Oi, Writers! Fill Out Those Damn Author Notes · 8:46am Feb 17th, 2019
Wanna know something that we don't see nowadays?
Afterward, author notes... whatever the hell you wanna call it, the overall function is about the same: to allow the author to write about that which they have written. Notice how it doesn't have to be anything more than that? I defined it as such on purpose.
See. I don't think we get enough writers writing about the writing they have written (and try saying that sentence ten times fast). From the very air itself, I have plucked several reasons why this may be the case, though really, the reasons why you should matter a bit more than them.
And now, cue the blog music!
...C'mon now, music! Music. Music. Music! What the hell are you waiting for? Wait, what? You're telling me there isn't a link there to play some tunes? What the hell! Alright, hold up. I'm getting the track—I'M GETTING THE TRACK!
There ya go.
Happy?
Let's get straight to the good stuff: What author notes can do for both the writer and the reader.
Something smart is to consider the afterward like a backstory. It's here the writer can document that happened in relation to the story itself—how it came to them, what subsequent things influenced it, the process of actually writing the damn thing, and how much changed from concept to execution.
It's important to preserve that kind of information, if not for the sake of the history and process of a story, but of how it may then influence one of your readers. What you might write down could contain clues and cues for someone else stuck and needing help.
Not only that, but it helps to get your feelings down on the page as well. I don't know about you, gang, but for me sometimes, the only time I know what I think, feel, and believe is when I take the time to write about it.
I don't have strong feelings about my works—until I begin to write about them. Only then do I see the hidden dynamic I had going on in a work, or a phrase that influenced me to write a part the way I did, or even what I truly feel about a story as a whole. Writing about that kind of stuff allows you to work through the feelings and logic invoked to attain the greatest truth you are capable of during that time.
Hence the critical need to write the backstory about our works, if not for our readers, then at least for ourselves.
Alright... alright! I can hear the whispers of Death of the Author from afar. Listen, I may not fuck with that shit like how most people seem to do—but I get it. For those not in the know, the simplest way I can explain that shit is like this:
A writer writes something. That work contains everything they put into it. Once the work is done, it stands for itself, needing no further comment, because it already has everything inside of it. Here, the writer's feelings of his own work are on the same level as the reader. In this scenario, neither has superiority.
And it's a grand idea! Really is. Hell, even I fuck with it a little bit. But I don't see how a belief in it should dictate that the writer is still not allowed to write their thoughts and feelings on the work. Seriously, think about it. All it means is that the writer loses his superiority over the readers, but that doesn't mean his own feelings and thoughts then become nullified. They just become equal to everyone else.
That means when the readers read your notes, they are free to disagree with what you said. This isn't about you being right but expressing what you thought and felt. Hell, this may even help others on what they too thought and felt about the work.
Either way, not much harm can be done in telling the backstory to your story.
Sorry if things got a little heated in that last part.
I assure you, I meant all of it.
So. In that last segment, we talked about the function of the author's notes. But there's more to it than that. This next section is going to dive a bit into marketability of both the writer and their works. There's something here for everybody, but don't feel like the following points mean that you have to suddenly start selling yourself.
Aside from blogs, the author’s note is the only other place where the writer is able to present their personality. There are some rare cases where the writer is sometimes more interesting than their works, though that should rarely be the case.
In an ideal scenario, both the writer and their work would be interesting—almost to the point where both complement each other. By the way, how you present yourself in those notes and how you express your thoughts and feelings gives more of your personality for your readers to snack on.
Hence the second point. For me, I would like to be the kind of writer who is just as interesting as his work. That the readers take both delight in reading my works and then my words on those works. But that's not the way it has to be.
The point is this: afterwards allow you to present your personality to your readers, and should you be interesting enough, in whatever way that “interesting” can entail, your readers can digest more of you and have more to connect with you on.
So give it a shot! By playing around in those notes, you get to see how much of a character you can create for yourself. This may help you in creating more of an internet persona should that be your goal at all, but ideally, for me, you want to be both for your works, and you as a writer, to be equally interesting.
