Afterword ~ To the Knowns and Unknowns

Howdy~

To those who thoroughly read my entry, I'd like to take the time to thank you for taking the time. If you're a writer yourself then you know how arduous the process is. Painstaking yet rewarding, it grants the opportunity of expression in a medium that allows such range. Through darkness and light, stories provide another lens of existence. These inner worlds we create are important in that sense; It's not just about being the next best thing, but something that resonates with people.

Did I betray the prompt in some sense?

Yes. Sure. Perhaps many expected some merciless slaughter but instead, I gave you something with a little more thought. Whether you could relate to Celeste's struggles in any capacity or you were slowly becoming lost in this strange world, that was up to you. I'll concede the writing was sorta all over the place; Its initial conception was exactly that! By the Shores of Time was written on a whim, for better or worse, but the process produced interesting results that I hope many can appreciate. But in defense of my messy story, the mind is a jumbled place and anything but a linear contraption, no?

The contest was an interesting experience, building on what I strive to create. After all, this isn't the only story I've worked on. It was a way to finetune the writing process and REALLY delve into the more creative aspects of it. The Thing, Silent Hill, and the trippy music I listened to while writing and editing each chapter were all part of the mix. Reading other writers who were new to the process, who finally took the leap... I've gotta commend you all. Being willing to put your works out their exposed to compliments and critiques alike take a lot! In fact, I admire it... KEEP ON WRITING!

Remember, writing is not just a process, but a craft, another art of language as I call it!

To conclude, I don't know how well my entry will do. I'm admittedly somewhat confident in it yet the confidence stems from the messaging laced within the story. Again, it wasn't crafted with a gung-ho approach to life and death as those concepts take many forms and meaning. If you're someone who wanted to read what this author had to say, I'd advise you to read it and be the judge of whether that depth is there. However, if you're here because you took the dive, I want to stress the thanks I give and I hope you took something away from its open-ended conclusion... And hopefully, you'll look forward to the pipeline of projects planned throughout the near future!

From writer to writer and reader to reader, I wish you all the best!

~ Erii