or a good active reader, one who leaves reviews) -- for me at least.

As a reader, even when I know/feel that the end of the story is enough/complete, it's still hard not to want more. "If I eat even one bite more, even if I could, I'd be overstuffed and unhappy." But when it's so good, saying no to more is so hard, even if you'll pay for it later by feeling sick.

The breakfast analogy made a lot of sense, and I'm glad to know about the quoting lines part. (Sometimes I avoid telling authors which sentences I liked because that seemed, eh, too detailed? Obsessive? Like I might turn into some stalking mega-fangirl insane person?)

Thanks for all the info!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I was going to make some joke about "Whaddya mean, turn into?" but your points were so well made I just couldn't leave it at that! Yes, there is this "will she think me a stalker?" fear sometimes! When I fangirl someone effusively I try to go away for a bit immediately afterward, because of that, unless invited back equally effusively. Or the next time they post something fangirl worthy. ^_^

[loony-moony.livejournal.com]

*sighs* I'm such a greedy little reader...*remembers all the times she longed for a sequel*

When I like a fic, I tend to memorize my favourite parts very automatically. Mind you, there are some fics that make you remember their best lines so naturally it frightens you. Some lines make you want to read them again and again, just to experience those delicious "good fic" vibes and tingles. God, I'm so addicted to that feeling.

Example of a natural memorizing that happend to me in your fics: the whole sex scene in "The Worst Happiest..." with the cuts in between. I just remember it, I think I always will. :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

(Can't help it, now I must do this:)

Draco: Neverrrrrrrrrrrrrr...!

(still one of my own favorite bits! Thank you so!)

meta yes, wank, maybe not, wll I don't think so

[ixchelmala.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you posted this... I think it comes down to how each person reacts to feedback and how the community as a whole sets what is "acceptable" feedback and what isn't.

A lot of this boils down to what this community (and others perhaps) tone of what is acceptable and what isn't. Many folks coming in as newbies try to go with the flow, and there is a whole cycle of what newbies go through. How to give feedback is given is one of the biggest deals I see people struggle with.

I think it comes down to what I read in an article about the implicit and explicit rules and norms of any cultural group and how one should/is expected to behave and interact.

If one is not already a participant in the culture, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier.
(I think I showed you this article before, but if not, it's here. the link refrences the italicized bit above.)

Being told by a particular set of writers what is ok and what is not ok for feedback, the way you did above can be considered a sampling of what some writers like and are comfortable with.
Where as others, who are comfortable with the squeeing fangirl type feedback, and delight in it when it's their dearest and closest friends doing it, may not appreciate it when the newbie (or anyone that fits the same profile of one in this circumstance), may not know the difference and think that is the norm.

It's here where being told exactly what the deal is that is helpful to others, but alas, to dissect that and put it into words that make sense, means you have to analyze yourself to see why is it that one wants feedback.
It come down to it being a personal thing. It's an improvement thing. It's validation. It's many other things I may not even be hitting, because everyone is so different.

ack, ok I think my brain is fried, but I'm glad you brought up the subject.

Re: meta yes, wank, maybe not, wll I don't think so

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I am too, since it's inspiring such COOL responses!

Yeah, and there is no place, the 'net being what it is, where we can insure fandom newbies will go at the beginning to read etiquette guidelines and suggestions. I know I would have loved such a place, months ago.

And may I never say a bad word about squeeing fangirl feedback in general. 'Cuz I'd be SUCH a hypocrite.

[umbralin.livejournal.com]

I find requests for sequels both flattering and annoying. Flattering, because if people want more it means I have succeeded in not "tying it up with a bow" (I hadn't heard that expression before, but I love it), and annoying, because every such request takes away a tiny bit of my conviction that the story is finished.

I also think begging for sequels is (in some cases) a sign of laziness. We're in this (or any other) fandom is because of that hunger you spoke of. We’re here because we love a story so much that we just can't leave it alone, we have to explore it further. So we write, we take what we're given in canon and create something new out of it. And if something I write causes that kind of hunger in someone else... well, it's an overwhelming and at the same time humbling experience. But most people who ask for a sequel don't want to imagine their own ending, so in my opinion they're either lazy or they weren't that touched by the story (in which case I don’t understand why they would want more of it).

