That 800 page fanfic I read back in 2012 still haunts me compared to the stuff people crank out now

I used to follow this one story on a forum that took like 6 months just to get through the first chapter. The author would post updates every Sunday night and people would actually wait. No AI, no ghostwriters, just pure buildup. The romance subplot didn't even start until chapter 40. These days everyone wants the payoff in 3 posts or they scroll on. Has anyone else noticed the pacing shift in online stories over the last 10 years?

2 comments

2 Comments

bencampbell7d ago

Best way around this is to find a writer's personal discord or subscribe to a patreon where they post WIP chapters as they finish them. Those early access readers usually get the slow burn stuff way before the public release.

lee.cole5d ago

So you're telling me we used to wait 6 months for a single chapter and now people lose their minds if a writer takes a whole week? Yeah the pacing shift is real. Kids today don't know the pain of checking a forum every day for a year just to get a single kiss scene. I bet half these new writers never had to kill their darlings because the story was dragging so bad even the readers begged for a time skip. At least the slow burn era taught us patience. Now it's all instant gratification and writers burning out after 10 chapters.