Honestly though most of my chapters that are smaller than the world limit by half do better as a whole for the series than the ones that are right AT the word limit. And keep in mind, my word counts for a chapter average above 5k usually. So yes... I would love realistically to be able to post an entire chapter as one upload, but the userbase readers of the site expect something like a tapas - small bite-sized content.
point taken. since it's what Tapas is "marketing(?)" then it must mean that its readers are expecting bite sized contents
Keep in mind much of the novel readers on Tapas originally came for the comics, so they aren't expecting a whole novel chapter in each episode update. Many of the readers are also strictly mobile users reading on phones and small devices, so the shorter the better.
Look on the bright side, the more episodes you make out of a chapter, the longer the life your story will have. Your story will get a higher chance of growing an audience the more updates it has released on a steady schedule.
I'm not talking about entire novels. A story that 16,790 characters long is a perfectly acceptable length for a short story, but Tapas wants me to take something that's already short and chop it in half anyway. And nobody wants to post a whole novel in one go, but being able to upload an actual chapter in one go seems pretty reasonable to me.
My face reading this:
Even if the character count really is that arbitrary (I wouldn’t know, I barely use tapas) just split the story and play it smooth.
the issue is I can't split the story and your solution is to "just split the story." Not sure someone who barely uses the site gets to lord their opinion over me, either.
I always had issues when I started. Then I said to myself "Huh, I can split my chapter in two and do two updates instead of one" or just simple release the chapter in two parts the same day.
This isn't quantum physics.
There are a whole bunch of things you can do instead of shouting to the uncaring void about a very simple issue. And you can save yourself looking like an ass giving replies like this one:
"Not sure someone who barely uses the site gets to lord their opinion over me, either."
If I have 71 chapters over your 11 chapters... does that mean my opinions is roughly seven times more important than yours?
You can simply create two posts. It won't be disrupted because Tapas has a "smooth scrolling" feature that blends into the next chapter. No one is sabotaging writers by a character limit. Your writing won't suffer because of two chapters. If it's good enough, no one will care about reading a Part 2. In fact, it will keep them intrigued.
I thought the point of your thread was being a dick to strangers, wasn't it?
You're overcomplicating something so easy and when everyone tells you that you're doing that you lash out.
You did a story too long for a single post? Do it in two posts. Post them at the same time. 1 and 2, A and B. If you're so worried about the "integrity" of your story that it can't survive being split into two parts maybe you have an issue with your narrative?
You complain about Tapas not catering to your needs. Why not post somewhere else? There are so many sites you can post in and some are dedicated only to novels, instead of being for comics and novels.
I don't think you're popular or important enough to sabotage, or like, any writer? That seems to be a bit too much of pretending to be a target when no, the site provides a service for creators, both for comics and novels. Seriously, I've seen several writers doing extremely good on Tapas and the character limit doesn't seem to be a troube once you adapt to it and understand that not all sites work the same
Maybe you should stick to websites that fill your needs instead of those that don't? Just because you have a specific writer experience or concept about how things should be done that doesn't mean is the only acceptable way, nor is that you get to gatekeep a term that you didn't even create. Mocking others won't make you smarter
Yes, yes.
Also! It's important to understand the public, the traffic of the website if you want your story to be successful in said platform. Just like this other person says
Readability, comfort, accessibility and userbase is also important!
Is really your writing suffering? I believe so, pain is innevitable but suffering is a choice. You're chosing to stay rigid instead of learning to smooth down a bit or even be a tiny bit flexible. Is not a bad decision when you're clearly being told about the userbase and the kind of traffic the website is. Especially when other authors are telling you that they usually do better with shorter chapters
So even if, let's say, you "win", they listen to you, would that still be a proper win? No, because the users, the people that reads will still likely choose something smaller to read and while you'll feel your story is not damaged by the horrible and mean character limit... your perfomance will still be the same because that's not what the average user would like to read
The solution to your problem is fairly simple, doesn't take much time and doesn't require a big amount of logic to think about it, even those that don't read much in the site can come up with the same solution.
It seems that you don't want advice, you don't want solutions, you just want to complain for the sake of complaining (Since I recall you already complained about this in the past)
You belittle someone's opinion based on their usage of the platform but when someone who has experienced the same as you, has adapted and therefore obtained better results that even surpasses yours, then you complain about others "being pricks or cretins" just because they double or even triple the standard you utilized to deny and be rude to another person who again, has come up with the most simple and obvious solution.
You complain about how others treat you but you don't even care about being nice in the first place, you're closed on your mindset, you're rigid, you're being stubborn. Still, giving you alternatives, or telling you what it can be done in the meantime doesn't mean that someone wants to convert your opinion,no one is "lording (? their opinion over you".
Fill a complain, gain signatures from other authors and send it to an email to Tapas Support. See if by sending so many mails complaining they'll listen to you, or listen to the people you manage to group with to see if you can change this since you consider it SO unfair, SO damaging and SO insulting.
If it is that bad then I wonder, why they didn't change this like... idk, years ago?
Dude, split it in half and put a nice cliffhanger inbetween. I did this all the time with my novels before resuming my comics and my d*** is still in its place. It's not this difficult.
Also, as many said, reading a novel on web is a different experience. Tapas got this model from chinese and korean platforms, so they gotta do what's easier for them and pleases the majority.
