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kamikamiya Needs To Do Her Work! from Here and Deviantart Since: Jan, 2001
Needs To Do Her Work!
#1: Apr 26th 2011 at 9:55:00 AM

In this comic I'm writing, I basically have three main plotlines going on that are almost independent of each other, but they all still have elements that affect the others. What would be a good way between alternating between the plots. I was thinking of doing it on a chapter by chapter basis, but that may be too jarring for the reader. I'd like all three plots to progress at relatively the same pace

But Don't Forget Knuckles O'Shaughnessy!
CrystalGlacia from at least we're not detroit Since: May, 2009
#2: Apr 26th 2011 at 10:13:46 AM

You mean alternating storylines per chapter?

That actually sounds... not very jarring at all. To me, at least.

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#3: Apr 26th 2011 at 10:15:38 AM

Yeah, manga does stuff like that fairly frequently.

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
Fancolors I draw stuff. from Land of the Mamelucos Since: Nov, 2010
I draw stuff.
#4: Apr 26th 2011 at 12:07:42 PM

Well, that depends on the number of pages and how fast your story progresses, if you add too much information at once the readers might think of it as confusing and hard to follow simultaneous plots. Other than that, it doesn't sound jarring.

Ronka87 Maid of Win from the mouth of madness. Since: Jun, 2009
Maid of Win
#5: Apr 26th 2011 at 12:25:10 PM

Most stories with multiple arcs split them up by chapter, so if it's jarring, it's at least well-established. Personally, I don't find it jarring. The only worry I would have is if it's a webcomic, because the update schedule is slower so readers might not remember details from earlier chapters 'cause they happened months before. If it's a comic meant to be read in a few sittings, splitting by chapters is the best way.

Thanks for the all fish!
Wolf1066 Crazy Kiwi from New Zealand Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: Dancing with myself
Crazy Kiwi
#6: Apr 26th 2011 at 1:50:02 PM

I've not only seen two story arcs broken up by alternating chapters, the author used ever-decreasing chapter length as the primary characters of each arc came closer to meeting and joining their arcs into one - quite effectively done, actually, and built up the expectation.

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