What follows is an author's note entirely unrelated to the plot of this story, which I encourage anyone not interested in reading the ramblings of a genuine crazy person to skip over in favor of doing something productive with your lives.
And no, this isn't a hiatus announcement, so you can put away your torches and pitchforks.
A few days ago, Shadows of the Past turned one year old. Since I started writing this little story, I've managed to fall more than 93 million miles (940 million kilometers) without even coming close to hitting the colossal ball of nuclear fire thousands of times larger than anything I've ever known that looms above us every moment of our lives.
As far as I'm concerned, that's an achievement.
Now, I know I'm not the fastest writer - which, believe me, I've been reminded of many times - but as of this chapter, Shadows of the Past is now over 53,000 words long (and yes, I am counting this author's note, because you don't tell me how to live my life). The average novel, for comparison, is around 45,000 words, so if we convert my writing speed to novels per year, I'd say I'm doing pretty well for my first try. On the other hand, I post a chapter about once every month and a half. Since the average reading speed is around 200 words per minute (thanks, google!) and most of my chapters are around 4,500 words, that means I'm writing about a minute's worth of content every two days or so.
So yeah, that's something I'm working on. I won't make any promises, though, mostly because my writing method consists of me staring blankly at a computer screen for a hours on end, then suddenly writing several thousand words in a single furious burst of inspiration, almost invariably at 3AM the night before I have to do something important.
As for the actual story, I'm happy (and considerably surprised) to say it seems you're all enjoying it so far (then again, you're the people reading the author's note, so I'm probably preaching to the choir right now). I want to give a big thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review and ask questions about the story, especially to those of you who've actually followed me all or most of the way through this crazy year (you know who you are - I won't name names, mostly because I would inevitably forget someone). The feedback, suggestions, and questions you've sent my way have helped me iron out a lot of mistakes I didn't even realize I was making.
I do want to thank some people in particular, whom I will now list in no particular order:
- Airenee, who, through the magic of time zones, has helped keep me focused and (somewhat) sane during my late-night writing binges,
- WroughtIron, who has not only helped me edit several of these chapters, but also actually listened my incoherent ramblings about writing, people, and Audino sneaking into my story,
- Honrupi, who provided the shiny cover art for this story,
- Sulfurbunny, who not only introduced several new readers, but also gave some rather… memorable feedback,
- and Shadow Lucario, who sent me a small essay reviewing my story frankly and insightfully.
Lastly, for those of you who actually read this far: I lied when I said I wasn't going to talk about the plot. Shadows of the Past has, I think, reached its midpoint. That's pure speculation on my part - even knowing where the plot is going, I only have a vague idea of how long or short this'll turn out to be - but from this point onward, I'm going to be wrapping up loose ends and getting things ready for the big finale. Darkrai, Artemis, and even Kellyn should start getting some answers soon, and I hope you look forward to seeing what they are.
And, if we're lucky, it might not take me another whole year to finish this.
-Malc Modnar