Your Thoughts on Series
February 1, 2008 by Lillie
I’ve always written series posts consecutively (as the editing series just completed). However, I’ve noticed that other blogs spread their series over a longer period of time, writing an installment in the series once a week or so and interspersing the series with posts on other topics.
Since I plan to write a series each month, I’d like to know which you prefer. Please answer the poll question below and give your reasons in comments. Thanks!
2/7/08 I had to delete this poll because BlogPoll.com (or its Web host) was hijacking my blog. When I tried to access my own blog, I was redirected to a page that said BlogPoll.com’s domain had expired.
The last time I checked the results, the responses were about 60% for consecutive series and about 40% for series posts interspersed with other posts.
Lillie,
I put that I think that posts in a series should be interspersed with other posts. However, I do think that all posts in a series should like to all other posts in that series. Does that make sense?
Lillie,
I kind of like having all posts in a series run consecutively, since I don’t have to hunt down the other posts in the series that way and also because that makes it easier to see and appreciate the continuity of the series. But that preference isn’t set in stone. If they aren’t spread too far apart, it’s fine with me to have other posts in between.
What I don’t like is seeing a series that presents only one post a month or uses some other similar schedule that’s so infrequent that I’ve totally forgotten about the series by the time I see the next post. (As you may have guessed, my vote went for consecutive series posts.)
Jeanne
Lillie,
I think that both work well, and present a couple of viewpoints below (plus those of someone who finds your blog “mid-series.”
If I were intensely interested in something, I would want the next post as soon as I finished the last.
However, if I’m not already reading your posts and find one of them, I would want the links to go back.
If I weren’t reading your blog already and found it through a different article (non-series) and the series popped in at #3 (for example), the links back would allow me to join in and read in whichever order interests me, if I wanted.
Then the positive side of having series interspersed with other posts – it won’t drive away or alienate any readers who might not appreciate the series as much as the other articles and keeps them engaged with other writings while the series has time to develop and find its own voice and audience.
I hope these two perspectives (one pro serial-kill-me and the other please-no-serial-or-kill-me) help you in your serial writing (wink)!
Cheers!
Series should run consecutively. The writer’s thought is focused and so is the reader’s as well. I don’t what to be left hanging thinking about what else is there and finding out from other source with a different angle.
Definitely consecutively ran series. Spontaneity is important to cover the periphery of the whole idea.
Hi!
It’s a blog, so other posts can come between.
When you properly tag the posts, people have a choice.
Not sure what you mean by like – perhaps a typo? Did you mean all posts should link to all other posts or did you mean they should be similar all the other posts?
Thanks, Jeanne. Your feedback is very helpful. If I decide to spread the series out, I’ll post maybe a couple of times a week on the series with a post or two in between. As you said, spreading the posts out so far you can’t even remember the last post doesn’t seem like much of a series.
Unless there’s a strong bias the other way in the poll results, I prefer to post consecutively (though I occasionally intersperse a post on a timely topic). But seeing series spread apart on other blogs made me wonder what readers prefer.
Diane,
Both of these are valid viewpoints. I’ll see what the poll results show, but maybe I’ll do as mentioned above: write a post in the series a couple of times a week and put a post on another topic between the serial posts. There won’t be a long wait for the next installment for those who are reading the series, but those who aren’t interested in that topic might find something of interest in between.
Does the series table of contents work as it should to enable you to come to any post in the series and find all of the others?
Thanks, Teresa. I appreciate your insight.
Thanks, Meg. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts.
Lillie,
I, for one, enjoyed the series table of contents. It worked well, allowing me to visit/review any post in the series easily and conveniently. Great idea!
Jeanne
Jeanne,
I’m glad you like the Table of Contents. I was really glad to find that plugin – it’s much easier and less error-prone than manually linking the posts as I used to do.
Thanks for your input, laane.