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Some thoughts on Transitions IV
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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:33 pm    Post subject: Some thoughts on Transitions IV Reply with quote

Some of you might think this is a little early for me to start writing about the next part of the series...but I feel it's got to be done sooner rather than later.

The situation is this:

I have ideas for the remainder of Transitions III and for a Transitions IV as well. But I am no longer certain I really want to write number four. There are a number of reasons for that. First of all, I believe the story will reach a natural conclusion at the end of the current book, and I've always been in favor of stopping while ahead. Why write a fourth book if it may end up being below standards?

Another reason is that the story I had in mind for Transitions IV may simply be too hard for me to write. These characters have all come to mean something to me, personally. It's difficult for me to have to say goodbye to them, and by leaving it at the end of Transitions III, I also leave the option open for 'I wonder what happened to *insert character name here* afterwards'.

Perhaps the most important thing, though, is that I want to try to get something published. I want to write something and send it to a publisher and try to get it printed. As long as I write these stories, publishing a chapter every week or every two weeks or whatever, that will take up so much of my time and my creative effort that I doubt I will be able to get anything else written.

That is not to say I won't still write the occasional furry thing. I may very well do so, in fact I strongly suspect I will. But if I want to try to get something published for real, then I need to concentrate on that more completely, and writing Transitions IV would take another year, maybe more...and what then?

I've told myself I want to finish Transitions III first, no matter what. I want to finish this story, because I owe myself that much, and I owe that to the characters, silly as that may sound.

I hope people understand my reasoning. I haven't made any absolute decision yet...but I am leaning towards not writing book four at the moment.
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Teric
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Saying Goodbye"... as in, one or more characters dying? Shocked Yes, I can see why that would be very difficult to write. Writing about the death of a favorite character affects you deeply.

But is it really necessary to go that far? I'm thinking it would likely be better to leave your bunch on a sort-of "happily-ever-after" type of ending, where you know that life goes on, and that they'll be okay.

Just my two cents.

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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*shrugs* saying goodbye in whatever sense of the word. By writing that fourth volume, the story will be -over-. By not writing it...there's always the option of going back to finish it...later, maybe...sometime.

It's hard to explain.
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Kristie_Kitty
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My two cents: Razz

You can always concentrate on the now and make the remaining chapters of Transition III the best they can be while still thinking out options of Transitions IV. You can always leave Transitions IV open and not written for some time until you have all your collective thoughts in the right place to finish up the stories of all the belove characters in all their unique statures.

If the entire series of books would be ending, make the best of it when everything seams right to you the author Aslaug, and these have been my thoughts... take as much time as needed to make it feel right to have it come to an end. We all love you work.
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Kellan Meig'h
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wrote a 'farewell' for one of my characters- never again.

Aslaug-I'm sure you know whom I'm referring to.

I can't tell you how much this old warhorse cried tears of pain for a character that didn't exist except in my fertile imagination and in document format.

If you feel like this about T3, then don't write T4. Maybe some small side stories for the characters, just to keep them around and fresh in your mind.

For me, never will I write another 'farewell' saga again.

Still wiping tears from my eyes as I think about it,

Kellan

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Karou WindStalker
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Writing farewells is amongst the most difficult things I could imagine doing .. yet in the one story I do have, and am currently re-writing, I have to write 'endings' for more characters than is safely sane...

Yes, to others they might only exist on paper, but to me I had to develop them in many ways; from species to back story, from personality to fur color, from speech pattern to sex .. you get the idea..

Aslaug, my 2¢ is to just do your best with Transitions 3 and leave Transitions 4 for future development.. Leave the characters some potential for growing room, but also potential for us rabid fans to envision our own possible futures beyond T3...

And, again, if anyone wants to read my writing, even though it's not based in the ZZ universe, Sabrinaverse, or any other spin-off of ZZ, feel free to PM me.

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Shirh Khan
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 6:07 pm    Post subject: Saying Goodbye... Reply with quote

I'll toss my own two cents into the commentary going 'round, though I'm sure I'll get change back *smirk*

I can fully understand that sense of saying goodbye. Not just when you have a character die-- which can be awfully gut-wrenching; it's one of the reasons why I've put pause to my furry writing stories- they're all at or just at the point where someone important to the main characters, or to the storyline, dies, and I need to steel myself for that-- but there's also the sense of...finality, when you've written "The End" at the end of a story. You know that your characters, they've all "grown up". They don't need you anymore. Their stories are told, and there's nothing more to say. They've turned in the final edits of their work, and when they walk out the door....that's it. You find yourself sometimes wanting to try to find something else for them to do, another way for them to continue to 'live', instead of fading into the background of your thoughts.........

Ehn.
Let me stop beating that around.
Suffice it to say that writers know what you mean, filly.
Do what you need to. Write T4, or don't; in any event, we understand, and we'll still be here. We love your work, and we support ya, no matter what.

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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I've been doing some more thinking and I did kinda promise a few people I'd post here once I'd made up my mind.

Well, I have.

