About how often do you guys update? How do you plan?

Ok so I’m finding that coding even just one episode takes a l o t of time, especially if you really want the finished product to be decent. I know I can’t actually publish till I have 3 episodes, but after that, what’s a reasonable amount of time to take in between publishing episodes? I’m a high school junior so i have to balance this with a lot of school work and such, so what would be a decent time frame between episodes? Also, how do y’all plan out your entire plot lines? Do you wait to have it all detailed and such before publishing it it or play it by ear? which do you all find to be more helpful?

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honestly, my updates are always slow. they’re slow because the code is complex, i’m taking 18 credit hours, and because i have a multitude of mental illnesses. SO… i feel like as long as you’re putting out one chapter a month, you’re OK… and even if you’re not, that’s alright, too. writing is a hobby for most of us, and while keeping on a schedule is great, it’s not always attainable. my motto is “it’ll get done when it gets done.” stressing myself out causes burnout and ruins my motivation. so, please don’t compare yourself to other authors too much because coding is super difficult, time consuming, and takes everyone different amounts of time.

when it comes to planning, my story is actually written up as a full novel. it took me about a year and a half to write and then another year to convert into an episode story. most people don’t do this - and some people don’t plan at all! while many find planning helpful, it won’t always work for everyone. i recommend you to find a planning (or non planning) method that keeps you motivated and excited!

sorry if this wasn’t helpful… but good luck nonetheless!! :blob_hearts:

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oh no this was very helpful!! i like that, just taking your time and letting yourself enjoy it. it’s very relieving to hear. and wow, i envy your planning ability hahah, yeah so far i just kind of spring on the idea once it hit and am hoping the plot kind of, infield on its own lol. thanks for your help!!

Tbh, I don’t have an update/publish schedule. I publish whenever I can or when I feel like it. I also try to code everyday. Basically, i’ll set a “goal” (like an amount of hours i’ll code per week. something like that) and try to complete the goal. don’t feel like you have to publish or else people will lose interest. Idk if this is bad but I don’t plan my stories either. I kinda do, I make a story line and character backgrounds/stories for notes but I don’t plan each chapter. I go with what feels right and what comes to my mind at the time. Personally, I feel like if I code constantly or “set deadlines”, I lose my motivation. If I have an idea, I usually write it down in my notebook. Do what feels right to you. It’s your story. Have fun!

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Moved to Episode Fan Community since this doesn’t fit into any Creator’s Corner category. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions. :smiley:

I’m currently writing too and already have 3 finished chapters (I went back to them back and fourth multiple of times to edit and improve haha :sweat_smile: ) but I plan not to release until I have around 8 rough chapters at the very least. This is because I know coding takes time for me and I’m busy with school etc. This means I’ll have episodes in advance and I feel like the stress won’t be as much.
I think publishing at least one a month is perfectly fine as many readers understand that it’s just a hobby. Don’t stress too much and I hope I managed to help even though I rambled on a bit here, oops :blob_turtle:

Every author is different. You should do what works for you. You say you’re in school, I would recommend only working on episode when you have time. Some people can balance life and episode pretty well, which can be seen with their frequent updates. Others, like myself, can only update when we have the time. Focus on what’s important but when you have some free time, even if it’s only an hour, get some writing done.

For me, I plan all my episodes out before I begin writing. Bullet points of what I want to happen during each episode. Having some sort of planning beforehand will keep you organized when you go back and forth from school to episode.

When you become an author in this community, it will become overwhelming. So just remember you can take a break, don’t force anything if you can’t meet it.

Hopefully this helps!

I usually try to write and publish one chapter per month. My suggestion is that you write a bunch of episodes ahead of time before publishing your first 3 episodes officially and then u can try continue writing ahead in a steady pace without worrying if you would be able to deliver the next episode in a good amount of time.

lol almost never these days

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