Writing a sequel just to continue a story that was meant to be a one-shot is almost never a good idea. If you've written a good story there's a chance that it makes people think, and if you write a sequel you'll end up force feeding them your ideas and explanations about what happened in the first story, and that'll prevent them from thinking for themselves. Besides, most sequels that were only written to continue the story aren't exactly great. They often lack that intensity and... well... plot that made the original so good. And in some really horrible cases they even cast a shadow over the original. I mean, who hasn't said at one point or another, "Yeah, it was a good book/movie/story, but the sequel was a huge disappointment."

As I see it, the only reason for writing a sequel is if there's more to tell than just "what happened next". The sequel has to have a point, a message, and it doesn't necessarily have to be the same as in the original. Like your Fait Accompli (which is brilliant in so many ways that I haven't even dared to review it yet... plus I'm a lazy reviewer). It's a story in itself. Yes, it continues what was started in Droit Du Seigneur, but it also takes everything further, there are new twists and character development. It's just... a perfect example of what a sequel should be like.

Btw, I love your food analogies. :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

As I see it, the only reason for writing a sequel is if there's more to tell than just "what happened next". The sequel has to have a point, a message, and it doesn't necessarily have to be the same as in the original.

Oh, such a giant smooch I smooch you! Now, there's the guideline I could just plaster everywhere!

And thank you for your lovely words on FA and DDS-- I remember thinking, when outlining those story concepts, "Many people will like one of these stories but not the other. The ones who tuned in for the hot juicy H/L non-con will screw up their brows at FA; the ones who like the H/D cuteness will tell me that they couldn't read most of DDS, and are glad that Lucius is getting what he deserves." But I couldn't do anything about that; they were two different stories with their own purposes. And the third story planned-- I can give you its initals, if you want, aren't I a tease? CDR-- is, like the others, there because of the smut, but it's a different kind of smut this time as well, and though it follows in sequence, it will have a different kind of tale to present as well. (Now I gotta just figure out when I'm gonna write the sucker...)

[maeglinyedi.livejournal.com]

Interesting post! I can understand your point about it being frustrating when readers don´t seem to view something as finished when to you the ending is just as you wanted it to be. It got me thinking about how I deal with the request for sequels, both as a reader and a writer.

As a reader, I often read fics that draw me in, and when I finish reading it, leave me craving more. When I send feedback to the author, I do always say that I loved their ending (and specify the reason if I can), but that I would like to read more simply because I´d like to find out what happens to the characters next. By telling the author this, I don´t expect them to write a sequel. I just want to let the author know that I enjoyed the fic to such an extend, that I would really like to read more about that specific plot, and how things move on from there. But I never beg, or worse, demand a sequel. Because I know it´s up to the writer whether or not they want to write more. All I can do is give the signal that the fic was so good that I would like to see more. Not more of the same, mind. But more of how things go from the point the writer left it on.

As a writer, I understand the frustration of people begging you for sequels when you´ve just finished a fic. When I complete a fic, when I put ~~fin~~ at the bottom, the fic is over and done with in my mind. I´ve told all I´ve wanted to tell at that moment. Perhaps at one point in the future I might start to wonder myself what will happen next, and write a sequel, but only if there´s truly something to tell. I will never write a sequel just to write more of the same, simply because that doesn´t really interest me.

Funny thing is, most of my completed fics have ´perfect endings´ for sequels. But that doesn´t mean that I´m interested in writing one. I leave a fic at a certain point for several reasons. First, because I´ve reached the point that ends the story that I wanted to tell. And secondly, yes, I enjoy leaving the end a bit open, leave the reader with questions of what will happen next. In my humble opinion, that´s the perfect way to end a fic. All those ´open endings´ in fics like To Feel, When Under Goodness Wicked Lies, Before the world was made and Silver Moon were chosen very deliberately. And not to annoy the reader. No, to leave the reader thinking about it. Because I know that when I read a fic with an open ending, even though it might be a bit frustrating, it´s impossible to stop thinking about all the possibilities, and that´s what I love about reading. The idea that a good story never ends, and that there´s always a few questions left unanswered.

