The same applied to the story’s characters. They were often odd and given unusual and sometimes almost “excessive” characteristics so the readers could remember them from week-to-week or month-to-month. In Great Expectations, Dickens used character tags, such as Jaggers biting his finger or Wemmick having a “post-office mouth.” While these traits or tags were a necessity because of this fragmented publishing method, this much repetition in a story published as a solid book can drive the reader crazy.
The writing for serials had to be rapid because of tight deadlines. Often the author was still plotting action or figuring out the ending as he went along, and half the book had already been published. It was a shoot-from-the-hip method in many respects because it also took into account readers’ reactions to the story. If something was not working and circulation dropped, the author could change a character’s response or add another cliffhanger to beef up the audience’s interest. The action also had to be fast because every word counted. Space in the magazines was money. In contrast to a one-thousand-page novel, Great Expectations, done in serial form, was considered downright short. The Victorians wanted a lot for their money and they expected a sweeping story with lots of twists and turns. Charles Dickens gave them exactly that and was very successful with his reading public.
