W/S: Consistency

It might be because i'm Bi-Polar, and part of that is increased OCD like compensative tendencies, but i like structure. As far as that applies to books, I've read A LOT of books and there is structure in what i've read that i expect to continue in the future books i read. People act like people, even when they're not people. Nobody is perfect and those that are perfect don't deal with perfect people so leaks happen and mistakes happen and shit happpens.

So when i read or watch something i expect, and in fact often take for granted, the fact that i can tell you what happens to a certain extent with the story or plot. I expect consitency for the most part. It's when the story starts to go off in unexpected directions that i begin to doubt the writer.

As an aspiring writer of fiction, I believe that the one thing you shouldn't do is ret-con your own characters. Putting them in life changing situations in an effort to change their perspective is fine, but a friend should be a friend and an enemy should be an enemy.
And you should always know where the story starts and where it ends. Hoe you get there isn't the issue it's know when to stop and let it go. If you end up in a situation where your story is beloved and people want more you need to know when to say "it's done. that's all i've got."
Forcing an extension often results in inconsistency.

That's why I often have outlines for multiple books within a series, with the final book ending things.
Gates Crossing is actually two five book series for which the first four books are shared and there are two vaguely, but consistently different versions of the last book.