Okay. So, I know that this probably isn't what you were expecting since you probably came here looking for a story and this is definitely not a story. ACTUALLY. Well, I guess, it could be counted as a story. So, here's what's been happening and what's going to happen in the next week or so. You guys know that my laptop broke. I think I mentioned that in my notes in Chapter 8, but it broke again. YES. I got it out on Friday and then, AND THEN, I had to take it back because something went crazy with it and it was just... ugh. SO. I get it back on Saturday. THEN. Saturday night, my glasses broke and I've spent the past thirty-six hours trying to fix them and they're okay right now, but they're just not fun to look out of. Everything's clear, just I somehow managed to get super glue on the lenses and things got smudged and I'll make a long and uncomfortable short and just say that I REALLY need to get some new ones. Which my mom is looking into, but it won't be easy because this is America and America hates us below-the-poverty-line people who have no insurance. Joy.
Why am I telling you all of that? Just so you know where I'm coming from when I say that I won't be writing Don't Catch a Cold anymore.
GASP.
Now that we've gotten over the collective gasping, let me explain. I was intending to rewrite the first chapters anyway due to extremely bad writing, but then all of this bad stuff happened to me and I decided that I was just going to extend the small tweaking into full-on rewriting. There were a few of you guys who mentioned that there wasn't a lot of background info and that echoed a few of my own sentiments about the quality of the story and the pacing of events. It all came down to the fact that I just wasn't satisfied with the story and with everything that was happening or how I was writing it, to be honest. SO. I decided that I am going to rewrite it. Don't worry! Abe will still be there. And so will Dominic. And Poliwag! Poliwag, yay! But the shape of the story will be different, better I hope. There will be more depth to the plot and to the people. None of this rushed, "OH, HEY, I'M GOING ON A JOURNEY" that I did mainly because I didn't know any better back then. Now, I do. Now I realize that I can write a story in a way that doesn't have anything to do with the whole "OH, QUEST, LET'S ROLL, HOMIES." Hopefully, the realism will be more endearing and not make you hate me.
So. Abe. Dominic. More of that. You'll find out more about Abe and the town he's from too! And I have a better idea about the whole concept of Pokemon-giving-out-ness. Essentially, you're going to get a full picture of Abe's life, not just little hints and meager details. What I'm trying to do is FLESH OUT the story I started with the first version of Don't Catch a Cold and really bring you readers into what's happening in not only Abe's life but the life of his whole town as that's very important. You're probably thinking, "Well, it's just a hometown, who cares?" The answer to that is that I care. Honest, I think a sense of place is very important to this story because that was in a lot of ways my whole purpose in Don't Catch a Cold. To show the impact of place on a person and how our homes shape us sometimes beyond the altering of other places. I wanted to bring a greater sense of identity to the towns and to the whole region of Sinnoh because in the anime and the video games, you barely get a feel FOR ANYTHING. The hometown will be very, very important to this story as opposed to something quickly left as in the first version of this story. Yep. Expanding and extending the background facets of the story into things of greater, more deserved importance.
Quick little snippets of what you can expect in the new story that is really the old story just better :
Pine River -- Abe's hometown and the place where a large part of the story takes place. Inspired by this trip I took on Saturday with my family. Just all came together rather beautifully. A small but thriving village across the river from Sandgem town. Small place, big drama.
Abe -- He'll be a more rounded character for sure, with more than just his snarky side. BUT. Make no mistake, he'll still be Abe. Just as insecure and "oh woe, I am such a victim" as he was in the first version. More insight into the reason he is the way he is though, so I hope that's a reason to continue reading.
Dominic -- I'm tweaking him. I just don't know how yet. I DO know that there will be a slight edge to him. Something dark and dangerous lingering in his past that colors all of his actions and his thoughts. He IS a stranger, after all, so of course he's bound to be dark and mysterious; look for a slightly darker Dominic, but don't rule out his sparkling humor and other attractive features either. I think he'll be more realistic. Deeper. More than just the silly, practical foil to Abe's irrationality.
Plot -- DRAMA! OMG! DRAMA. I don't want to give away too much, but old family ties and things done in the past have an ugly way of impacting the dynamics of the present. There are things that time only makes worse, and the complex, intricate doings and the scandals between prominent families on a small river island are such things. No character is so minor that he or she won't in some way play a role in the persecutions, trials, and tribulations of the people within the borders of Pine River. The plot won't be your typical action-adventure thriller. Actually, there might be action, just not the BIG EXPLOSIONS KIND. THOUGH. There might be some of that too. Look for the plot to be more complex and richer.
Writing -- Better. Not as ornate, not as flowery. More direct. Detailed and meticulous. I really want to bring the place alive for you since it's a made-up place. The people within it and everything, I want to lay out for examination because every part of the village is important (CHEESY, BUT TRUE).
Other stuff -- Uhm. I don't have one yet. PLEASE HELP ME? If you want. I'm 1300 words into Chapter 1 and I have a ways to go before I'm done. Should be out by the end of the week, IF NOTHING ELSE TERRIBLE HAPPENS TO ME. Ahem. But yes. I'm hard at work tyring to make this the best it can be and to be honest, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE how it's coming along so far. So. Please don't give up on me! Or the story! All of your favorite characters are coming back, and they'll be new and sparkly and better. Ahem. So, yes.
That's all I wanted to say. If you have any questions and/or suggestions, you can send me a message on here and there is contact info on my profile so have a gander at that. I AM SO SORRY, BUT I THINK IT WILL ALL WORK OUT.