Sweey: Ahoy ye readers! I'm back on ! And I'm back- with PLANS! Oh yes. That's right!
This is gonna be one awesomesauce party! If you haven't already, check out the update on the Life of a Star Warrior. I'm about to jump back onto the ship writing chapter 13.
Since there is no way to send a mass update to all my readers (that I'm aware of) here's where I get sassy with the mojo and cookies:
As you all know, this story has been an immense undertaking! However, I'm planning to end the Life of a Star Warrior with one long part, despite the planned two parts. (Whereas the Past of the Masked Knight was two). I could never find that notebook I lost, but that's okay. I've been rereading and rethinking a lot of the story's plots and characters.
I'll be completing The Life of a Star Warrior either by the fifteenth or twentieth chapter. Then, I'll be employing a team of beta readers to work with me and this gigantic mass of text to make it a smooth, rich-with-adventure, bulking novel.
I haven't thought of what the title might be, but I will certainly let you guys know when it's up in future author notes of the LoaSW (Thank God for acronyms!). So that all to say, I'm officially going to stop promising to update on a certain day like I used to. Life is just too busy with college (taking 22 hours…). However, my personal goal is to knock this out fast, while I'm motivated. Then I'll jump right into the boat with the beta readers and work on producing a refined second edition combining these two lengthy novels of Meta Knight's past.
These older versions will not be deleted, simply because I do not believe in pretending that I was "born with this". Writing takes a lot of work. Writing a story as big as this one? You're bound for mistakes. And as a new generation of fanfiction writers emerge, I want to make sure they know a few things I didn't.
To the new writers,
A dictionary is your bow and your Thesaurus is your arrow.
Reviews go a long way. To get you must first give.
Long stories are not a stable foundation. Write small and then go big. Ten chapters, start to finish. Once you've got that down, you'll be better equipped to take on a novel.
Don't be afraid of criticism. Growing pains are painful.
Don't make unrealistic promises to your readers. Be honest with them. If life is overwhelming you, live first and then write.
Plan your chapters. Write out only the important events. (Character dies. Character encounters this that foreshadows this).
Try your BEST to avoid Mary Sues. But, hey, we've all had them. It's a respectable show of discipline when you write about a character you've fallen out of love with. (Me and MK. I don't hate him, I'm just his bro now, not his fangirl. Haha)
Never let your confidence shut down. That engine is severely difficult to rev back alive. You can take a look at me. It took me two years to return to this story. I had been angry about something that was so insignificant as one person's distaste, when there were dozens of readers who were enjoying it!
When you review, review to uplift, teach, and appreciate. We're all at different stages of life and different stages of being an author. Be kind to everyone, for you they are facing their own battles in life.
Never betray the child in your soul. Don't ever let anyone take that from you. I still watch Hoshi no Kaabii sometimes. And always fight conformity. You are your own person and you are an amazing human being, capable of more than you can imagine.
Even as it took me so long to return and write this, I have the confidence to finish the work that I started. I apologize that it took so long. And I want to tell you something.
I know there are more of you than I have talked with and I appreciate all of you. When I began this story it was in a black, wide-ruled, spiral notebook. There were five people in my class and I was the outcast. I was a misfit at the children's home my parents worked at. It was stationed in the middle of the woods- that was my playground. The closest town was ten minutes away, but it was so small we only had a gas station.
We moved after my seventh grade year, during the summer. My world was twisted into oblivion. I had no playmates. I wasn't allowed to ever leave the house because my mother was very afraid of me being abducted and my family was significantly poor at the time. We couldn't even afford chicken nuggets. This story was my livelihood at the time. I watched Hoshi no Kaabii like it was bread for my soul. I couldn't afford to buy all the games, but I did extensive research. My life in a public school wasn't horrible, but it shocked my personal culture. I could always return to the comfort of the blank, lined paper, and disappear into the world of Meta Knight, Emit, Thorn, and all. I could write about things I wanted to do, had learned, and who I hoped someday to be. I wanted characters of integrity that countered the sick, invasive culture that surrounded me.
I remember the excitement I felt when finishing a chapter. I remember looking at my views and dancing for victory in my heart when I saw that someone from a new country had read my story. I remember the deep set anticipation that I felt when awaiting reviews from those who enjoyed the story with me. More than anything, I am grateful for this experience and for the friendships it has cultivated in my life.
I know I am not finished quite yet, but I want to make something clear to all of you:
Thank you.
You were the friends I always needed. When I had a bad day, the numbers had my back. Each and every one of you were part of the hundreds from all over the world that were the secret army behind my soul. When I received notes from readers telling me that this story had saved their life or had encouraged them through a difficult time, I couldn't be happier. That something I made to push through the guilt and pain of my childhood on into the confusing world of adulthood, could help others face challenges of their own. That's an incredible gift to me and I will always cherish it. You have my word.
My favorite Irish Proverb:
"Should God send you down a stony path,
May he give you strong shoes."
Whether you believe in God or not, I hope your soul resists the weathering of the pain that life inflicts upon you.
Brimming with gratitude,
Sweey