(Announcement!) ANCTL Hiatus + New story (The Bad News and The Good News) · 12:02pm Feb 23rd, 2017
Edit: I've set up a link in the description of the story in place of where I kept the progress percentage to make this blog easy for people to find.
Second Edit: Click here to read the story mentioned below.
OK, so there's something I want to get off my chest. Ripping the bandage off, as it were.
I've mentioned in previous blog posts (if anybody actually reads those, heh) that I started this story with absolutely no direction, and if you want you can digress to other blogs to find out why, but what I haven't said is that because it's been this long, my creativity for the story has been stagnating. I feel like I'm forcing ideas into the story to continue writing, and that's part of the reason why I can take up to 2 - 3 months between publishing chapters, and I feel bad for making you guys wait that long between chapters because of my lack of foresight, and that's really impacted my motivation.
I even had another awesome illustration commissioned a long while ago for the upcoming chapter, but apparently it was in vain. And yeah, that was something I intended to publish with the chapter as it is a bit of a spoiler-y thing.
That's why I'm going to put ANCTL on hiatus for the foreseeable future, but fear not! All is not lost!
For the last week or so I've been writing an outline for another story, and I'm really liking how it's turning out. Another writer buddy gave me the idea for the format of the outline when I helped him with his story, and this is just the planning technique I've needed all along. In the week just gone, I've planned enough material for the first 50,000+ words, so I've got a lot of material to keep me busy for a couple months at this stage!
So, here's what's going to happen. I want to switch my efforts to the story I've been planning until such a time as I regain enough motivation to continue writing A Nightmare Come to Life. ANCTL has at least four chapters to go before it's conclusion, so I'm hoping to return to it at some point. Regarding the other story, this is something I've had floating around in my head for at least a year, but I up until now I haven't had a lot of ideas as to how I'd pull it off but, since I've gotten down so much material, I'm very confident you guys will enjoy it.
I will reveal more details at a later date and will be searching for someone to commission to do the cover art, so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I've got a few people in mind, but more options don't hurt if someone is busy. When I've written and edited the first three chapters, organised the art and the actual cover for the story, then I'll start posting teasers if you guys would like.
I hope it's not anthro. Please tell me it's not anthro.
4434217 It's not anthro
There you go, a break sometimes is most appropriate to getting some things done
....so where is this new story?
4480216
Right here.
Sorry I didn't reply as soon as I could. I didn't get the notification for your message.
If it's not too much trouble, because other struggling writers(hacks) would like to know, what is this new planning technique?
4518483 Write your outline before you start writing the story.
The outline for the first Arc is about 9500 words, and covers about the first 60-80,000 words. It's a lot easier to create a reference for yourself so you know what you want to write.
4518969 Thanks!
4518969
do not let this die please
4611690
It's not dead, per-say. My priorities have shifted.
Damn, my colorblind eyes mistook the status of that story for Complete in stead of On Hiatus, so I started reading the story, thinking I'd see the end. I really hope that you will continue it one day.
4712371
I'm rather late to the party in replying to your comment, but you're more than welcome to read my other story until I get around to finishing ANCTL!
4756113
I hope you do finish it because all story's like this one have been cancelled and I just want to see one complete. T_T
4797885
Where's that picture of that one smg from destiny 2 called hard truths.. this would be a perfect time for a destiny gun meme.
5025970
Lol
is there anything a programmer and half-competent editor like me can do to help with motivation for ANCTL (which it just occurred to me, sounds a little like Ahnk-t depending on how you pronounce it... heh, fitting)? Based on what you spoiled to me, I can see why you're having trouble getting from point A to point B, but I also know there was a lot of potential in between A and B.
Where are you at with it? I would not consider myself a writer, but I want to help anyway I can.
for what it's worth, I think you might be making a mistake if you are "waiting for the motivation". Situations like this don't usually resolve like that, otherwise I would've long finished a few coding projects I have. Do as I say and not as I do, but I think you have to set aside the time and force yourself to deal with whatever inefficiency is causing you to avoid working on the problematic project. If you still have an end goal for it and a desire to see it through, use that. The projects of mine that have completely died didn't die from "lack of motivation" but because I genuinely didn't have a use for the code anymore. The rest are in a similar limbo/hiatus state to this, and I keep telling myself "it's only until I finish college"... then I go and play Minecraft all day like happened yesterday. Avoid that trap and commit to it!
5633142
It's nice to know that people still want to see this updated.
Sorry to say right now, and while I really do appreciate your offer, there's not much you can do in the way of motivation right now. I honestly don't have much spare time on my side these days; it really did take me two years to finish off the latest chapter of my other project. Besides that, i've got a one-shot clopfic I'm finishing up before I turn my attention back to my main project.
Suffice it to say, ANCTL will need a complete top-to-bottom rewrite, and that's going to take more time and effort than I acctually have right now; I would need to put all other projects on hold to see this story through to completion over the period of a fair few months, to say the least.
And this is why it's on hiatus right now, and not cancelled.
Would it be okay for someone to pick up the story with your permission of course. They could make it a au or a non canonical continuation of the story. I’m just suggesting I’m not saying I would pick it up if I could and I have really no experience writing so it would certainly not be me but I’m just asking you to maybe consider reaching out to the community and authors and friends online and around you. I understand your concern with prioritizing your life and responsibilities and so I was just thinking this could help you with less pressure from readers who crave for content. It would be like a fan-fic-of-a-fan-fic initiation idk I just wanna say keep your head up and for fans to not bother you like crazy. Whelp that’s all for now thanks for listening to my TED TALK!
5754693
Honestly, I'd be all for it. If someone wants to put in the time and effort to take care of this story, Awesome! The thing is, though, if I make that kind of offer "does anyone want this story" then they might think something's wrong with it, but that's just my opinion. If you know anyone that would be willing to go to bat, then send them my way.