And because I know that I sometimes write those open endings, I generally don´t mind if people tell me they´d like to read a sequel. I do mind when people start demanding one, but that´s more because I think it´s rude behavior to do that. Usually, I take those ´requests´ as a compliment, and as a signal that my goal of leaving the reader just a tad hungry, of leaving a few possibilities lingering just below that ~~fin~~ has worked. Mission accomplished. ;-)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I like that you take the requests as a sign that you have accomplished what you intended! Maybe I need to do that. But I'm such an insecure wuss...

I´ve reached the point that ends the story that I wanted to tell.

I remember you saying that you wouldn't start writing the story until you had the last line! That really intrigued me. I typically know where it's going to end, but don't have the line itself.

[dragonelle-fics.livejournal.com]

I wonder if fans are inherently more likely to call for sequels than people of a non-fannish bent. A lot (a majority, even) of fannish writing springs from unresolved emotional tension in canon, and the readers'/viewers' desire to see that tension resolved. It seems to me that there's probably an unwritten (and perhaps unfair) expectation of emotional resolution somewhere in the very definition of "fanfiction."

Sophisticated writers are likely to look for issues within canon (or within society) that stretch beyond "a and b have tension, must get them to fuck now," even if they use that tension as a medium for the story they want to tell. I think that confuses some readers, especially those who are just in it for the catharsis. I've noticed a lot of WIPs and calls for sequels on fanfiction.net and in circles where there are a lot of younger writers/readers, because those circles are more likely to cater directly to that desire for emotional resolution. Actually, I suspect that it's mostly younger readers in general who call for sequels, although I've admittedly committed this sin myself for the first time within the past month. (And I am duly ashamed, because I knew that the story in question was a stand-alone; I just fell in love with the writer's endearing portrayal of a relatively minor character, and knew I'd never find him anywhere else unless the writer chose to write more of him).

Anyway, yes, calls for sequels are annoying, but on the other hand they tell you that someone's found an emotional investment in your characters, and you therefore must be doing something right. Anyone who's writing characters that no one can sympathize with or find emotional investment in is neglecting a huge part of what it means to be a writer.

P.S. Sirius and Dr. Strangelove are now irreversibly connected in my head thanks to "No Happy Memories," which I discovered a few days ago.

P.P.S. I will not make a joke about the six-letter s-word. I will not make a joke...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Hee. It's fascinating that you said that the request means that someone has found emotional investment in the characters, while umbralin above wonders if it means the reader wasn't touched by your characters enough to be satisfied. Such a diverse number of ways of looking at it!

And Dr. Strangelove is a cool movie that I think cool people like Sirius would appreciate. My kind of comedy; not that romantic fluff that passes for comedy among the mainstream.

*cues up her copy of Clerks*

[lagoonlady.livejournal.com]

Gee. Your not just a great author of fiction, but a great essay writer, as well. *sigh*

This essay so elegantly expresses my own feelings on the topic that I am going to post a link on my own LJ.

I never posted a WIP or an incomplete story, yet I do write completed stories that end naturally and perfectly at a somewhat open ended or an up-in-the-air moment. Writing more would spoil work.

In response to the endless requests for sequels, or -- worse! -- to “post the next part soon,” I have started posting with “complete” in the summary, but the requests to “post the next chapter” continue particularly at archives that are set up to make the reader expect a WIP (ff.net being the worst offender).

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*grins like loon* Never have felt the call to post at ff.net. Don't say I never will, but if they won't take NC-17, why should I bother. And you're pointing out more reasons I'm glad of this.

