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Issue Length

Poll Question:
Solo Media Issue Length

Too short, you guys need to double it.
40% Votes: [ 2 ]

Just right, I can read it and still have time for lunch.
60% Votes: [ 3 ]

Total Votes : 5

User: Tibbarerew Site Admin
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:46 pm
What do you guys think of the issue length? I want some real feedback. Let us know in the poll and the forums.
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User: Anonymous Guest
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:52 pm
I think the length is fine.

Sure, they're short. But like you say, I can read em quick.

They're like mini-episodes. You just have to be sure that you pack an interesting bit of story in there and you're all good.
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User: Anonymous Guest
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:04 am
I voted \"just right\", despite my comments. Now that I've had a chance to read Jeff's and Josh's serials, I know why I made the comment \"It's too short!\" It isn't a matter of verbiage, now I realize, but where Jeff put the emotional climax. I know he had to end with the dropship leaving Envoy, but the confrontation between Killian and Chenzokov should have come closer to them leaving the ship. Now that I had a chance to read the story again on the larger screen of my laptop, I was able to identify the points about how Jeff structured the story that bugged me.

I repeat, the points that bugged *me*. Jeff can take what I said as he wishes, but what I don't want any of you to say is that I'm imposing want I on him, because I am the arbiter of denouement and writing style. I'm not. It's just that I was stupid to use the words, \"It's too short\" to describe how I felt. Since I felt like I started this beast, I should back it up with something a bit more nuanced and refined.

The word count is fine. What I had meant was that the arc didn't seem to get started. Or, in my mind, the point of this story was the emotional climax resulting from the Killian confrontation, and I felt there should have been more setup. So, after the confrontation, I kept going back to... where's the ending? That was the point, what's all this business about the FTL? I think that a fair amount of the conversation between Killian and his men and the description of the ship could have gone before.

I just want to be clear; it isn't the length that bothered me. Although I do not want to compare Josh and Jeff, I'll just say that I felt Josh's story felt like the chapter had a mini-arc (which means it had a beginning-middle-end to this episode). I don't want you to increase word count for the sake of the word count. I do think that it takes a bit of work to make the mini-arc make sense within the constraints of a relatively low word count.

I don't want to sound harsh. I am not. I liked both stories, and I'll continue reading on the merit of the stories (not just to support you guys Smile

I just needed to squeeze out a point, and I hope I didn't tear anyone down to make it.

mcc
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User: Tibbarerew Site Admin
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:59 am
Well shoot, now I'm all confused and stuff. Jeff and I had convinced ourselves that they needed to be longer. Hmmm, maybe we need to bump them just a little bit, up to a min of 4,000 words and a max of 6,000 words. I think the real key is, we need to be looking at the structure of each issue and not just the overall structure, which isn't something I've always been doing.

Thanks for the input guys.
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User: Anonymous Guest
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:59 pm
HI Josh!

I'm ok with the lenght of UC and AA. The only reason why I would make them a little bit longer is if you wanted to get more of the story along more quickly. So, Jeff keeps talking about some pivitol information goming out in UC #50. If he wanted to get there faster, he could make some of the ealier issues longer, so the plot line origianlly intended for issue 40 might come out in issue 40 or 45.

At any rate, I've liked what I've read so far. I'm looking forware to reading your other titles. And your seials are doing what they're suppose to...leave me wanting more!

Great Job Guys!

Alan G
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User: Jeff Kirvin Site Admin
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:44 pm
Thanks. And as for the big issue 50 extravaganza, my arcs that deep in aren't tightly plotted, so it could be issue 50 (a nice round number) even if we go to a longer issue length. Wars are unpredictable little things.

My outline for this used to be very different. Then I hit a point in the story where Fred Dorn (who you'll meet in issue #5, I believe) had an idea that was so much better than what I had in mind that I had to go with it. And the story has been much better for that. Sometimes you gotta listen to the characters.

Suffice to say that if I'm consistently surprised by the twists in this story, I think you will be too.
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