[Nutmeg]

There has been an issue brought to the admins attention and a few weeks observation has conformed it. This post is to inform you of the issue and our solution for it. There are a few things we are asking for feedback on, but the issue and our solution for it AREN'T up for debate. Fair warning.

The catfights stories section especially seems dominated by stories being told in multiple posts. Often time short posts being posted multiple times a day. It comes across like instead of short stories, people are writing a novel, a page a post. It also gives the appearance of one getting past the thread bumping rules by "adding new content" And anyone doing a story in one or two posts gets buried in a week by the 20 or so never-ending threads.  So the way it is now, they can: Not bother posting; do the same decompressed storytelling posts everyone else seems to be doing, or ask friends to post "this story is great! " posts every few days so that they might be seen for more than a few days as a new story on the first page.  None of these are great options.

So we shall create a new section for these Serial/continuous/multiple post story threads. The tentative title is "Serials" but we are quite open to a better suggestion. Catfight short stories versus catfight novels? If you find yourself doing multiple content posts over multiple days expect to find your thread moved into this section.  This is the easiest and fairest way to allow both self contained and continuous stories to thrive without impacting anyone's posting style. As a starting point if your story is to be completed in say 5 posts or less it is self contained. And admin/mods shall use their judgement if we feel someone is trying to skirt the spirit of this section. I can think of a few ways someone can be a jerk about this. Please don't. For everyone's sake.

We are also looking at combining some sections to make up for adding a new one. One consideration is combining NHB with MMA/Martial arts. It makes thematic sense and one of the sections didn't have a post in 2022 last I saw. Also under consideration is merging Archives (which was stories from deleted/inactive members) with Catfights. We didn't want to delete a bunch of stories without warning from years ago but we also didn't want people to start a discussion with a writer who was no longer here.

We hope to start the new section by the end of May and also hope writers will cooperate after the initial move of stories we believe are ongoing. As I stated we are open to a better name and suggestions of possible sections to merge or not merge.

[papillon]

I hope you go through with this.
It isn't that there's anything wrong in principle with people updating their stories a few paragraphs at a time. That may provide the motivation they need to keep writing. The problem occurs when other writers who are posting entire stories they've spent weeks working on see them slide down the board within hours and off the first page within days. People tend to read the board from the top down, so the result is that these people's stories never get read.
To give you an idea of the scale of the problem, the average length of each instalment of the story currently occupying pride of place at the top of the Catfights board is 2780 characters. The average length of each instalment of Kiva's Fight Journal is just under 50,000 characters. That's eighteen times as long! And her latest story (uploaded in a single post to the Wrestling board) is 65,000 characters long. Twenty four times as long!
Having a separate 'Serials' board for stories told in short instalments solves the problem. It's fair to everyone.

[linftr]

What a good idea !  This way the board won't be cluttered by spammy tidbits, and we can find the storiesthat deserve  some attention.  Anyone who wants the endless run on stories will be able to find their desires too.  A win-win !

[Phoenix_Falcone]

Excellent idea, and probably a long time coming.  Hopefully this will encourage more stories to be posted as they will hopefully get the views they deserve.  Not to say serial type stories are not worthy, they can be very very good, but I definitely agree with this change.

[southwrestler09]

I like the idea!  I’ll admit here and now that I’m very guilty of posting long stories a few pages at a time.  I’ve never gotten the hang of just writing a short one off story because I’m a sucker for a lot of detail and a long read.  It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to give those their own board

One question though…say someone posts a story, originally intending to keep it pretty well self contained, but it turns into a bit of a novel?  Maybe the author changed their mind, or decided to expand it for people who liked it?  It’s a position I’ve been in before, and wouldn’t want to be guilty of breaking any rules.

Oh, and if you want a suggestion for a name, how about “Sagas” or “Series”?