[acadine.livejournal.com]

The second reason brings me to another food analogy: Imagine that you prepare a special holiday dinner, and after it's been eaten, you're met with, "That was great; what's going to be for breakfast? Are you making quiche? I like quiche. How about pancakes, oh, aren't pancakes good..." You'd feel rather disappointed that no one commented on your use of cardamom in the chicken, the dijon vinaigrette you made from scratch, or the nine-layer torte that had just been consumed.

Word. Word, wordety word. And yo. And now, I'm hungry.

You know, I think someone should start a mailing list where people sign up specifically to get their fics discussed and discuss other people's. Like, really feedback instead of the watered-down fangirling people tend to do.

... but that's a tangent, anyway.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*hands you beef wellington and bourbon creme brulee*

And that mailing list would be SWAMPED. But man, it would really startle the hell out of some people, who would send their stories there all unwittingly, thinking that they were coming for praise, and get honest con-crit instead. It'd be like a bloody traffic accident; none of us would be able to look away as they ran off, bleeding and yowling in indignation.

[mioknee.livejournal.com]

I understood where you were coming from at the begining, but when you used the breakfast analogy it put the whole rant (nice rant, maybe more of a speach, really) into a different perspective.

But I completely agree. I know there have been times, back in the day mind you, when I asked and/or pleaded for sequeals and such, as if the author was my personal creative slave, willing to whip up imaginary stories at will. Hah, no. It's probably much more polite to say how much you enjoyed the story, your favorite part maybe, and then tell the author you hope to read more of their work or you are going to go find the rest of their stories right away.

There should really be a book written on the proper etiquette of reviewing.

*applauds* I enjoyed reading this. And I especially enjoyed it's complementary buffet of information.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It's probably much more polite to say how much you enjoyed the story, your favorite part maybe, and then tell the author you hope to read more of their work or you are going to go find the rest of their stories right away.

There should really be a book written on the proper etiquette of reviewing.

*sigh* Don't need a book. You put it beautifully in that one sentence. Can we put this up on the "Welcome to the fandom" sign?

[cursive.livejournal.com]

When I wrote my very first story I always knew it had a sequel, which I realise now, was probably not the best way to start, but anyway I thus didn't think anything of being asked for one. However, I've just now had people start asking for sequels to the next bunch of stories, which were meant to stand alone. And, yeah, I'm kind of undecided how I feel about it. Your cooking analogy is pretty much exactly right and when I actually asked someone why they thought a particular story needed a sequel because I thought it was over, they did go on to say they felt unsatisfied.

I hate fics where everything ends neatly -- nothing human is neat -- but there may be a point, I guess, where always thinking about the implications of X narrative turn means there's not enough closure to satify many readers. A lot of the best feedback I've had more or less accuses me of being a big narrative tease. I guess I mean... perhaps some writers are more inclined to very open narratives stylistically and asking for a sequel is in some ways missing part of the appeal of how they write.

Which doesn't mean I've never asked for a sequel, I know I have. Thanks for the post.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

A lot of the best feedback I've had more or less accuses me of being a big narrative tease.

I think that does imply you're doing the right thing, then! Some days you must want to say, "Look, you all KNOW how it's going to go after this, don't you? Well, then. My part is done."

[rushlight75.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I've never felt anything less than flattered when someone writes asking for a sequel to one of my stories (assuming it's politely done, of course). I don't see where asking for a sequel insinuates that the story as it is is anything less than satisfying, or that the ending was premature. I suppose it depends on your definition of "sequel," though. To me, a sequel isn't an epilogue or a tacked-on ending or a bunch of additional chapters continuing the same story. A sequel is a separate story of its own, with its own beginning, middle, and ending, that just happens to contain the same characters as the first story and carries them further along in their lives.

When I get requests for a sequel, it tells me that that particular reader became so intrigued by the situation I created around my characters that they want to know what happens to them next. Of course, I very rarely (if ever) actually plan to write such a sequel, and I will politely tell the reviewer that if that's the case. But it gives me a warm feeling inside to know people cared about (or at least identified with) my characters enough to imagine them in situations beyond what I wrote for them. While (as you said) such an LoC doesn't really give specifics about what the reviewer liked about the story, it tells me that I at least managed to do something right.

