The end to an era · 5:36pm Apr 26th, 2021
Well, that's it. All she wrote. The story to a close. The end of the end. The tale of the Great Pretender is complete.
Well, did ya like it? is it how you thought it would end? Is it everything you wanted? Am I still terrible for leaving in the sequel hook that's been in there since probably 2018? Will I ever write it? No, probably not. Maybe, but if i do, it'd become test fiction for something else. All the same, I'm just happy it's finally over.
The epilogue and Blood's section of the final chapter were all written yesterday in a delightful burst of energy that drove me to get it done. Normally, I wouldn't publish two chapters at once, but here, I thought it was appropriate. In about a month from now, it will be the five year anniversary of when I originally published the first chapter of this story. too long, but at the very least, I kept my word and finished the story.
I can't count the number of times I thought about giving up on it completely. when I first wrote Star Overhead was the first time I really considered it. after i started writing short stories and improving my technique, I thought I needed to rip it up and start over. In someways, I did. the first chapter has been rewritten three times since I started, and every time it happened, it marked a point where I realized I'd grown. I hated that chapter back then.
But now, I think I've come to love that chapter. The full journey didn't really start with this story, but this was the story that I stuck with. An epic in four parts. Your friendly neighborhood Marevelous Red, to your Marevelous Red the secret agent, Marevelous Red the Kaiju slayer, and finally, Marevelous Red who's sometimes called, 'Super.' So many days and hours spent planning and writing, so many days and hours spent languishing and despairing, fighting desperately to hold on and keep writing, to make it through and finish the story.
After all the years spent with this on and off, it's finally time to discard the weight and see where I stand. My next challenge, which is already in the works by the by, will be to convert Star Overhead into original fiction and see if I can't get myself published. I'm giving myself a generous month to work on it. A polished manuscript to send off to an agent to see if I can't break out into the world.
I've heard the stories of Authors not using aliases and getting unwanted attention, and as it stands, I'm not sure I want that attention either, so the next time Star Overhead sees the light of day, it will probably still be under 'Koren' something or other. All the same, I've been doing my homework, and I know I can do this. It'll be a long road, a hard road, but I've committed to walk it.
As stated in past blogs, there's a good chance that I keep writing pony stories to test out ideas and see if I can get the reactions I'm looking for here. I've always had a direct sequel to Star Overhead in mind, and now that I'm developing the original world for it, I think there are other ideas that I can put here. Star Overhead may be set in a city surrounded by fog, but the rest of the world of the new, Arian Empire, is vast and empty right now. I believe, I'd like to fill it. But, that's future Koren's problem.
For now, I just want to take a moment to step away from Super before I commit to a reread of the story. I never did finish going through and correcting the old chapters, and I still have a mind to go back and do that, especially now that it's over. Anyways, this'll probably be my last blog post here for a while. Some of the revision to Star Overhead may find its way back here if I feel so inclined, and I've got a few Bright future stories in my head. One of the problems I know I'll face getting into original works is going to be word count. The target I want to hit is something I've never been able to set up before, so that could be the basis for something I've wanted to write on the side. But, again, future Koren's problem.
As for you, I'd like to thank you for being here with me on this long, long journey. If you're reading this and you've not put any time into Super, I'd recommend it. It's rough in some places. If I were to really do a hard edit of it, I'd cut a lot of it. But, that's because I learned while doing, and not the other way around. Reading Super isn't just reading a story, but my growth as an author over my years writing. This story is the chronological record of how and when I've changed since my college days.
Anyways,
Until Next Time~
—KCZ
Congratulations! It’s pretty fucking wild that this story is only the 131st longest story on the site.