Fimfiction is surprisingly bare when it comes to the author's note.
I've attributed it to a few reasons. The FAQ itself says to try and skip it and, at worst, to just write a blog and include a link to said blog in the author's notes itself. That is grand and all, but for whatever reason, people seem to think that, by including an afterward within the story itself, you are somehow subjecting your readers to reading your thoughts.
What the hell? How the fuck does that work!?
Listen. When someone finishes the story, that's great! They get to the ending, then BAM! Story over. After that, you have done your job as a writer, and the reader need not do anything more. The afterward is a choice for both the writer and the reader.
So I don't quite get the argument of, “If you put an AN at the end of your story, you are forcing your reader to read what you have to say about the story?”
Excuse me, shmuck? Where the hell does that forcing come in? When the reader finishes the story, they have finished the story. They don't need to read anything more to get what they came for. As soon as they finished that last word, they are free to leave the page (or at anytime for that matter) or scroll down to the comments.
If they want to read the afterward... great! If they scroll past... also great! But to think you can't write an afterward because you're forcing a choice onto the reader is silly—in fact, you are removing their choice to begin with.
I know this blog hasn't been one of my greatest—but forgive this second letter. I'm out of practice and my fingers have grown pruned and tired.
Perhaps I should stop writing in the shower?
Ah hell. Anyway. I've got a question for you real quick: What is something the Japanese creator of One Piece, Oda, and the prolific writer, Harlan Ellison, both do? Alright, that isn't a real question considering the hammering of this blog’s theme, but the point will still be the same.
Those two still wrote afterward... sort-of. Oda wrote prefaces and in-between stuff more than anything. When it came to Ellison, well, that guy did what I've been rambling about for the past thousand words. He wrote stories about his stories and all that other stuff. He wanted to be transparent and entertaining as possible to further the connection his readers had with him.
Oda, however, wrote about silly stuff. He never wrote about his struggles as an artist because he didn't think his readers would get it, so his comments were about liking ladybugs and wanting tons of hands to draw more manga. He was aloof and goofy about his comments and notes, but even with that, he created a personality that many could connect to—which thematically complimented One Piece.
But the function is the same. Despite the two different methods going about the same function, I still feel connected to them. I feel connected to Harlan's rage and passion, just as I also feel connected to Oda' goofiness and optimism about being human. Both are great in their own way, if because both did it their own way.
Which comes to you. When I say to fill out those author's notes, I don't mean you have to write about the process behind an idea. I think you should if only to drop hints and seeds, but more than that, the afterword should be a place for you to connect with your audience beyond your tales.
Think about it. The feeling is akin to going on a journey together—you writing about it and your readers reading about it. Traveling over all these worlds and words, it can get lonely at times for both, so creating a connection in those times greatly enhances the work and the connection the writer and the reader share.
Which is the real theme of this blog.
So try it! Write about whatever in those little notes at the end of your chapters and stories. Share your feelings and your thoughts on the process of the story. Express your personality so others can connect with you along the journey of your story.
Sometimes, that connection can matter more than the story itself.
What this? An afterword to a blog on afterwords?
C'mon gang. You already know I'm not a witty fellow. Wish I was, but I ain't, and stressing about that won't do a thang. I like writing these if only to sneak a state-of-the-writer while still providing actual content.
So how have I been? Kinda shit. Low skill and low looks with depression mixed with a shitty attitude. Most of my life has been spent trying to make such qualities look cute with the right words and voice. Sometimes I nail it and sometimes I nail my hands to the wall.
Besides that? I've still been writing and drawing and doing the do. Recently, I started a group called The B-Team. Basically, The Boys hang out on stream and interview people on the site and such.
I'll write more about it once I get back into the flow of things.
But for now, back to writing.
You can't tell me what to do
i.chzbgr.com/full/6731181312/hAC56BE4A/
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As a reader (who didn't read the whole blog), I must say I do love reading both the preface and afterword provided by an author (or editor, in some cases). It helps me feel more involved in the story, actually.
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I won't do what you tell me!