Hiatus Announcement(s). · 7:03am Feb 24th, 2023
So, it finally happened.
As you know, I've been juggling a good number of stories for quite a while. And as of this evening, I ended up spending nearly a whole day writing an update, only to throw the entire thing out. I forgot critical information and ended up writing something that was completely nonsensical in the grand scheme of things. I've made small mistakes before, you all have probably spotted one or two of them, but this was the first time I couldn't spend 20 minutes fixing things.
An entire day's work rendered unsalvageable because I've had too much going on is simply unacceptable.
I've got nearly a dozen stories on the go, and have been having trouble giving them the attention they need for a while. Now, with this final nail in the coffin, I've made the somewhat sad decision to put two of the "big three" stories on ice for a while.
Infestation will go on immediate hiatus, while First Law will go on one after I've finished the next chapter and concluded this arc. The current plan is to finish Born In Light, and then move on to finishing First Law. After that, I'll continue knocking down stories until they are all done. (Born In Light should only take two months before concluding)
This means I will be writing multiple chapters of whatever story is currently on the chopping block. Born In Light will be receiving three a month, and then when it's First Law's turn it will be two a month. Once that's done, Infestation will be another three-month fic, etc.
That being said, I wanted to put the question before you all. What are your thoughts/opinions on this change?
I think this change will help me improve quality, and allow me to spend more time working on the words I owe you all, but I'd really like to hear what you think about this change.
A whole day gone is a deep pain.
Take all the time you need. Quality over quantity is always the best
5715014
Thats the thing. There still will be plenty of updates, just for one story at a time. Trying to juggle so many plotlines is just too much.
I did wonder how you kept your many stories strait in your head. Sometimes a notebook of notes for each story just doesn't completely cut it. This will for sure cut down on your stress levels.
5715014
I fully support this, better slow and safe
Eventually volume hits quality, take care and we love your stories
I know your pain. bro. I've had to completely scrap chapters because I felt like I was going completely off the rails with it.
5715017
It goes along way, and its certainly something I can do, but the stress and chance for fuck ups are high. I have too little time in the day to spend hours on something only to have to throw it all out.
You won't get any complaints from me. At least you have a plan you're willing to follow and are relatively consistent. I also have a ton of stories I'm trying to juggle and while I like to think I always update all my stories eventually I'm too fickle a writer to be relied upon to post in a timely manner. I'm trying to change that but I get distracted by other interests far too easily.
But yeah, if you need a break, there's nothing wrong with that.
It saddens me that Infestation will be on the back burner for a long while because I'm a Starcraft fan, but I am also eager to see one of your stories reach its conclusion. It warms my heart to see a story written all the way through.
Great, and I mean it, I won't mind waiting for them if I'll get 3 chapters on month
That is fine. So long as you take your time to rest, I am certain everythig will turn out fine.
As long as you don’t leave the fandom altogether I’m fine. I really like this story the thought that the site might one day shut down due to inactivity and losing all stories like this that haven’t been personally archived and no more being made is terrifying to me.
5715069
I second this.
Take as much time as you need Jest, we only ask that you periodically say hi.
As to the site being taken down...it would be very sad. I have found some of the stories in actual print, but a great deal more are exclusive to here, unless the writer has a blog or other means of archiving it they would be effectively lost to the aether as it were.
You have done amazing keeping everything straight for so long. I have enough trouble keeping track of mine one sometimes. Seeing how much you managed to do has been one of the inspiration keeping me writing on my story.
Thank you for sharing your stories with us.
I wish you luck dude, only you know what is best for yourself.
Never could understand why fanfic authors would insist on juggling more than 2-3 in-progress stories at a time (unless they were particularly short, like 50k words or so). I mean, I'd read about "oh, well my muse demanded, lol" and similar things, but the end result (unless the author was an absolute beast in terms of productivity) was always that everything in progress would suffer in terms of release schedule and overall quality.
And then stories would be dropped as the workload got too much or the "muse" wandered off to something else more interesting, leaving behind a bunch of unfinished material to the frustration of the people who were actually following it. Always left me thinking that the muse needs to be put on a leash and trained to heel on command.
But any way, to answer your question. I'm firmly in favor of whatever gets the story done soonest and with the highest possible quality. If that means putting it on a shelf for a bit to clear your queue, so be it. (Though I'd have preferred First Law be up at the head of the line
.)
5715118
I think it depends on how the person operates...
Perhaps people who struggle focusing on one thing, get bored easily, or simply need more time to figure a story out so they jump on to another COULD find juggling nmore than one story more productive?
5715143
I can only speak for myself, but I did it for years, crushing sometimes up to 15 different stories a month, but I just cant do the stress anymore. Takes a toll on the brain, and demands a level of dedication and commitment that is difficult to balance with real life.
Focusing on one thing is fine. Do not overload yourself by trying to keep up with all the hares.
Perhaps I don’t understand something, but the quality of your work was already on top. If it gets even higher, then I will jump to the ceiling for joy.
In addition, in this way those who are not ready to enter into the position of another person and wait will be eliminated.
Where does this 'owe' idea come from?
5715171
Thats directed mainly at patreon supporters who I owe words to.
You've been keeping multiple stories going at once for a good long while, I'm admittedly surprised this didn't happen earlier.
Not to say anything against your writing and scheduling ability, it's just that keeping that pace up for multiple stories non-stop isn't very sustainable, same with anything really.
5715159
LOL! Perhaps FIFTEEN is a bit much...
I was talking about at most like... 3 at a time and even then being casual about it and updating whichever one you wanted to at the time... not finishing all three at once on a specific schedule...
5715143
Literally me lmao
5715118
Meanwhile me: juggles 0-(-1) stories (unless they're particularly long, like 500 words or more)
5715159
The trick is to not have a real life
[For legal reasons, this is a joke]
5715202
Yeah I agree
Take a mental health break from writing and come back once you're feeling better
so did you put a bunch of the stories in a hidden mode until you can get to them then? i noticed this announcement because the necromancer tree story and the mother gaia story both vanished off my tracked list. either way i hope you get the much deserved rest you need, can't imagine splitting your attention in so any directions
(edit) maybe it's just a bug on my end, they all just re-appeared after multiple refreshes of the page
Honestly, this is the only thing you can do. If you notice, that you cannot continue doing as usual you need to drop some stories. I guess you could cancel half right now, but I that is something Fans really don´t like. So... finish a few stories to take the drain off you. We will wait. Well... I will wait, not sure about the other ones! :)
5715273
Its just a bug. The only thing I changed was to put Infestation on hiatus.
5715326
Not a bug, a feature.
Thank you for the update Jest - I just finished the last chapter of The First Lae of Magic, and I'm absolutely addicted! You have a true skill with world building and character design!