Chapter order.

So someone told me they were annoyed how the Halloween special keeps tricking them into thinking there's an extra chapter.
Want me to stick it where I first made it? Or should I keep it at the end so it doesn't disturb the flow for new readers?

Comments

[Leila Drake]

You could rename it with a tag of some kind, like "Halloween Interlude" of "Non-Canon Chapter"...that way it would not matter where it is in the chapter order.

[MadMaxtheBlack]

I'd leave it as is, but mark it as a non-canon chapter. If they complain after that, it's because they aren't very observant.

[Lost_Marbles]

2762046
That is what I would do. Have the title show that this isn't part of the main plot. I've seen other stories do something similar, but they also do one of two things:
1) They move it to the end after renaming it ("Bonus Chapter" "Joke Chapter" or the like)
-or-
2) They have it as its own stand-alone but label it as a sequel. (The April Fools' day chapter of Anthropology did this)

[PinkiePieFox]

All of the comments bring up good points. I myself vote for the, Just put it back where it was. Its already marked as a bonus non cannon chapter. This would help with the not having to bump it down to the bottom every time you make a new chapter and also it would prevent people giving their hopes up on a surprise chapter that they thought mite have just been posted soon after reading the latest chapter.

Just my thoughts on it though....

[PinkiePieFox]

ON another note, Even if it is not cannon in the story, the way the chapter is set up its like he passed out in the last chapter and then had this crazy dream which is the non cannon chapter and then it goes on with the story from there... Atleast that is the way I seen it.

The dream mite not bring anything more to the story later on but it was a crazy dream he had even if it is not part of the story. Kinda intersting.

[Aziraphael]

Meh, I think it's fine where it is. I'm sure they'll get over it. And if they don't, you can always just use changeling names as puns in your responses to their ranting, just for the lulz.

[djthomp]

It would be nice it it wasn't at the end, that way the new chapters are always at the bottom.

Doesn't really matter, though.

[devas]

Id prefer if it were not at the end

[Aenbr]

I also prefer it not at the end.

[ymom2]

My OCD wants you to stick it in the middle.

[Unknownlight]

I'd keep it at the end, personally. It's not part of the story, and a new reader clicking next, next, next through the chapters probably isn't paying attention to the chapter titles.

[Lord Destrustor]

I left my christmas special chapter where I first wrote it and it didn't cause any problems yet. (at least, no one said anything.)
So it's really up to you. I see no harm in either option.

[PiercingSight]

You can leave it in the middle of the fic where it originally was so that those reading the first time around will get caught in the gotcha moment, and those who've already read it won't end up accidentally reading it again when an update comes out. That would be preferred.

[Crazy Eye]

Do what jasonthehuman did with anthropology. seperate it completely.
the story
april fools day chapter
It being at the end is kind of annoying.

[xoid]

2762065
If non‐canonical chapters are included in a single work they need to be clearly delineated, preferably with “(Bonus Chapter, non‐canonical)” or something similar. A plain “(Bonus Chapter)” is ambiguous: it can give new readers the impression that the author decided to work overtime and release an extra chapter ahead of schedule… at least until the absurdity of the chapter hits you, then it simply becomes annoying that it wasn’t more clearly labelled. (No, the fact that chapters’ submission aren’t regularly spaced apart isn’t enough to signify otherwise — plenty of authors’ manage to miss their self‐imposed schedule.)

edit:
On a related note, just labelling a chapter as an April Fools’ or Halloween chapter isn’t really good enough either for the same reason: ambiguity. Some absurd chapters in an otherwise serious work actually take place. e.g., When referenced in a canonical chapter with something akin to “man, that was a weird dream”. More rarely you’ll find an April Fools’ chapter where the characters prank each other because it is April Foals’ Day, or a Halloween chapter where it is Nightmare Night.

[Xion_Stellar]

I actually know some writers make those paticular type of chapters "seasonal" and delist or remove those chapters when their window of revelance has passed (So for Halloween that would be the month of October). Of course that adds to the annoying task of having to put the chapter back up each year when the time is right until your done with the fic so I don't think it's a sound solution.

[Dan_s Comments]

It's fine. I had a chance to collaborate with another author, so I wrote the epilogue before the story was finished. I let people be confused.