For those of you who've seen my Fanfiction.Net Author Profile page, you may notice how I mentioned that I've been rewriting/editing many of the "1 More Chance!" chapters. Some of these edits are pretty minor, such as fixing particular honorifics, reassigning dialogue, and making a few adjustments to the flow of the story. Others - such as the rewrite of Chapter 37 ("Agonies and Thrills") - have significant changes to the layout of the text itself.
My goal with these rewrites is to create a more complete and worthwhile story. Many of the chapters after Chapter 39 ("Let Go, Hold On") or so, I was writing pretty much on-the-fly, week-to-week. I'd write all day Thursday through Sunday or Monday (sometimes Tuesday), and then give a quick read-through/edit on Tuesday and early Wednesday, before posting the chapter. (Now you know why I suffered from burn-out.)
I think that a lot of chapters are okay and still stand up pretty well: they present the right issues and get the main points across well enough. But as a continuous work in progress, I also get the urge to go back, re-read, and (of course) re-write parts of it. That's one of the great things about this electronic medium, and about the nature of fan fiction. It never gets published, so it never sits on a shelf; it can change as its writer sees fit.
Some authors post rewrites as completely different stories, but it's my belief that that's what the editing function is for. You won't see a separate rewrite of "1 More Chance!" either at Fanfiction.Net or at BonusParts KINK, unless I ever decide to do a T-rated version. Aside from that, edits are just that: edits. I'm not deleting and uploading new chapters as replacements, so (perhaps unfortunately) old readers likely won't notice the changes, unless they have a great memory for a scene's text and happen to stumble upon the rewritten chapter on their own. New readers, of course, will come to the chapters fresh and - hopefully - find them an enjoyable (more enjoyable?) read for the changes made.
All of the myriad changes are too many to list, but if readers are interested, I can post some notes for those chapters where I've made more-than-incidental edits, to either prose, plot, or flow.
26 August 2010
21 August 2010
Souji, Kuma, and the Lament of Het-Supporters
Here's a comment that came in from regular reviewer Kisdota-The Freak Gamer, regarding Chapter 59 ("A Little Night Music"); I thought I'd share part of my reply. Some spoilers through Chapter 59, so if you want to read, you'll have to highlight below.
Q:...It's nice to read a chapter that doesn't have Souji being a total douche.
Pairing up everyone like that was good, I know that there's some people who like the idea of Rise with Teddie, I know she's a chick and that's not what you implied but I know you'll do good with alot [sic] of the straight couple fans, which is possibly a small portion of your readers....
A: Well, Souji kind of had to be a douche for a while there - hubris is his sin - in order for him to grow into the person that you're starting to see in this chapter. He still plays a large mentor/leader role for the characters coming up, but it's a position that he moves into more organically after facing his Shadow, rather than the others just falling into place behind him for sake of ease. I like writing this Souji, who's become a product of the people around him, equally influenced by their perspectives and experiences as they are by him. Hopefully, that comes out clearly in this chapter.
I didn't intentionally put the characters into pairs, actually. It just sort of happened. Rise and Kuma's bond of friendship becomes important to Kuma's development later on, as the story moves forward (though not for a while yet; I still have to get through the first sequel). There's no intended implication that Rise and Kuma are acting as a couple, here; I tried to convey that with the farewells at the train station. Rise's really more a mentor to her, than anything else. And Yousuke's reluctance to let Kuma grow up should be taken as just how childlike she still is.
You're right that I do often feel in the minority supporting a heterosexual couple(s) in my timeline. I don't have a problem with the slash stories, I just don't see most of the friendships and relationships working out that way. Even Kanji, Naoto, and Rise - none of whom have a problem with homosexuality - fall into a category of their own rather than being one way or the other.
- - -
There's really not a question here, but I find it interesting when readers decide to focus on an aspect of a character (like Souji), who I've tried to move into a growth position based on what has occurred to him over the course of the story. I realize that what I did through the chapters of the final arc/Part IV ("I'll Face Myself") rubbed some readers the wrong way, but in all honesty it was in many ways it was just as much about how Chie and her friends reacted to the situation as it was about what was going on with Souji.
Then there's the subject of Kuma.
I'm plotting the sequel story now (both of them, as I've considered my timeline to work best as a trilogy in order to touch on the three important characters whose voices I know best), and I cannot for the life of me see my Kuma/Kumada-chan as anything other than a girl. My original plan for Kuma oh-so long ago was for her/him to be something completely different at the outset. Kuma will still get to step into that role (as things are currently plotted, of course - we all know how that can change!), but I don't think that my alternate universe of Persona 4 will ever be quite the same for changing Kuma's gender to a female. I love her so much that way, though, that I just can't stomach changing her back to a boy, as much as others might want me to stay true to what the canon story is about.
