AUTHOR'S NOTE:
THINK OF EACH "CHAPTER" AS A PAGE OF A SHORT STORY, NOT AN ACTUAL CHAPTER.
I just wanted to write that first before giving you the actual author's note. I'm writing this at a very odd time in my life now. A time where some of my fears were coming true. Fears of becoming an outcast to society. Of being a loser. Of being socially unacceptable. Of being a weirdo.
And I'm going to level with you a bit. Chances are, if you're reading this, you are a bit of an outcast. You are a bit of a loser. You are a bit socially unacceptable. You're kind of a weirdo.
Let's be real. What kind of normal person reads this, where someone places his or herself (in some regard), into a story filled with Disney characters that can cast magic spells and people that are filled with light and darkness instead of blood and organs?
In what world would you be able to bring up that you write fanfiction to a coworker and not have him or her talk about you behind your back? Certainly not the one we live in.
And I hated that. I refused to look it in the eyes. The thought of becoming the kid who no one sat with at lunch terrified me. But now, I think I'm starting to realize that this might just be who I am. And you know what? Maybe that's not so bad. And maybe I'm not alone.
Everyday, I see at least 10 new stories come out for the Kingdom Hearts thread alone. That means at least 10 people start deciding to do what they've wanted to do since day one (but were too afraid to). And that number is growing. But fanfiction will only do so much. It can't get you paid. Especially if it's poorly written. And even in the best ones I've read, there's room for improvement.
And there's always going to be a room for improvement. So that's what we should do. Strive for better. Because if we do, one day, this weird little hobby just might become a weird little job.
If you're reading this, if you daydream about what it would be like to interact with the people from this universe, then I encourage you, no, I beg you. Start writing. Write everyday. Wring your brain dry of ideas for stories. And then wring it some more. And don't just limit yourself to one franchise, one type of story. Branch out, experiment, get weird.
Let's prove everyone wrong. Let's see if they'll laugh when you're writing the screenplay for the next cult classic. That's how Max Landis (Google him) got started. Will that be how you start?