Forum: Author Hangout

Just in case talking about writing is still OK in here...

So... Do I write this epilogue where I wrote it, put it in a different story in the series, write it as a whole story of it's own, or leave a reader hanging?

I'm writing a semi sci-fi story. Suspiciously human like Aliens land as refugees in the modern day and get into some silly erotic fun with the locals - the stories are about one such alien's romantic journey. There've been a lot of TV shows with this premise but they almost always take a dark turn with either the aliens up to no good or the humans abusing them or both. I wanted to instead take the premise and use it for erotic comedy - everybody likes the aliens, who are a little too horny for their own good.

Story 1: stuff happens - this story is heavy on 'setting backstory' so I'm likely to put it out as 'volume 3: the prelude'. Then an Epilogue explains how the series universe evolves over time (the transition from present day to a sci-fi future).

Story 2: stuff happens - the main 'story'. Then an Epilogue explains how the character's relationship evolves over time, and ends noting a descendant of one of the main characters who is to be the protagonist in Stories 4 and 5.

Story 3: stuff happens that is basically a 'non-sequitur' to the events of stories 1-2 + epilogue. But happens after story 2 and before the epilogue and involves the characters of story 2.

Story 4: stuff happens a century later with a grandchild to form a 'setup' for future drama

Story 5: that grandchild's main story.

All a setup so I can later write random episodic stories about the characters in Stories 2 and 3 that will not have much relation to each other. And sometimes when in the mood, jump forward and dip my toes into the 'future sci fi setting' of the story 5 character.

If this was a TV show, Stories 1-2 would be a series. Story 3 would be the holiday special where the cast does something outside the main plot. And Stories 4-5 are the spin-off. Story 4 having been the 'pilot' to get the network to buy the show.

Is that Epilogue for story 2 in the wrong place?
I'm debating whether or not I should put it after story 3.

- On the one hand, Story 3 is episodic and if I do write more, could easily be 'passed over' by a reader.
- On the other hand Story 3 takes place before Story 2's Epilogue, and will get posted at the same time.

Presently the "Epilogue" is 2,111 words out of a 19,080 word story. But it's in editing so those word counts could change.

(Currently I've written 1, 2, and 4, and am midway through 3 - then it all goes to editing, and story 5 will be written in the future).

The purpose of my Story 1 Epilogue is as a guide for the setting as a whole. It's that "world building" document.

The purpose of my Story 2 Epilogue however, it to be an outline for the life journey of my characters both as a guide to myself and for any reader for some reason ends up liking this stuff.

The initial reaction of an editor to such exposition dumps would be to delete them and drip-feed the details into the series where needed.

From your description, I don't know the best place to drip-feed Epilogue 1, but Epilogue 2 could be drip-fed into Story 4.

AJ

I just finished reading a story on another site that had a 9800 or so word epilogue, and I actually liked that one.

The author did it as a mini-story with dialogue from the main story's characters, 30 years in their future. Used to do more or less what I'm looking at doing - tell how things went for them after the plotline of the main story was over.

So what I might do is copy that method a bit. Put any piece of my epilogue that can be told in a story format into a mini-story with dialogue and action, and then put the parts that are just setting around and woven in between that.

My story 1 is a First Contact story

Story 2 creates the foundational romance for the main character of the setting.

Story 3 is a short telling of a birthday party orgy that doesn't move the 'world plot', it's self contained.

Story 4 and 5 are a full century later and I am likely to just remove any reference to them from the prior stories. When I finally get to writing 5, I can just add more notes in it that the character of that story had an ancestor who was involved with 'First Contact'.

I have a wholly other document not yet mentioned in any of this. It's up to 4583 words right now, and is just a 'canon' document so I can make this whole thing a 'Universe' to write stories in.
- That document is for myself at the moment.

In my sex date series I have had long epilogues, almost full chp. I use epilogue to update other parts of the world that were not covered by the story. I also can use it to set up my next story, setting a hook.

So... Do I write this epilogue where I wrote it, put it in a different story in the series, write it as a whole story of it's own, or leave a reader hanging?

A lot of that really depends on your writing style, and where you want to take the story from there.

I only used one in my first long story, but I never had any intention of continuing after that so wanted to give it some closure from the point of view of the narrator a decade later. My style of writing really does not need them. Either it is a single one-off story, or a long one that continues through multiple books.

Now, I either end one book at what seems like a proper time, or if the arc of one character is complete and I am ready to move to the arc of a different POV character. They can have their time and place, but unless you are intending on leaving a story completed with a few story threads that will take much longer to resolve, they are really not needed.