Generic Monthly Update: August · 4:33pm Aug 7th, 2014
My obligation to post a mildly-relevant gif is fulfilled for this month. I am also obligated to say some words, I suppose. You might have to scroll for a bit to reach the section about actual content.
Unfortunately I will not have nearly as much to say for myself this month as I did for July. The courses I took over the summer are swiftly coming to a close, which you all should know means copious amounts of exams and project work. We're also recovering at my place of employment from a wide array of projects we only half-implemented in July, so I have been busy with work as well, tidying up what remains of that stuff.
That's most of the boring bit, but the other part of it worth mentioning is that, for some piss-poor reason, my financial aid for the fall semester hit three days late, causing all of my courses to drop. In other words, I will have no classes consuming my time in the fall, and while this is hardly conducive to "pursuing my degree" I would be lying if I said I was upset. The courses I had registered for were more just to stay enrolled and defer student loans: my real credits are locked away in a transcript being held, but I digress.
The only reason this would be relevant to any of you is because either:
A) You actually care.
B) It returns a copious amount of free time to me.
Assuming 'B', this should give me much, much more time to work on Visionary's rework. Regarding that, I have gone back and forth on a couple of initially minor (major long term) plot points in the primary series itself, and have yet to reach a conclusion either way for most of them. Indecision has sort of been the benchmark of my writing career, if you haven't noticed, and planning ahead has never been my forte. I have managed to narrow these items down to only two paths each, so that in a way is comforting. Rest assured that whichever way they go, Visionary will remain a strong and compelling tale all its own.
The items I am so vaguely referencing here have little direct impact on Visionary's core series itself. However, these plot points do carry weight as the timeline moves ahead in the universe beyond the borders of the V-core. Since they carry such long-term impact with them, I've probably been spending more time on them than needed, and have decided for the most part to give them a rest, as they don't even need to be considered until well into book one of Visionary's rework. Laying things aside is difficult for me, but I am doing my best to keep it from impacting the early parts of the work and holding me back from writing the majority of the first chapters.
In that regard, I am in a temporary pause due to work, classes, and also a need for feedback from the (incredibly) small group I am using to smooth out the wrinkles in the plot as they form, since retroactive plot editing is the most painful thing on the planet. The (incredibly) small group that is assisting me with this matter is currently distracted, for lack of a better word, and so I'm not really able to move forward until they become unoccupied. It would not be a stopping point if the first three chapters of the story were not so absolutely critical to... well, everything.
I don't expect to be put off for more than a week, really, and since this coincides with my summer final exams, it's a non-issue, but as previous (and potential future) followers of my work, I feel that I owe it to you to keep you honestly apprised of the situation as much as I am able.
As mentioned in passing, I should have far more time to work on the story in the fall. Whether this is true of the (incredibly) small group assisting me or not is another matter entirely. However, past a certain point, their feedback will be less 'necessary' and more 'beneficial', allowing me to move forward without that minor restriction. As I said, these first few chapters simply contain too much vital content to be overlooked even a little bit.
In some slightly less redundant-sounding news, I have done something that a few of the more die-hard readers, who have still stuck with me, might be a little bummed about. Obviously you are all (if you read my blogs) aware that Chris Bowling is becoming a huge part of this universe, and it would only be true to assume he is part of my proactive editing process. However, very early on I stated that I would not be posting any part of the new Visionary, or sharing it with anyone, until it was completed.
There have been slight exceptions to that besides Chris, who is very much co-author of the universe at this point. I have not shared the documents or ideas of the story with anyone online, and certainly no one here at FimFiction, but I have allowed the first chapter to be read by certain individuals I know personally. Even though that's probably reasonable, and should even likely be expected of me, it runs contrary to my initial claim that I would not share at all, and for that I sincerely apologize.
This might seem like a slight to some of you, who have been incredibly loyal readers of the series when it was an MLP fanfiction, and rightly so. However, my intention is to recreate Visionary as a truly powerful and original work... and unfortunately I need a control group. The fans of the original already have a certain opinion of the story and its universe, as well as a standard to which they hold my work. Sadly, this does not make the fans of the original the best source of objective criticism, something the new, original version badly needs to be successful. Though I have always refused to allow reader feedback to change my plot-lines or alter my content, I do need the readers to help me understand the flaws in my presentation... and presentation, for the first time to me, is absolutely key.
I have only let two people, whom I know personally, read any of the work thus far besides Chris. One key feature of these two people was that they read in the fantasy genre a ridiculous amount: they have a great deal of reader's experience in the media I want to launch this story into. But, most importantly, they had never read a single word of my work from any source until they read the first chapter of Visionary 2.0.
The results were uplifting, to say the least. Both of the readers of the first chapter felt that it was very well written (and even had trouble believing I had actually written it). Both also felt that the presentation of the content was clear and concise (as in not redundant, or redundant), something I typically struggle with, especially when beginning a story. The long and short of it was that they both felt it had excellent potential to be a professional work, and while two people is hardly a sizable or reliable sample, I do trust their judgement. Neither are the type who would lie to me to massage my ego, and so it has been a thrill to bring them from the outside in and see them excited for the future of this work.
The fire still burns brightly for me to venture forward with this. Not only do I know, because of my loyal friends here, that fans of the original will eagerly await the new work... but now I can also believe, truly, that it will be a story for everyone to enjoy, even if they've never read anything by me before. I want this story to excel, but most of all I want it to be an adventure in which anyone can share... and for the first time, I sincerely believe that it will become everything I dreamed it would.
I have a great deal of work ahead of me, but a man always works hardest when he is assured his efforts are good, and not in vain. I will not stumble over this, as you have known me to stumble over my own works in the past. This is to be the first chapter in a universe that will serve as my Magnum Opus, and its completion is not probable - it is inevitable.
With an eager spirit,
Aaron.
Question for down the road: Will the finished works be available on Amazon or maybe Lulu.com?
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I think you asked something similar last time, and unfortunately I still haven't decided on that yet. The way I see it, there's really no sense in trying to sort out what I'll do with it when it's done until it's actually finished.
Even when I've finished putting the words down and have finalized the "content" of the story, I have no doubt there will be a substantial period of time that I will have to spend editing and planning for publishing. Until that point, though, I'm not going to spend too much time agonizing over how I'll publish: just know that I will, in one way or another.
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I guess I must be more interested than I thought.
Keep at it. With this amount of dedication you cannot fail.
Very pleased to know that your writing has gotten a positive note from two more of "professional readers". That makes me even more excited for the upcoming years ^3^
My interest is, and always will stay at least on the same level, we'll see you next month again probably :D