Red Wings Chapter 9 and the Future. · 7:19am Dec 19th, 2013
So, after some deliberation on my part, I've come to a few conclusions regarding my work, and specifically Red Wings.
Looking back at Red Wings, I often wondered why I let it go to the wayside. I got burnt out, but I couldn't quite pin down why. The answer came to me a few days ago, while going over older chapters and the unedited drafts of unpublished chapters: the chapters are way too friggin' long.
I love the story, the characters, and the plot that I have in mind. I enjoy writing it. But what I don't enjoy is writing for multiple days in a row and going "GOTTA HIT 20 PAGES!" I know that I was trying to emulate the chapter length of SS&E's End of Ponies, which obviously wasn't a bad idea considering Red Wings is a spin off, but here's the truth: I'm not Skirts. Skirts has some kind of magical ability to OUTPUT, words and words, until he fills dozens of pages with his wonderful and occasionally kaizo prose, and I simply don't write like that. I like careful choices and a particular length to a chapter, and the reality is that trying to write ten thousand words for every chapter was insane for a writer like me. I enjoy shorter chapters, which I can write, edit, publish, and not have to wallow through for ~20 pages of work. I like 10, maybe 12 page chapters, shorter and more encapsulated.
So, what does this mean?
First, what it means is that Red Wings, Chapter 9, is done. It's also about 6000 words, which is short in terms of Red Wings's previous chapters. It needs some editing, but I suspect that it will be published soon.
Second, it means that Red Wings' chapter format will be shrinking by about half, to 5000 or 6000 word chapters at a go. The story isn't changing, I'm just breaking it up into more palatable bites for me to stomach writing.
Third, and probably most importantly to you, true believers, I'm starting to work on Red Wings again.
Expect a Chapter 10 before the end of January, along with a new chapter for The Sound of Diamonds, a possible one-shot, and a new 30 day writing challenge. If anybody has any topics they'd want to suggest for the writing challenge, I'm open to that as well.
So, that's all for now, true believers. I'll see you in the Wasteland.
If I only I still read things...
Ah well...
Also, for the first time in a long time...
FIRST!
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You can still read things, C2! My christmas-hatted avatar is only christmas-hatted for you, after all. And also Christmas, but that's beside the point. I'd love it if you returned to read my bite-sized new chapters.
Don't worry Propsy, I'll read them... It's not like I'm going to get EoP from Skirts or WandererD any time soon
So it's done and needs editing, eh?
*Checks email.
*Searches in vain for draft of new Red Wings chapter
Well, that's no good, getting my hopes up already when you haven't even spammed me yet. I mean, I suppose I want to look back at the last chapter again first just to get back into the feel of things, but now I actually have time to do that before feeling guilty about not diving right in? Nonsense!
P.S. Sorry about not looking at SoD past the first couple; been busy. Classes and a new internship. Finals end today though, so I'll be able to hit this up fairly quickly. [Insert emoticons for flavour (with a "u" because I spent a year in Scotland and feel entitled to use British spelling every once in a while.)]
Probably should have been first on the list in my opinion. Because all I could think of was, "WHAAAAT!? Work has resumed on Red Wings!?"
Odd...I was always under the impression that work was halted just because you were going to tie it with the next arc of EoP when it came out, and...well...that never happened.
But anyways, that's really awesome that you're working on it again. I can't wait for the next chapter.
Does this mean it's time to go back and make a revised edition of your own? ;) Shorter chapters all around!
But yeah, not a bad change. Half the time what kept me from reading them was the chapter were so dang long. I can only imagine what writing them at that length must be like.
So, what will this mean for the EoP tie-in? I know you've mentioned before that you've got about a chapter or two (long format) before that would come into play, but also that there might come a time when the waiting just has to end, and Red is going to have to just go on his own adventures. I'll assume you're holding off on the latter until room runs out on the former.
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Basically, what was once a two chapter buffer between when I'd need to wait on Skirts has become about a six chapter buffer. I'm going to take this story arc up to its furthest possible point, and then I'll see where Skirts is at in terms of End of Ponies.