And then there's the issue of the sexuality. The sequel story investigates the characters' sexuality a bit more, since the characters by that time will be around 25, more established in their lives, and less - shall we say - purely experimental. I'm looking forward to tackling those kinds of issues, especially as they relate to young adults and what they think is "proper", "right", "acceptable", and even just plain "me."
I'm still collecting feedback on the latest chapter, and I'm always interested to hear what readers think. Not as much for Chapter 59 yet, but it's got to be more about my feelings, right?
Q:...It's nice to read a chapter that doesn't have Souji being a total douche.
Pairing up everyone like that was good, I know that there's some people who like the idea of Rise with Teddie, I know she's a chick and that's not what you implied but I know you'll do good with alot [sic] of the straight couple fans, which is possibly a small portion of your readers....
A: Well, Souji kind of had to be a douche for a while there - hubris is his sin - in order for him to grow into the person that you're starting to see in this chapter. He still plays a large mentor/leader role for the characters coming up, but it's a position that he moves into more organically after facing his Shadow, rather than the others just falling into place behind him for sake of ease. I like writing this Souji, who's become a product of the people around him, equally influenced by their perspectives and experiences as they are by him. Hopefully, that comes out clearly in this chapter.
I didn't intentionally put the characters into pairs, actually. It just sort of happened. Rise and Kuma's bond of friendship becomes important to Kuma's development later on, as the story moves forward (though not for a while yet; I still have to get through the first sequel). There's no intended implication that Rise and Kuma are acting as a couple, here; I tried to convey that with the farewells at the train station. Rise's really more a mentor to her, than anything else. And Yousuke's reluctance to let Kuma grow up should be taken as just how childlike she still is.
You're right that I do often feel in the minority supporting a heterosexual couple(s) in my timeline. I don't have a problem with the slash stories, I just don't see most of the friendships and relationships working out that way. Even Kanji, Naoto, and Rise - none of whom have a problem with homosexuality - fall into a category of their own rather than being one way or the other.
- - -
There's really not a question here, but I find it interesting when readers decide to focus on an aspect of a character (like Souji), who I've tried to move into a growth position based on what has occurred to him over the course of the story. I realize that what I did through the chapters of the final arc/Part IV ("I'll Face Myself") rubbed some readers the wrong way, but in all honesty it was in many ways it was just as much about how Chie and her friends reacted to the situation as it was about what was going on with Souji.
Then there's the subject of Kuma.
I'm plotting the sequel story now (both of them, as I've considered my timeline to work best as a trilogy in order to touch on the three important characters whose voices I know best), and I cannot for the life of me see my Kuma/Kumada-chan as anything other than a girl. My original plan for Kuma oh-so long ago was for her/him to be something completely different at the outset. Kuma will still get to step into that role (as things are currently plotted, of course - we all know how that can change!), but I don't think that my alternate universe of Persona 4 will ever be quite the same for changing Kuma's gender to a female. I love her so much that way, though, that I just can't stomach changing her back to a boy, as much as others might want me to stay true to what the canon story is about.
And then there's the issue of the sexuality. The sequel story investigates the characters' sexuality a bit more, since the characters by that time will be around 25, more established in their lives, and less - shall we say - purely experimental. I'm looking forward to tackling those kinds of issues, especially as they relate to young adults and what they think is "proper", "right", "acceptable", and even just plain "me."
I'm still collecting feedback on the latest chapter, and I'm always interested to hear what readers think. Not as much for Chapter 59 yet, but it's got to be more about my feelings, right?
17 August 2010
Christmas has come early!
I just finished the (hopefully) final read-through and edit of Chapter 59 ("A Little Night Music"), to be posted tomorrow. This one took me almost as long to work through as Chapter 57 ("Nightmare"), with everything that needed to be written, moved, edited, cut, and reworked, from first draft to final. But I'm pretty pleased with it, regardless of what reviewers might come back and say.
First of all, the chronological setting of the story is no haphazard choice. Christmas in Japan is all about romance (unlike the Western traditions), so I've used that setting to broach the last big subject in the story. There's not much that I haven't planned in this monster, right down to what needs to happen on what day. I hope that readers don't gloss over those details...but if they do but still enjoy the story regardless, that's what matters, I suppose.
There's an awful lot of talking in Chapter 59, but as I mention in the Author's Notes (and in the previous blog entry), the conversations are necessary to the progression of the relationships and the story as a whole. It helps that a couple of those conversations are almost verbatim actual experience, but I've used a lot of my own personal life as fodder for this story already, and I feel like I've put so much of myself into Chie as a character, that I couldn't quite resist shuffling some of my life into this latest chapter.
