Wow. · 6:50am Sep 16th, 2014
To call Please Don't Say Yes a success would be an understatement. The response to this fic has been bigger and better than I ever expected.
Thank you all so much!
Seriously, I didn't have high hopes for this story. It felt really hard to get the words on the page, then I kept going over it, and probably bugged my friends to downright annoyance with how many times I was like 'CAN YOU READ THIS WHAT CAN I FIX BLUH NUH MUH'. In fact, it wasn't even labelled as a mystery fic when I first published it. I half wanted it to slip under the radar; be one of those sleeper hits in my collection that someone just coming across my page can see, take a quick look, and have it be just a little weird thing.
Safe to say, that didn't happen. It got up to number two in the featured box, I kept coming back to 50+ notifications at least, almost 3,000 views, nearly 100 comments, and I have passed over another hundred milestone of watchers. Again, thank you guys so much.
So let's discuss future projects. Mainly, more mystery fics. I find them really fun to write and I love seeing what people come up with in terms of what they think happened in them. Especially when what they list are ideas I never considered when writing.
If you have time, I'd like you to answer a few questions:
1) Should I write more mystery fics?
2) Do you want them to be easier or harder to figure out?
3) What details are okay to be left vague and what should be explained? (Characters, setting, past events, etc.)
4) Should I, at some point in the future of writing them, include an actual explanation as to what was going through my mind when writing?
While your answers will be taken into careful consideration, I am going to say that I'll be experimenting a fair bit.
One more time, thank you all for the feedback of the latest story. Just... wow.
By the way, if you're a new watcher and enjoyed PDSY, may I also recommend Stars Over Manehattan, another mystery-esque fic? More story, more romance (kind of cloppy), and less(?) depressing(?) themes(?). Hope you enjoy.
1. Yes
2.Slightly more easy
3.It's fine the way it was in PDSY
4.100%
1) }
2) }-----> Ambiguity is fun and makes people fill in details/think/speculate. I like to think.
3) }
4) If you do this, I might purposefully avoid reading it. Blade Runner's director's cut was a letdown for me compared to the ambiguity of the original, and so were Ridley Scott's statements in subsequent interviews on the subject.
I guess it really bothers some people, not knowing. Doesn't bother me. And you know, even if people flail around about it, that can still draw in more customers over the spectacle of the thing.
I'm just glad you're enthused.
More mystery fics? Sure.
Difficulty? Harder. If I want to challenge myself, I like having the option. If not, I can always just wait until the end to make a few guesses, then read the comments.
What to hide? I have no opinion on this, since I have no idea what works. Sure, I read all the Sherlock Holmes books, but I was more a Garth Nix/Piers Anthony/Brian Jacques guy growing up.
Spoils everything? In a blog post or a separate chapter that details how the story evolved. As long as it isn't part of the story itself, and is clearly labeled as an explanation to the story, it should satisfy most segments of the population.
I'm glad you like making mysteries, because I like making wild guesses about the plot for stories I like! I seem to have hit upon the character in PDSY early if the comments are anything to go by, and it was fun seeing the evidence build. Still, experimenting for future fics is definitely the way to go. At the very least, it'll keep us from getting complacent in how we approach your mysteries.
1) Yes. Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes.
2) I can see the appeal of people wanting them to be easier, considering PDSY had a lot of comments of people saying they didn't understand, but...I personally want a more challenging mystery. In PDSY I feel most people guessed right after only one read, I want to actually scan over clues and whatnot to find a more competant answer, but that could just be me.
3)As vague as you want, Mr. Gears, as vague as you want.
4)If you want to include an explanation,. why not.
1:YES YES YES YES
2: PDSY is pretty hard to figure out(still haven't figured it out yet) but I say bring the next wave in with more difficulty! (Or maybe another chapter :P)
3:I say whichever, either make everything vague, or make one thing extremely vague. Whatever you want.
4:Maybe, matters by the fic. If anything, give it some time before posting any sort of explanation. Either through story or just some random blog post.
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But no, you should totally do more of this stuff, even if I'm a dumbass who can't understand context clues for my life.
Congrats are in order pal. I never doubted that it'd be a hit!
1) Yes!
2) A variety would be good
3) I depends on how confused you want to make your readers.
4) Maybe a few weeks after all the theories have been exhausted.
The only way I can enjoy stories these days (for various long and dumb reasons) if by downloading a bunch onto my ereader and going through them at home where I'm without Internet access. I'm also someone who gets … itchy in the brain when he’s left without a decent idea of what he just read (or even just what he's reading), overall quality notwithstanding.
For these reasons, I have no opinion/preference regarding making the stories vaguer or tougher to guess (much as I might grumble a bit while I read), but please do include an explanation – as much or as little as you're willing to share, anyway – either as an author's note or a separate chapter to the same story. (A blog post might work, but I would only see it if it's released concurrently with the story when I’m harvesting my reading list.)
’Course, your stories are excellent and enjoyable regardless and I’ll keep reading whatever you choose. T’would just be more convenient for me, is all.