Gah. I'm not sure if any of this even makes sense, as I'm sick today and doped up on Nyquil.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It makes a lot of sense! You are so comfortable with your definition of "sequel" that you happily overlook the idea that others could be asking for that "bunch of additional chapters" in that less couth manner. Now, THAT'S etiquette! *applauds* You're the sort of person who would drink your own fingerbowl if your dinner guest did, just so s/he didn't feel uncomfortable. *grins and admires you with ALL sincerity!*

Tying it up with a bow...

[zoerayne]

I think the attitude of some fans that a story's not complete if it's not tied up with a bow was created/reinforced by "reset-button" television shows, with their 42.5 minutes of story that's all wrapped up by the end, with no ongoing character or universe repercussions. Yes, I blame it all on Star Trek. [g]

I also think that American film and television (in a sweeping generalization) has accustomed people to being spoon-fed. It's fostered the attitude that, if there are some things you have to think about on your own, some conclusions that you have to draw (rather than having them spelled out for you by the characters in clunky expository dialogue), then the writer is doing something wrong or the story is incomplete and in need of a sequel. Feh! I can't count the times I wanted to bang my head against the keyboard because people called a certain aspect of Pirates of the Caribbean a plot hole when, in fact, it was merely a loose end.

Re: Tying it up with a bow...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, now I want to hear your "Plot Holes and Loose Ends" meta! It sounds fascinating!

with no ongoing character or universe repercussions.

Oh, I've always called that "Sitcom syndrome"! TV that breaks out of sitcom syndrome has always been praiseworthy TV, as far as I've noticed. And you're right, Star Trek was one of the worst offenders of that.

[simons-flower.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting take you have here. I understand and agree with what you're saying, but also disagree because I've come across both in my own work.

When I began my Trio story Just a Little, it was with the intention of exorcising a plot bunny from a scene in Empire Strikes Back. What ended up happening was I created characters that spoke to me. I thought it was done at chapter 6. Then I decided I needed an epilogue. Now I've begun a sequel and have written a 20-year later one-shot. What I thought would be a short fic exploring one scene has become a universe.

However, there is a one-shot fic I wrote that several people requested a sequel to. I tried writing it, but there's no story there. My idea was a one-time thing, not a universe.

As for reviews which consist of nothing but a demand for a sequel or next chapter, those are like filler. I'm happy someone has taken the time to read my work and make an effort to review. I can only assume that the person enjoyed my work enough to want more, but I would really rather know what it is about my work they enjoyed.

And yes, I'm escstatic for the short little "That was really sweet! Thank you!" comment too.
Yes, these are enjoyable. I've written the same for some fics I've reviewed just to let the author know I'm there. But the longer reviews that quote favorite lines are like rich chocolate mousse to be savored. I just got a series of those rich chocolate mousse reviews at RS.org and they thrill me.

You're going to be writing a third in the Droit Du Seigneur sequence? Cool. (I commented further on that in reply to someone else's comments above.)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Once you've had that rich chocolate mousse, it's hard to go back to cafeteria chocolate pudding, isn't it? ^_^

I'm in SUCH trouble now for reminding people I still owe them the third DDS story! I shall have to start making good on that before too long.

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

Interesting thoughts, here.

I've gone both ways about such things. I do like it very much when people point out aspects of my story that they'd like to see more developed - and often that *does* lead to a sequel. But that's different from wanting more of the same.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yes, that can get your muse working, in a clever-psychology way!

[sparrohawk.livejournal.com]

This was a very interesting (and angst-inducing) post. I'm currently about halfway through the "sequel" to Skin Deep. I am thinking about the new story in light of your post and fabularasa's recent thread about pairings functioning as hermeneutical devices. I find myself wondering what is "sequel" and what is just another permutation in the process of exploring the relationships between the characters, and what's just wanking.

