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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The book batch size reduction isn't to chapters, it's to an outline, of resonant elements
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If I understand the spirit of your suggestion, though, it's more like an MVP or a short story version of a future novel-length treatment
No, I mean outline. Which btw is absolutely testable in public, if not too compressed or in private language - as writing seminars taught me
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Testing!= release! Very few people would pay for the outline of a novel as opposed to a chapter they can actually read and get value from

