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The serialisation of an unfinished manuscript is, basically, the serving up piecemeal of a WIP -- a rough first draft. And you know what Hemingway said of those: "The first draft of anything is shit."
I've seldom come across a complete manuscript, even by an experienced author, that wasn't in need of serious revision ... never mind one written in episodes by the seat of the pants.
Remember when we quote Dickens as a serial author we are not speaking of an 'ordinary' writer. The man was near genius. But even he worked to a strong outline and was always several episodes ahead of publication. And anyone who has seen his first drafts in his own hand will realise just how much strict self-editing was necessary, even by a such a grand master of the genre. Neil
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