I Suck at Mystery (Please Read, And Spoiler Warning) · 5:59pm Nov 4th, 2013
So I think enough time has passed that I can talk about the elephant in the room, that being the resolution at the end of Dreams and Disasters: Chapter Nine.
I've always sought to try and tell a good mystery, but I have found myself, and through the words of those who have edited my material, to be quite lacking in that genre of writing.
With some long discussions and contemplating, help from friends and editors, I tried once again to flex my writing muscles to create an interesting spin of mystery within the actions of Vanille during Twilight and Dash's trip to Prance.
And the results? Well, they have been very mixed, to say the least. Some of you found it convoluted, some of you didn't. Some of you were able to figure out the mystery anyways, and some of you didn't. So, was the chapter a failure? I don't think so. But was it a success? Probably not that either.
In what I was trying to do, I essentially tried to take the fluff out of what was from the start a lighthearted adventure story with a romance plot, and I strayed too far. And that is not what this story really needed, and for that, I really only have myself and my silly ambitions to blame.
So, am I going to revise it to make sense because a good portion of you thought it was meh? Probably not. I might go back and tweak certain aspects, but as for a complete rewrite? I'm just too busy to handle that kind of extra work if I ever want to reach the story's end.
So in that regard, the chapter will remain as it is, serving as a reminder of sorts, to me of how not to do a fluffy shipping story.
What I will be doing is releasing the next chapter a week early. Chapter ten was meant to explain Vanille's reasons of what she was doing and why she was doing it, in a sort of denouement to the Prance Arc, and I don't see any reason to change that either, only give it to you all sooner to put some answers to bed.
Will it answer all of your questions? Probably not. Will it satisfy you? Maybe, maybe not. All I can ask is that you read it and find out. Afterwards, I will get this story back on the right track, the one you all have come to expect from this story, the one I should have done from the start.
So keep your criticism at hand, because I do enjoy reading the comments, even if they aren't the best, as long as they have some actual feedback, I am more than happy to listen to your concerns and improve my writing ability. Or else I wont be getting anywhere.
Thanks again for your patience and understanding, and happy reading.
-Quillery
You have limitations. Nothing to be ashamed of, so long as you're aware of them.
No one got hurt, no one was slighted, and it's a fair learning experience.
Now... You did say more story right?
*Rubs hands together eagerly*
Hey, I have no problem with this KIND of thing. Frankly I think it's great to add light adventure to a story that would otherwise be pure fluff.
It's just I have no idea how it made the slightest bit of sense for the Queen and her guards to be doing... whatever they were doing. I have hopes that the upcoming explanation clears things up. I wouldn't even mind if the whole thing remains ludicrous objectively, so long as it made sense to the Queen and her guards.
I'm with Arzoo on this, as long as it makes sense to the Queen and Guards.
And as for you "sucking" at mystery, I'm gonna go with the cliché of not knowing till one tries.
In my opinion it was nowhere close to a disaster or anything, just a little less good than the rest.