#TuesdaySerial is a weekly event aimed at collecting and promoting ongoing serial stories. It is hosted here at “Inspired by Real Life” by yours truly and Tony Noland over at “Landless.” It provides readers of serials a handy place, every Tuesday, to find the latest installments of serials they follow and discover new serials to read.
It is important to note that #TuesdaySerial in no way changes or interferes with what Jon Strother is doing over at #FridayFlash. Tony and I (and other writers) have seen that there is an audience for serials among the #FridayFlash readership. We hope that by pulling together some links each week, it will be easier to connect serial writers with that audience.
Logistics:
This will work very much like #FridayFlash. Here’s the nitty gritty:
- Set up a column in your Twitter client for #TuesdaySerial so you can watch conversation and tweets.
- Write and post an installment of your serial. Note the specific guidelines outlined below and note also that your installment does NOT have to be posted on your blog on Tuesday. It can be posted on any day of the week. Your opportunity to promote your post with us comes on Tuesday.
- Each Tuesday for 24 hours (starting at 12am EST), writers of serials can stop by and add their links to the week’s #TuesdaySerial post. The writer will fill out some key information like their name, the title of the serial installment and the URL. Links will appear immediately on the list, but all links are subject to review. We will attempt to contact the writer if there is a problem with a link. Spam links will be deleted.
- You’re encouraged to tweet your story with the #TuesdaySerial hashtag just as you do with #FridayFlash and read and retweet other writers’ stories as you like.
Guidelines:
- Serial installments should generally be 1000 words or less (don’t worry if it’s slightly over). This is not meant to be a strict ceiling, but you will find that readers are more apt to read your stories if you stay in this range.
- Any genre of fiction or narrative nonfiction is welcome with the exception of explicit erotica or gratuitous graphic violence.
- Your serial installments should be set up on your blog so that it’s easy to find previous installments. This is particularly important for attracting new readers to a serial that’s already in progress.
- You don’t have to post every week. This is an informal community and you are welcome to come and go as you please.
- You are encouraged to polish your work to put your best foot forward with your current and new readers.
- Initially, the collector for #TuesdaySerial will be more basic than the one used for #FridayFlash. Key information that readers would like to have such as genre or your Twitter ID should be made available on your blog because there is no place in the collector for this information.
General tips:
Special thanks to Jon Strother for allowing us to include the tips that he composed for #fridayflash:
- When you add your story to the Collector use a link to the story itself, not to your blog’s front page. The lists will be archived. Direct links to stories ensure people will find what they are looking for. Many people find it annoying to follow a link and end up on a post they were not expecting. I’ve always found it best not to annoy my readers.
- You do not have to be on Twitter to participate, but you do need a blog. Adding your story to the Collector will get you listed. Still, you may want to find a friend who will tweet your link for you.
- Claim your work. You wrote it. Let the world know it’s yours. Give your story a title and a byline. Use your name (or a good pen name) on the byline. It also doesn’t hurt to add a general copyright notice, either on your blog as a whole, or on each story.
- Be aware that if you post a story on your blog it may be considered “previously published” by some publishers and therefore of no interest to them. Yes, you may lose a sale if you publish your story to your blog. However, there are non-monetary benefits to participating in #TuesdaySerial. Consider the experience you will gain by writing a serial story. With experience comes skill and confidence. You will also increase exposure of your blog and your writing, and become a member of a terrific community of writers.
- Also keep in mind that just because it was posted on your blog does not mean it is unsaleable. There are many paying markets that accept previously published works. Just be up front with them when you make your pitch. I recommend Doutrope’s Digest to help locate those enlightened publishers.
FAQ:
- If I post my serial as a #FridayFlash, can I still post it here? Yes. You can post your serial to both memes.
- If I post my serial here, do I have to post it as a #FridayFlash? No. You are free to post it wherever you like.
- Can i post to #TuesdaySerial if I promote my serial on other sites or using other hashtags? Yes, you are free to use whatever other mechanisms besides #TuesdaySerial you like.
- Should I post a link to my latest installment or the first installment of my serial? This is really up to you. My suggestion would be to link up your latest installment but once readers click over to your blog, make it easy for readers to find the first installment if they are new to the serial.
- What qualifies as a “serial”? Any sort of web fiction (or creative nonfiction) that has two or more installments. It could be a serial novel or a short story broken into several episodes.
Welcome to #TuesdaySerial. We hope that you find #TuesdaySerial useful and enjoyable whether you are a writer or a reader (or both!)
