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How long can a Storybook go on for?



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Tue Oct 25, 2016 11:28 am
SirenCymbaline says...



This is coming from a relative newbie to storybooks that don't flop and die a week or so in- when a storybook is successful, how long can it go on for? how long is the average? how long was the longest one?
Bad souls have born better sons, better souls born worse ones -St Vincent





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Sun Nov 27, 2016 7:51 pm
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Lumi says...



I recently wrapped up a completed storybook with a group of friends that lasted two years.

I know of another that started around the same time ~September 2014 that's still going at a very slow pace (ask @AstralHunter or @TheSilverFox about it and they'll rave.)

Basically as long as you and your friends are having fun, a story can go on ad infinitum. The problems come up when life gets in the way--but if you go in understanding that life WILL happen and that you can adapt and calmly wait it out, maybe work around it, then yours can go on forever, too.

Most last somewhere between a month to six months. Some spawn sequels.
I am a forest fire and an ocean, and I will burn you just as much
as I will drown everything you have inside.
-Shinji Moon


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Sun Nov 27, 2016 9:53 pm
BrumalHunter says...



Oh, @Lumi is correct in saying that I can go on about this for hours, but that's because I once, during my first year here on YWS, scoured the entire Storybook Archive (not joking) to answer the exact same question you're asking now.

There are several things to consider when creating a storybook. These factors can most definitely influence the storybook's success, so it would be a good idea to keep them in mind.

♦ setting
♦ plot
♦ planning
♦ timing

The first two points refer to the integral parts of a storybook. Sometimes people just aren't in the mood for another zombie apocalypse or another space sci-fi. The third point refers to the amount of effort the creator put into the storybook, because you can believe that a poorly planned SB will fail as quickly as any ill-devised endeavour. The final point refers to how eagerly people want to join. If something's being hyped in real life, a fanfiction about that might be a good idea, but if there's too much competition, people might feel the storybook is boring.

If I had to identify the single most common reason for the expiration of a storybook, I'd say it's lack of participation. As long as you have frequent posters, you're fine, and even if the SB stagnates, just ensure everybody wants to keep writing for it. This may lead to inviting certain users to roleplay with you, not only because you like working with them, but also because you know they're trustworthy. But that should never mean you disallow newer storybookers from joining. Do that, and you might just turn away a future best friend.

To build on that idea, I recommend creating storybooks with relatively few character slots, because the more participants there are, the more pillars the SB needs to remain standing, and therefore the more potential liabilities you have. If you do end up having an infrequent poster, feel free to warn them that their position in the story is at risk. Rather cut of the hand than lose the whole body, you know?

Of course, most of this advice is of use only to the storybook creator. If you're just a participant, the best you can do to keep the SB alive is by posting frequently and encouraging the others to do the same.

The example Lumi mentioned has indeed been going on for years, and I am now the age my character was (and still is) when we started, namely nineteen. The plot is complex and long, so it will probably take years more to finish, but the dedication and passion for the storybook is still there. We haven't lost a single participant because we all care for it that much. We even schedule breaks during which no posting happens, and even when life interveres, the DT remains active. Whether it relates to the story or not, we sustain the interest and constantly remind ourselves it's still a thing.

That's the best advice I can give you. It took me about an hour of writing this, since I get distracted easily, so I shall leave it at that. If you have any further enquiries, however, ask away! We shall always be willing to answer.
But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
— Paul the Apostle

Winter is inevitable. Spring will return eventually, and AstralHunter with it.








To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.
— Proverbs 18:13