[Nutmeg]

To answer a few of the questions:

1.   “other sections? “  Our focus with this new section is to clean up the issue these stories are causing in catfight stories. Meaning we won’t be enforcing it unless needed in the other sections. If boxing has one thread in 25 doing it we won’t be moving that thread there. If someone did write a boxing thread fitting the serial format they would be welcome to post it in the serials section. I really don’t think they would get any real advantage doing that since boxing fans likely just look in the Boxing section.  We are trying to make this a low upkeep solution. Only stories we really wouldn’t want to see there are non English for obvious reasons.

2.   “What if I add to my existing story? Should I move it to serials? “ I would say no especially if your update is sporadic and self contained. If you add a new chapter over a couple days to a tale you told a month ago you aren’t a serial.

The focus is more the ones where Chapter 1 is 25 daily posts, let alone Chapter 2. And if you are REALLY concerned you could always do Chapter 2 as its own thread.  As I said we are more concerned with the spirit of the rule than making a bunch of technical rules to cover everything possible.

3.   Suggestions for other names..thanks because at least we have something to consider.

[rin753]

I understand the problem you are facing.  Unfortunately I have nothing to offer in the way of a solution.

What is quite true is that once a story leaves the front page it is basically dead and buried. 

I'm proud of the fact that the first chapter of my first story received 50 "likes"  in only 5,800 views.  But if you try to find it now, it's somewhere on page 4, and hasn't had a view in weeks.

Oh well!

[Domers0016]

I like the idea of either Serials or Sagas or even Epics as all are clear that this isnt just a simple one post and done for the story.

[papillon]

I understand the problem you are facing.  Unfortunately I have nothing to offer in the way of a solution.

What is quite true is that once a story leaves the front page it is basically dead and buried. 

I'm proud of the fact that the first chapter of my first story received 50 "likes"  in only 5,800 views.  But if you try to find it now, it's somewhere on page 4, and hasn't had a view in weeks.

Oh well!

Fixed

[rin753]

Fixed

I give you a great deal of credit just finding it!

[Tiberius J.C.]

Fixed

I give you a great deal of credit just finding it!

There's a trick to it:
   Click the author's name beneath their avatar. This opens their profile.
   Click “Profile Info” (in white on a dark blue background indicating the presence of a drop-down menu).
   From the menu choose “Show Posts > Topics”.
This gives you the first post in every thread started by that member.

[Jill_C]

I totally agree with this idea.  Rin753 hit on the problem and apparently Tiberius had read my profile. 

Nothing kills a flow of writing stories hoping they be read and finding out they get buried by the "Serial Killers" as I call them.  Plus the fact you go to read what was added only to find out it was a paragraph, which is a major disappointment.  All that work for three or four sentences, buried.

[BigDevil]

The new section is up. We named it Series. So for people who are posting several chapters to a story that is where you put them.

[william taft]

Thanks to the moderators for making the change for the better. I wanted to complain myself but I didn't want to bitch about something  I was getting for free. There are writers on here who think of themselves as literary giants who keep churning out story after story that go on and on and before he ends one he's started two or three more and never delivers the goods. If anyone on here is looking really good literature may I suggest  a couple of guy named Dickens or Twain.

[Nutmeg]

Sinclairfan, post another tasteless attack like that again and you will be banned for an indefinite period off the site.

You were not the only one planned to have posts moved but the other main offender left the site when this was announced. When others fit the bill they will be dealt with. Also it seems posts that are moved lose their likes. The like system is tacked on to the core system so it will have flaws. To accuse us of some sort of conspiracy makes you look even more like a buffoon.

All it takes is one jerk to ruin it. The fact you happen to be the jerk who did doesn't make you a victim.

It is also quite telling that you can post something substantial when you put your mind to it. I will expect my FCFbucks from those who bet me otherwise in the next week.

This method is the fairest method we could come up with to everyone. The fact you object to it so strongly shows me exactly why you use your posting style.

Also posting thinly veiled attacks at the admins isn't helping your case. On every other writer's forum I am on you would be long gone.