It's staggering how many people are seeing someone say "I cannot split this story" and replying "just split it." I am actually familiar with that as a concept, and specifically ruled it out as being impossible in this case. But people just keep saying "split it" like I haven't ruled it out and am too stupid to grasp splitting it as a notion.
I'd love to see who you think I was being a dick to before you came out swinging and I swung back. You'd maybe have a case in how I responded to the guy who confessed to not using the site but still decided to being a condescending prick. If he hadn't been so insulting and passive-aggressive in how he voiced his opinion I wouldn't have accused him of lording it over me. But that's undeniably what he did, and I'm not sure how you're using that to justify your belief that I'm the villain here, OR justifying how you came out swinging.
Out of curiosity, why do you rule out splitting a chapter as impossible?
Wouldn't it basically be the same to post all the parts at once? Like especially of you want it to be read as one collective thing? And yeah, I know you'd much rather it actually be a full chapter.. I mean in terms of this being the best alternative solution. Also, wouldn't going on to the next part act as a "page flip" of sorts?
I honestly fail to see the negatives here, it's just the most minor of inconveniences and I truly don't think any readers would mind tbh
You complaining about a minor inconvenience and being so aggressive when everyone is telling you solutions and you deny them without actually explaining why:
There isn't any rules against splitting the story, it might give you more views instead of less views. You're afraid it will pollute your artistic vision?
Somebody mentioned the "Smooth Scrolling" of Tapas. Functionally it will be the same thing, they just have to scroll just a little more to have the full story.
You're the one over complicating this. You are the one complaining about the Tapas Word Limit like it was a personal offense done towards your "creative vision". You're basically drowning inside a glass of water of your own making, because if you split it and somebody keeps scrolling they will read the rest.
"Story X Part 1"
"Story X Part 2"
Done deal. You keep whining about don't being able to splitting it, when is the easiest solution in the world, instead of complaining to the platform itself that it should change its format to accommodate you. How arrogant can you be?
I had my issues with the character limit, but I adapted and it worked. Are you that bad of a writer that you can't adapt to the format of where you want to post?
Behave like a spoiled child and you will be treated like one.
I mean, really?
If you can't write under a format like this and you can't bend or be flexible, why don't you try another platform, that doesn't have character limits?
You know what, I tried to be nice, tackle down all of your arguments in a polite manner but you're just someone in denial who believes their vision is so damn great that is impossible to do something as simple as splitting the chapter or use less words.
You're a writer, consider this a plot hole in the story that is your life, solve it, come up with a resolution. Use your brain. What is the real impediment to not being able to split your story? Lack of experience? You're too prideful?
Impossible is the word for the one in denial. The lazy ones at least use creativity to do something for minimum effort
Alright, we are getting a couple of flags on this threads, so I do wanna ask people to try and maintain civil conversation.
Adding to what @joannekwan and others have stated, Tapas does have its posting limits, as do most hosting sites.
Often times, it is a matter of finding the right site that makes posting comfortable for you, or finding ways to work within those limitations.
On the bright side, there are other sites that do not have character limitations. Unfortunately, I am familiar with the novel-posting scene, so my recommendations are mostly sites I've posted my own personal writing:
Tumblr (which has been pretty good with fanfic writing and original writing -- this also has a tagging system and a way to customize your pages).
Wattpad (again -- great for original writing and fanfic writing)
Fictionpress.com (which is the sister site of Fanfiction.net. This one hosts more original writing than fanfics)
Archive of Our Own (mostly known for its fanfics, but is has a nice tagging system for original works.)
If anyone else can chime in with other recs, that would be awesome! Though these are the places I work with. In general, it does help to expand and work with several sites to see what does and doesn't work with you.
Everything can be split unless it's a single run-on sentence. If you need help finding the best pause, you can ask anyone here for that help.
Attacking people for trying to help isn't how you go about it. You've been here for 10 days and you speak to those of us here for a year or more as if you know better, even to the mods. This isn't how you make friends and receive help.
Step back, take a breath, and start over. Anyone here can and will help with suggestions and opinions that are constructive.
I wasn’t trying to be passive-aggressive when I made that first post. In fact, I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt about how Tapas handled word counts. Hence “I barely use Tapas,” that was actually me roasting how Tapas handles the mobile version of the website. I’ve grown to suspect it being “better on the app” leading me to suspect the handled the site the way they do on purpose.
The idea that Tapas may’ve poorly thought out how it handled novels wasn’t completely foreign to me.
I also had a similar experiences with an upload for Webtoon being too big. It was supposed to be read along to a concept album I fell in love with. It was the longest I spent on a released comic. I knew that if I split it into two episodes, it would screw up the flow I had in mind.
I also knew that I if I didn’t split it, it wouldn’t be released.
I didn’t use Tapas at the time. Didn’t want to. The Webtoon mods didn’t get their grubby hands on Nihil Negativum yet. I also knew at the start that Newgrounds would’ve not put the slices together they way I wanted it to. So when faced with the fact that the episode would’ve been too long for one go, I thought to myself:
I took the stretch meant to go along with the last song and made that episode 2. I very well knew I was sacrificing a ambition I had a justification for.
It was either that, or to wait until I realized I didn’t want it to represent my ability as a artist before releasing it.
Because whatever it was you wrote, you’ll one day realize you can do better.
