Narrative serialization is the worst-case instance of the batch-size reduction problem. cc
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Totally ordered sequence of bespoke tasks, payoffs at end, linkages that span first to last outputs (eg. clue on page 1 of murder mystery)
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Simply breaking up the narrative into arbitrary chapters makes every chunk unsatisfying. The first chapter of a mystery is all Chekov guns.
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In creating "batches" (chapter-sized "releases") you have to create artificial 'episode arcs', cliffhangers and subplot wraps
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You also have to keep the long-arc logic and momentum developing and not dissipating.
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A truly complex narrative like a novel, if serialized, probably acquires additional 20-50% "batching" epicycles
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My point: there is a tradeoff between batch size reduction and narrative serialization costs and a crossover line where former beats latter
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This sounds the same as the programming debate around how small code modules should be. If too small, hard to reconstruct "code narrative"
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Specifically, what are the characteristics of programming projects that are more like novels versus more like short stories?
functions fall on a spectrum between aphorisms and short stories. The actual program (collection of functions) is novel-like.
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