Neighbors going on Hiatus. · 1:06am Apr 13th, 2018
So... yeah. If you're here, you probably noticed that I finally pulled the trigger on Neighbors. Don't worry, it's not going anywhere, but it's not getting updated either. I'm sure this comes as no surprise, the story hasn't updated in like 3 years. Even so I know there's a handful of people out there that held out hope. To those people, I'm sorry to let you down.
It just wasn't happening. I wanted to get back to this one, I did it's just... I lost my passion for it. I still love this story, and am so proud of it, but I just can't go back to it at this point. I've tried going back and re-reading, see if I can get in the groove, and all I saw was things I wanted to change and fix. My writing has evolved, as has my view of the Dazzlings' characters. I just couldn't go back and pick it up at this point, and it be the same story.
Thank you for understanding.
Sorry for the sudden decision, I wanted to get Chapter 21 out first, but it's just not coming along. I realize pacing has been pretty slow lately, but it's not been for lack of trying. I've been working on little else since December.
Honestly, I'm just tired of it right now. Not drop it and cancel the story tired, but definitely step away and stop thinking about it for a couple months tired. That being said, I think this is the best possible time to take a hiatus. Nightmare Night had been the landmark I'd been working toward pretty much since the story began. It was meant to be Chapter 10. But the story has grown on me so much since I started, both literally and figuratively, and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. Monday marked one year since Sisterhood was published, and since then I've published 21 chapters and nearly 100k words between the two stories. That's the length of your average novel! I mean, if someone had told me this time last year that I would have written a novel in 12 months, I'd have thought they were mocking me!
So no, I won't be dropping the story. But this is a good place to take a break. It ends the first phase of the siren's growth. They've reconciled with the Rainbooms, and are in a far more stable situation than they were before, even if it's not perfect. Moving forward, there's still so much for them to do, and I want to be able to enjoy it alongside you, but for that I need to recharge for a while. I have other stories I want to write, those little ideas that get in your head and won't go away, and I've got to play with them a bit. Maybe they'll show up on here, maybe not. But hopefully once all is said and done I'll be able to return to the project with the same enthusiasm I had when I started.
This is a common problem authors face, I am guilty of not writing a thing for quite some time, the drive hasn't been there, but I am confident it will pick up again eventually. So if you need to take a break to recharge the batteries that's not a problem for me. I've enjoyed the story quite nicely since discovering it and I can wait patiently for it to return. When you are ready.
It's perfectly fine, better to take a break than to fully burn out.
Hey it's alright, Angel. It's your project and it's come along amazingly in all this time, I reckon you deserve to take a break and do what you're more creatively interested in right now.
Thanks for letting us know, I'm always happy to see you in my notifications.
Thank you, good luck and keep it up! <3
No-one can honestly blame you for taking a break, enjoy it and we will wait with anticipation for your return. And hey, at least you recognized that you needed a rest. To many authors try to force themselves to continue and end up burning out.
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Thank you for the kind words everyone.
Well, huh.
I know exactly why I stopped hunting for updates to your story, but for me it just doesn't feel that long. (I've had it confirmed from mental health professionals that when someone becomes homeless their sense of time goes right out the window) I'm finally in a place where I'm getting my feet under me solidly, getting back into my own writing, getting my health addressed...and a bunch of stories I love are getting canceled or the authors have dropped off the map.
I understand where you're coming from, and sorry for the late check-in, but I'll keep this in my "on hiatus" watch folder.
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Aaah, sounds like you've had a rough time of it. I hope things are going much better for you and I'm glad my story could help in some small way. Thank you for the kind words.
I accept this. I may not like it, but your views are what they are.
Maybe this story and the one before can’t be rewritten so easily, but the faint possibility makes me wonder…
What about a reboot? Start from scratch? Same idea, but different coat of paint, so to speak?