The Writing Process (and why I should probably actually use it appropriately) · 8:55pm Dec 11th, 2019
Howdy, y'all.
As some of you are likely aware, I just recently posted the first chapter of a brand new story. For reference, it is this one:
(It is also the tagged story over there in the sidebar—or wherever tagged stories appear on mobile, if that's your jam.)
Well, it turns out that this was probably an ill-advised thing to do. Allow me to explain, below the break.
You see, I have had something of a pet project rolling around in my head for the better part of the past five or six years. I call it a 'pet project' because that's what it objectively is, but it's evolved into something more resembling an obsession from my perspective. I have notes and documents and megabytes of planning material that I've worked on off-and-on for a very long time—mostly 'off,' but more 'on' now that my life is gaining stability. And as you can likely guess, this story was my first time really putting these ideas into practice so that it can become something tangible that I can read and share and be proud of.
Actually, a few of my other stories technically already exist in this continuum (or 'universe,' as the Cool Kids call it). See Her Scarf Fluttered, The Heart Beats Still, and Cosmic (incomplete, but actively being worked on again) for the most prevalent examples. However, If It Takes a Lifetime is the one I would call the official starting point of events that compose the bulk of this project.
And I thiiink I may have jumped the gun on posting it.
I was understandably (I think) excited to start sharing this with other people after sitting on it for so long, and that excitement made me rush it out the door before it was probably ready. Don't get me wrong—I am quite happy with the first chapter as it is. But I know it could be better. And really want to get this right. And the only way I feel like I can do that is by giving this more care and attention than I have been. Cadance deserves the best.
So, here's my plan, and ultimately why I'm telling you all this:
- I will be leaving the first chapter up, as is, because I think it still works as a starting point and I don't want to upset anyone who's already read it. It might be subject to change later on, but not anytime soon.
- I will be writing the rest of the story before posting any more of it. Having the whole thing put together will be helpful in making sure it's up to the standards I want. It's also how authors of original fiction typically work anyway, even if it's kind of an anomaly in fanfic.
- Once I'm done the rough draft, I will seek out beta readers to help me make this the best it can be. Not a lot of my stories have had editors/pre-readers/beta readers because I find it hard to share my creative process with others, but I'm willing to swallow my pride on this one—because more brains make better stories.
I have approximately one-third of the story written so far, and my timeline—which exists mainly because I work better with deadlines—for completing the first draft will be sometime in mid-January. After that I'll do an editing pass or two myself, and then I'll start enlisting beta readers to help refine it. All of which sounds perfectly reasonable now that I spell it out, but it helps to have actually spelled it out.
Sorry to those of you who were interested in seeing this story continued sooner rather than later, but I hope you can understand my reasoning. I want this to be something special, and hopefully I can temper my excitement and keep myself focused long enough to make that a reality.
I'll provide progress reports and inform y'all if this plan gets derailed in any way (Christmas can be a very unpredictable time, after all). In the meantime, if anyone currently reading this has interest in being a beta reader in the future, feel free to drop me a line somewhere and I'll contact you once things are ready to go.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
—Argon
Oh yeah, I can definitely be a beta reader for you. I haven't helped others like this in a long time, so this would be a good place to start. I would also advise to post this story of yours on Equestria Daily. Gets more attention that way, I think. Speaking of which, Apropos is my own passion project and it's barely gotten any attention, much to my disappointment. So I know how you feel.
5167863
Good to know you'd be willing to be a beta reader, thank you! I likely will submit it to Equestria Daily, but probably not until it's ready to be fully posted—don't want to leave potential readers hanging if I can help it!
I don't mind too much that this story hasn't gotten a lot of attention. Mostly I just need to write it, and if anyone else is interested in reading it, then that's awesome. But the more the the merrier, of course.
Will wait as long as it takes!
5168125
Aw, thank you! Glad you're invested!