another update

As I have mentioned before in this space and others, I often write chapters out of order. There are a number of reasons for this -- sometimes I set down what I am inspired to write rather than just the part that comes next; other times, it's useful for me to know exactly what I intend to happen at the momentous points of the story, especially given that I'm following two separate timelines.

All of which is to say, no, I didn't write Chapter 25 in an afternoon. Actually, the first segment was one of the very first things I wrote, months before I started posting the story, before it even had a title; it has changed a great deal since that time, but the original nugget is still there. The entire chapter has been essentially ready for at least two weeks.

It's mighty fluffy. Not quite all sunshine and rainbows, but about as close as I get. But hey, my poor hero has been through a lot. He deserves at least one chapter of happiness.

why we write

I write because I need to, because the stories are in my head, and I need to get them out. I write because it's an escape from the real world. I write because I haven't written fiction since I was a teenager, and it's been wonderful to have a creative hobby again. I write because I love doing it, love seeing my ideas become words on a page and then tweaking them until they convey exactly what I want them to.

But I have to admit it. I also write because I'm getting positive feedback on my efforts. "Fate" received an extremely gratifying review from a talented writer today, and I'm still on a high from it. It was the first thing I saw when I checked my email today -- what a way to begin a morning! I feel much as I did when I got my first review ever, for "Chasing My Past", from another author who had written a piece I admired (darkcyan? you still out there?), like maybe I have the hang of this writing thing after all.

I know that my stories are a little too long (80K words and maybe 2/3rds through on AGL, maybe), a little too dense, a little too literate for much of their potential audience. (It's the price I pay, I suppose, for writing in a fandom where many of the other authors are so much younger than I am. Not to put down anyone for youth; far from it -- some of the teens and young adults who write Final Fantasy fic are genuinely good writers, and others show promise for getting there with practice and discipline. I wish that I could have written some of the stories I see out there when I was 20. But I think being on the other side of 30 gives me a rather different perspective. It's interesting, and a bit of a challenge, being rather older than almost all the characters I write. Sometimes I have to remember to make them act like teenagers and twenty-somethings, albeit ones who grew up in much tougher circumstances than I did; I don't know that I always succeed.) So it's that much more satisfying when I receive appreciation for my work -- a thoughtful review, especially one that contains constructive criticism as well as accolades, an extended comment here. Maybe the opinions of strangers shouldn't matter so much to me, but the fact is that they do.

I need to get better about leaving reviews myself. I don't always feel like I have time, but if I have time to read, I have time to leave at least quick feedback.