Apr 10, 2025
Ahaha (insert Will Smith laugh)
I wonder how I should explain myself or IF I should explain myself. But as a fellow writer, I think I'll just explain a little bit of my thoughts.
Well, actually, first of all--I agree. This does feel quite anticlimactic. The entirety of the plot (seems) to be reaching its climax, and the characters (especially Abigail) acknowledge this to be a pivotal moment. So if this seems anticlimactic, you would think it’s an issue.
And I did think about that while writing these chapters--actually, this feeling began all the way back in the "Heart of Steel" chapter. It felt like I didn't build it up enough--or rather, that I've built all this up just to, you know, cause it to result in this. I wouldn't say it's the result of, like... an "okay I give up" moment, but it's more like I kinda just accepted this to be the vibe. And frankly, I don't actually KNOW how to make this more suspenseful. And one of the issues with making it more suspenseful, frankly, is that it doesn't exactly match what I'm going for.
"It's not the point" is something I've said before, and I want to say it here, too, but I do think it sounds like an excuse--and who knows, maybe even I will miss the point of the story at some point and leave everyone disappointed (including myself). Maybe I'm accidentally tricking myself into just accepting the story for what it is instead of evolving it even further.
But I did come to accept that the lack of suspenseful mood, to me and what I desire from this story, isn't too big of a deal in the long run. Because... from what I see, the story IS kinda silent. I won't go too much into detail because I do want to see how you view the story in the long run without me telling you "oh you should be thinking ______, because this is actually what I intended."
And the setting change, too--there's also a specific reason why the setting didn't change. You'll probably be able to understand why in the next few days. It's not really supposed to be a big, big deal, but the setting of this chapter is "subtly" crucial for what's to come. And it's not really an interesting move from my perspective, because it's more like I chose the setting BECAUSE of foresight (I did actually think of changing the setting of this chapter, but then realized it would make something else more difficult later on).
Btw, HoneyFeed went down twice while I was writing this comment, haha. I hope it’s not my fault 😂
Still. I encourage you to keep calling out your thoughts like that (like if you think it’s anticlimactic)--it still gives me thoughts to shift the direction ever slightly. Like to lean into something more or to stray away from it. The end result of the next chapter hasn’t changed, but I’ve been thinking about the chapter and how to approach it… and after reading your comment and contemplating, I think I’ll lean away from something and lean more towards something else. I believe it will better fit what I am going for.
Or maybe I’ll change my mind again, who knows.
And there’s also an issue with the word count, by the way. I’ve been thinking that I might have to cut down on some chapters in the back if I’m not careful and overly decorate things that won’t contribute to the novel in the long run. Like perhaps I can make these chapters more hype and suspenseful, but I also need to ensure that I say everything I need to in the upcoming chapters. So I might be ignoring things that I feel won’t affect the story in the long run.
You have no idea how shocked I was when I uploaded these two and realized I was at 44k words LOL it scared the heck out of me. I still have a lot left to say in this novel.
And I can explain a lot of things here, but I feel like it might take away too much from your experience if I literally explain EVERYTHING I'm thinking, so... haha. I'll just leave it there. But thank you for the feedback--I do think it will push the next chapter in a slightly different direction... just probably not in the way you initially thought? You made me realize what I consider to be the truly important parts of my novel are, I guess.
Bro this comment almost has enough words to be a chapter of its own LMAO man I rant so much sometimes
Anyway, I hope my next chapter works out! We'll see! Thanks for your help!
Interesting. Unfortunately it's probably more difficult to use this formula with characters who intentionally hide their inner thoughts from the audience (this is probably Midas). But for Soren and Adella, it works.
