Growing Up is Optional Book 1: Off to Neverland! (ORIGINAL)

by StarRosie

When Mindy realizes that her childhood has been erased from existence, she starts to question who she is. Under unforeseen circumstances, she's thrust into The Dremesphere: A world inhabited by the beloved Disney characters. Now, she must enlist the help of Peter Pan, Jiminy Cricket, and more to rediscover her past as well as defeat the elusively manipulative Projectionist.

17. An Important Message

Hey guys, StarRosie here!

First of all, I wanna say thank you all for the awesome reviews! They really make my day, and it brings me so much joy that you're invested in this story.

Having said that, I've given it a lot of thought, and I am in the process of rewriting the first book of this series.

This is because as a writer, I'm always looking for ways to improve my craft, and I finished writing G.U.I.O. Book 1 two YEARS ago. After rereading it I've decided that I'm not entirely happy with it, and I feel like I can do better. Looking back, I now see that the pacing in the beginning is a mess, my protagonist is kind of a whiney b*tch, and there's SOOOO MANY INFODUMPS.

As of right now, I am more than halfway through with the second draft.

It's the same premise with the same characters and story, but the intro is less lengthy, and it drops you straight into the action (we call this in media res in the writing world). I've recycled some scenes from my first draft, as well as added some new ones. One of the more jarring changes is the character of Mindy.

I really wasn't happy with how she turned out.

I thought she was pretty basic as far as protagonists go, and too much of a stick in the mud for my taste to the point where I found her a little overbearing at times. I've added some new quirks and flaws to flesh her out, and all-around make her more likeable as an MC. (In other words I've molded her into an impulsive, socially-awkward, Disney geek who's in over her head, can't focus, suffers with anxiety, and is all-around a hot mess who can't seem to get herself or her life together).

I know that you guys want to see this story progress. Don't worry, the first draft of the second book (Growing Up is Optional Book 2: The Game is Afoot!) is finished and is currently being put on hold until I can reread it, look for mistakes, and write a second draft to better fit this redux that I'm writing.

I fully intend to continue this series, but I want to make sure that I'm putting my best work out there because this project is everything to me, and I want to see it through to the end no matter what.

Thank you for understanding, and I'll start posting chapters for the rewrite as soon as it's finished (which shouldn't be very long).

~StarRosie :)