Oh, and there's a third story in the Droit Du Seigneur sequence? If you hadn't made it so forbidding, I'd be asking you for it :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I think if YOU'RE inspired to tell more of the story, you're always permitted to, because first of all, it's YOUR muse you're obeying, not just demands for "more!". Second, in 'net posting, we put things up very soon after we finish them, and so, if you feel there really was more story to continue, you hadn't really spent all that much time with it before pronouncing it "done"-- you may be correct to feel it needs more.

[bungee.livejournal.com]

Wonderful post. This is why I put you on my friends' list: because you don't just fill your LJ up with trivial little stuff like I do. *G*

I feel your pain on the request for sequels. Personally, it mortifies me to hear that you actually get "SEQUEL!!!11!!" comments on your writing. Every time I read a fic that you've written, I feel that you've given me just enough ...plenty to satisfy, while still leaving enough of an opening for the imagination to do its 'thing.'

I will say, however, that there are plenty of authors out there who do NOT wrap their stories up so nicely (and I am unfortunately included in that grouping), and sequels are a nice way to finish up the story that they have begun but didn't, at the time, know how to finish. Sometimes comments they receive will inspire an ending (which you also mentioned). On the other hand, constant nagging about a sequel can agitate a writer to the point that they don't WANT to write one because they've been pestered so much (speaking from personal experience x.x).

As for comments ...I am horribly inept at writing good, well thought out comments on pieces that I really enjoyed. I'm wonderful at giving constructive criticism on pieces that did not catch and hold my attention, because I spend most of my time reading doing spelling/grammar checks and dismantling the plot. For instance, I don't know that I've ever commented on anything you've written -- because at the time that I finish reading, it's usually about 2 A.M. and I am so overwhelmed by the story that I can't put together a coherent sentence. And even if I sit down the next day to write a comment, nothing ends up coming out. "As Sharp As Sunlight" is an excellent example. I swore that I would never, ever, EVER read an Mpreg fic. And then I saw that you had written one. And I said "All right. For her. I'll try it." So I started reading ...and couldn't stop. I read straight through, got to the end, and the only thing I could think was "Wow." You absolutely blew me away. It was the same with "A World Not So Black Nor White," because I am (or was) absolutely 100% against abusive!Sirius.

But that's what makes you such a wonderful author. You can make ANYTHING believable. You could make me picture Severus Snape with pink hair and dancing in a tutu if you wanted to, and I would believe that it was possible ...even canonically. It's why I'll read anything and everything that you write, no matter how much it goes against whatever (decidedly small) scruples I have.

Annnd, now that I've gotten completely off topic and degenerated into mere praise/apology ...I'll go crawl back into my hole. :)

-Nicki

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

(^_^ Well, I use the lj to talk about my obsession. I suppose that to some, the obsession would seem trivial! So it all evens out.)

Now I feel I must do pink-haired tutu!Snape just for you. Sigh. Life is full of challenges. (Well...maybe I'd better leave this one! ^_^) And thank you for your compliments. *blushes*

[anubenra.livejournal.com]

Actually, sometimes I'll be asked to write a sequel, and refuse, then later go back and decide I might want to do that after all. Sometimes I flat out refuse, knowing that the story is done, the plot-bunny is roasted and served. Other times, I refuse to bow to anyone's will but my own, not wanting to kill off a recovering muse. I have been known to take requests, but only if they interest me, of course.

But that's just me.

Poking my head through the door

[snapetoy.livejournal.com]

I'm not a writer, and those of you who are have my appreciation and gratitude. So I can't comment on those aspects of your essay.

I just wanted to continue your food analogy and say that sometimes a request for a sequel can be interpreted as the reader having enjoyed the meal so much that the venue becomes a favourite restaurant, where one can appreciate the culinary delights that a particular chef brings to the table. There are times when I'll order the same meal I had last time, because I appreciate the care and interpretation the chef presents in the dish. Never exactly the same, but always delightful.

And my hips reveal that I've always enjoyed seconds!

Re: Poking my head through the door

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Mmm, more food analogies, yum. I guess I would say that I could liken your restaurant analogy to a wish for more works by the author in general, and not just sequels, and I think that may be where you're coming from too. Which should never be a bad thing! *goes off to think about dinner*