Serial: Difference between revisions

Serials can be extremely long and result in novel-length works with complex plots, wide-ranging settings, and frequent changes in point of view. To date, most serials have been given a definite conclusion, though some continue with no end in sight much like a TV soap opera. A very recent trend (2007) is the appearance of what could be termed ''volumes'': collections of serial chapters that complete major plotlines within the greater story and can stand independently, though numerous plot treads are left unresolved at the ends to set the stage for the next volumes. [[Round-robin]] stories are serials with multiple authors writing segments in a predetermined order, but some serials have appeared to which anyone can contribute in a chaotic, first-come, first-printed manner.

Serial writing, also called episodic writing, has been known since Victorian times and was popularized by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens Charles Dickens] when he began writing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pickwick_Papers <i>The Pickwick Papers</i>] in 1836. Serials were rarely seen in ''Daria'' fanfiction until spring 2004, when [[TAG]] began writing "[[Fortunate One]]" without having it beta-read. Most of his stories before then had been beta-read. He believes he saw other serials appear before "Fortunate One," but is unable to name them. The practice caught on and spread rapidly until serials have become as commonplace as short stories on message boards, and beta-reading has (alas) become rare. [[Round-robin]] stories are serials with multiple authors writing in a predetermined order, but some serials have appeared to which anyone can contribute in a chaotic, first-come, first-printed manner.