Farewell At Last · 6:55pm Oct 12th, 2019
“Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
Four years ago, I sat down and found myself frustrated with my craft.
I wanted to write. I’d wanted to make it a career for a while, but I struggled to improve myself and my work. I was OK, but I wasn’t great- and I wasn’t really going anywhere. Adding to that, everything I did on here never seemed to gain any real traction. I wasn’t happy. So, in my frustration, I sat down with a very dumb idea that required no effort at all. I didn’t have a name for the character- hell, I barely even had a name for the story. But I sat down, put out a couple thousand words, and figured I’d be done in ten chapters or so.
If you haven’t realized it already, that became my first story with Marc Reyes and Sunset -AKA Dawn- and the two would go on a massive, 200,000-plus word journey, get a massive sequel, and fundamentally transform how I thought of storytelling forever. Everything I’ve written since then –Till the Dawn, Too Close to the Sun and its sequels, even some of my own private work and perceptions of storytelling- have all been altered by that one fundamental change.
It’s been a long time since then. It’s funny to look back at She’s Gonna Kill Me! and see just how big an improvement I’ve had even since then. Compared to now, what was just finished, it’s like night and day- and even that was a monumental enhancement over anything that had come before! It’s been a lot of fun, and plenty of people have come by and found happiness in the very art I love to be part of. I love writing more than ever, and much of that is because I can now say with confidence I really am talented at it. Being here and getting actually good criticism and feedback has been a wonderful way to improve.
But the time for practice is over now. The stories and characters I have come to cherish have grown larger than this place, and need more than what I can give them here. It is time for them to become what they were always meant to be.
Do you think Ford and Celestia would always hold the same title? That Marc and Sunset would not find a way to rise and be strong again? They are meant for greater glories, and I want to tell the full story, everything I can in the best way I know how- and I want to share it with everyone. I’ve spent so much time practicing, and using a world that people already loved to tell the stories I wanted. But now I want the world these people walk in to be my own. And I can’t do that here any longer.
Look back at the journeys we have taken. We have seen hopeless, despairing people find love and a future. We have seen great failures, and greater forgiveness. There has been danger and destruction, war and peace. Gods and monsters have come forth to do battle. We have seen the totality of despair and the fullness of true, everlasting victory. It has been an incredible ride, and I only want to do more.
It is time to begin a new journey. I will hover about and respond to people for a while longer, but from now on, no work or content will be brought here ever again. Though I say my goodbyes to this place, my work is not yet finished. There are more stories to tell, more lives and experiences to be known. And, if you want, you can be there to see it: https://www.facebook.com/SunandMoonStorytellingProductions/
It is not much, and will be small- at least, only at the beginning, I hope. But I want to tell stories that are worth telling, even if doing so brings no money to my pocket. It is what I love, and that is a joy I will never trade away. So, if you wish, feel free to join in. There’s always room for one more.
Here at the end, with nothing left to say, I take my leave. Hopefully we’ll meet again, whether it be on a website, in person, or –God willing- at last seeing my name on a bookstore shelf. No matter what comes next, I hope you’ll be there. But it will not be here any longer. After all…
The only way to go is forward.
~ D. Cooper
Happy trails. Wish you the best.
I look forward to binging your final story here in full to see how far it’s come. Take care, dude.
I've only just about a month ago found your work, and oh my goodness; I can't stop myself from binging all of it. And now, as I just finish reading Love Letters, I learn of your departure from this site; just 3 days after it's been posted.
While I will miss your work on this site, I'm glad you have something to strive for, good sir.
I'll always swing by on Facebook to see what you're up to.
Happy trails, and best of luck to you.