There's also quite a bit of sex in 59, but that, too, is necessary to the plot, at least in its function. I really wanted to address the changes that have occurred between the characters at a sexual level, based on the events of the preceding chapters. These are two people - specifically lovers - who are growing as a couple just as much as they're growing as individuals, and that's important to their intimacy and the way that they relate, both emotionally and sexually.
The talking and the sex in this chapter also leads up to the next logical progression of the relationship, and not just because it's instigated by a circle of friends. Into this, too, I've tried to inject some realism, and some honest feelings. It's crazy and confusing and nerve-wracking for Chie just like it is for a lot of adults. But hopefully I've managed to create some personal humor about it all, too.
You may agree or disagree. I'd like to hear your answers, though, when you get around to reading the latest chapter. :)
First of all, the chronological setting of the story is no haphazard choice. Christmas in Japan is all about romance (unlike the Western traditions), so I've used that setting to broach the last big subject in the story. There's not much that I haven't planned in this monster, right down to what needs to happen on what day. I hope that readers don't gloss over those details...but if they do but still enjoy the story regardless, that's what matters, I suppose.
There's an awful lot of talking in Chapter 59, but as I mention in the Author's Notes (and in the previous blog entry), the conversations are necessary to the progression of the relationships and the story as a whole. It helps that a couple of those conversations are almost verbatim actual experience, but I've used a lot of my own personal life as fodder for this story already, and I feel like I've put so much of myself into Chie as a character, that I couldn't quite resist shuffling some of my life into this latest chapter.
There's also quite a bit of sex in 59, but that, too, is necessary to the plot, at least in its function. I really wanted to address the changes that have occurred between the characters at a sexual level, based on the events of the preceding chapters. These are two people - specifically lovers - who are growing as a couple just as much as they're growing as individuals, and that's important to their intimacy and the way that they relate, both emotionally and sexually.
The talking and the sex in this chapter also leads up to the next logical progression of the relationship, and not just because it's instigated by a circle of friends. Into this, too, I've tried to inject some realism, and some honest feelings. It's crazy and confusing and nerve-wracking for Chie just like it is for a lot of adults. But hopefully I've managed to create some personal humor about it all, too.
You may agree or disagree. I'd like to hear your answers, though, when you get around to reading the latest chapter. :)
11 August 2010
I'm not dead.
I honestly don't know why I give such a deep shit about this story and making it work, when there are other stories out there that obviously don't even have a Beta reader for their SUMMARIES, yet still get all kinds of praise for 'em. (Yes, I know I'm being petty about the review thing, but it still manages to irk me.)
That said, I'm deep in editing of Chapter 59 at the moment, and I am liking it much better with this latest pass. It flows better than it had been doing, and I'm having a lot of fun with the character interactions. It's almost like, after all of the crap that went down for the characters in the last couple of chapters, they're a completely new set of people for me to write. Well, one of them is, anyway. Maybe two. But also hella fun.
There's a lot of talking, though, but it's talking that really has to happen for the story to work. And, yes, the talking needs to happen now. No good if it comes later, or if it doesn't come up at all. That's just a recipe for disaster, in relationship terms.
I've been taking a lot of time with this, I know, but I'm working on other things at the same time (not to mention gearing up for the new semester, which always kind of makes life hectic in my tiny corner of 97-degree Perdition that I like to refer to Higher Education). A part of me wants to just finish this story and get cracking on What's Up Next...but another part of me doesn't want to let it go.
Oh, well. At least I'm still writing, right? And writing this thing more for me, now, than anyone else, since most everybody has moved on.
But I still love it. ♥
That said, I'm deep in editing of Chapter 59 at the moment, and I am liking it much better with this latest pass. It flows better than it had been doing, and I'm having a lot of fun with the character interactions. It's almost like, after all of the crap that went down for the characters in the last couple of chapters, they're a completely new set of people for me to write. Well, one of them is, anyway. Maybe two. But also hella fun.
There's a lot of talking, though, but it's talking that really has to happen for the story to work. And, yes, the talking needs to happen now. No good if it comes later, or if it doesn't come up at all. That's just a recipe for disaster, in relationship terms.
I've been taking a lot of time with this, I know, but I'm working on other things at the same time (not to mention gearing up for the new semester, which always kind of makes life hectic in my tiny corner of 97-degree Perdition that I like to refer to Higher Education). A part of me wants to just finish this story and get cracking on What's Up Next...but another part of me doesn't want to let it go.
Oh, well. At least I'm still writing, right? And writing this thing more for me, now, than anyone else, since most everybody has moved on.
But I still love it. ♥
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