The Transitions series will end with the current book. Maybe one day down the line I'll feel like revisiting the story and maybe then I'll write book four, but I am not sure that will ever happen.

It does mean I am coming to the end of a long journey, and that in itself is a strange feeling. But not a bad one, really. I am thinking about what to write 'next', really, and I have been talking to Tigermark a bit lately about just such a thing.

Needless to say, I really do want to try to get something published. I really do hope I have the talent it takes, and I am going to go out on a limb and pursue that dream. I need to do that, for my own sake. But I also know myself, and I need to write something just for the fun of it. Not because I can make money on it, but because I think it'd be fun to do.

Tigermark said that he thought I should consider historical fiction as a genre, given what I did with AVC, and I would tend to agree with him. I know not everyone likes the genre, but it's something I like writing, and that has to count for something. I think the next swing I take at it won't be furry, however.

I am not quite sure yet, but there are a few situations both from antiquity, and from early modern history (Elizabethan/Stuart England, more precisely) that I would like to write about.

But the fact of the matter is that Transitions started out as catharsis for me. I no doubt owe this story a lot, because it helped me in so many ways I can't even begin to describe them. Both on a personal level, and in terms of coming to terms.

With myself. Life. Sacrifices made.

But I also have to understand that I have changed dramatically over the last four or five years. I'm not the same person I was when I started writing the first chapters of the first book.

I didn't think anyone would bother reading it. Now look at it? I've created something that many people have expressed a great deal of enjoyment over, and you know...that's a pretty remarkable, special thing. It makes me very happy to know I've done that. But I also have to say that if I keep writing about those characters, I risk them souring on me, and I really don't want that to happen. I firmly believe that a good story does eventually have to have a -final chapter-...and then it is done.

That final chapter will be the last Transitions III-chapter. After that, I may decide to write a stand-alone here and there, but mostly, I think I'll just leave it at that, and go on to write other stories.

I just hope you'll all still be interested in reading what I create next.
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anthony
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, to paraphraze Bob Dylan; How many roads must a fur walk down before he can call himself a fur...

As we all know that the answer is 42, and Transitions has been a journey I figure that you have 'a few' still waiting to be walked.
And I can't wait to see where those roads will lead you...

In other words, keep on writing. Smile

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Kellan Meig'h
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aslaug-

I understand where you're coming from and I want to think I understand where you want to go. Although we will miss all of your wonderful characters and your amazing ability to tell a story, I think I agree with one thing you said; write a story to be published. This would be a testament to your abilities as a wordsmith.

Your choice of historical fiction in my humble opinion would be perfect for you. AVC was proof you can write that genre and I think that you could do it again. Let me know when you do become published so I can get a copy of your works, signed of course.

Looking forward to whatever you may write for our enjoyment,

Kellan

PS- I still look forward to seeing T3 completed. Don't leave us hanging on the road to Zig's house! LOL!

PPS- Is Timothy going to make another appearance in Columbus? Just wondering.

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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's a thought...

As you know, Transitions III will be the final book in that series. That means, as I've written earlier, that I am going to need a new project.

I want to write something for publication but that doesn't mean I won't be writing something for free, at the same time. This is important to me. It's a very significant part of my life these days and I want to stay in touch.

In fact, I hope some of the commentators that have dropped away may come back or start speaking up again (yes, yes...I know, I lament about this regularly but I do feel it as a blow whenever I lose regular commentators)

SO...

Here goes...

I am going to take suggestions for what people want me to write next.

A few rules!

1: I don't promise I will actually pick one of these suggestions but I do promise I will look them over closely, and that I will -seriously- consider them.

2: I am not asking people to send me story-outlines with a complete cast. I am asking people to give me a genre (fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction...yaddayaddayadda...). What -type- of writing would you like to see, and I would like some form of reasoning behind your suggestion.

3: I further need to know if people want me to keep it furry, do it as a mixture-story (humans and furries side by side) or as a 'human' tale. Again, no promises on whether I will take people up on their suggestions but I will definitely look them over.

So...go ahead. Carpet-bomb me with ideas. I have several myself, but I write for the reading pleasure of you, the readers, too. Besides, I think it might simply be fun to see what people might like to see from my proverbial pen...(alright, alright...keyboard, but it doesn't sound as neat)
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anthony
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ever done a 'stranger in a strange land' type story?
(Well, stranger than usual... )

You know, stories where you take one character and moves him to a completely different setting...
(Jonawolf's 'Wolf River'/'Wild Rose County' is one example, Greg Howell's 'Human Memoirs' is another... everyone knows the book 'Stranger in a strange land'... )

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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haven't read that book but from the description it's something like Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' or...?

That would be something to consider.

Great stuff, Anthony! Thank you for the input Smile
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anthony
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haven't read that Twain book, but yes, I imagine it would be something similar...

It's particularly the stories where the settings are 'almost identical' and just the characters are different that seems to be the most challenging.
(Getting the details just right isn't always easy... I've been looking into one myself, but... Need a lot of research. )

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ahh, no then it's a very different style than what I thought.
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