A Final Progress Report, Concerning the Epilogue · 7:55am Jan 17th, 2021
At the time of this post, the final chapter of Magic of the Heart is 75% written.
The fact that I have managed to churn out 20,000 words in the last two weeks while also working long hours, and being really satisfied with how those words have come out, is nothing short of astronomical. Sometimes I feel like I've developed the characters I write so much that they're the ones doing the talking, and I've just been given the honor of transcribing those conversations. Which is a wonderful feeling, and also means I make quick progress. This is one of those times.
Anyway, I had originally said I was going to release the final chapter and the epilogue simultaneously, but to be honest I'm kind of on the fence about that. Chapter 20 is a big deal, and I don't want its many, many big events to be quickly forgotten in the comments in favor of commenting on the much shorter epilogue. On the other hand, releasing the epilogue (only a few thousand words, probably) by itself might make it feel like an afterthought. Chapter 20 is the finale, so maybe the epilogue should be considered part of that finale, since it's a final reflection on everything that happened in the book.
I'm having trouble deciding, since there seem to be pros and cons to doing it either way, so I'm fishing for opinions. What do you guys think? Release the finale and epilogue together? Or save the epilogue for a short time (2 or 3 days) after the finale?
Thanks for your patience. The next blog post I make will be the one announcing the finale's release date!
~PRB
It really is a hard choice.
One- We get the 'Oh so that's what happened after!' sort of story with them combined.
Two- We get to enjoy the 'Oh! New Chapter! Yes! Lets find out what happened!'
I think Separation would work, since it does mean we get to experience it this way. The Epilogue doesn't have to be a bad thing if it's not part of the main finale.
I like the thought of being able to read it separate honestly.
I'd personally want to read them separately.
If they are worth breaking up into a chapter and separate epilogue, they are worth posting apart.
I feel posting them separately is a good idea. As you said, Chapter 20 is about this story and the epilogue tells another part. They need to have their own day to shine.
Giving it a few days for people to digest CHapter 20 would be good, I think!!
I agree, give it a few days before you release the epilogue. I read plenty of stories that went that way, never thought the epilogue felt like an afterthought. The risk of the final chapter kinda getting overshadowed by the epilogue if you release them simultaneously is much higher. Give us a few days to digest the final chapter, that way it will be remembered better.
As many others are saying, I like the idea of releasing the epilogue later so we can really savour chapter 20 and let it sit in out minds for a while before the epilogue is released.
Also, since no one else is saying it, chapter 20 is already 3/4 done?! That's crazy!!!
congratulations on how fast you're writing, it's truly a wonder to behold!
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In the 2 more days that have passed since this blog, I've gotten even further. 90% done now.
But it doesn't release the moment I'm finished writing. My editors take a look first and suggest changes/fix errors.