How do you — as an author, reader, or both — feel about authors responding to comments? It’s something I’m struggling with quite a bit. And I don’t mean just saying, “Thanks for the nice comment!” when someone says something kind, I mean when they’re theorising about what the secrets behind motivations are, what someone’s (or even the story’s) real purpose is, ‘whodunnit?” etc.
Allison Zero has reached a major turning point. I've been talking about this in both blogs and the comments on the story for the past few parts. The story is not done, and will continue, there's a lot left to be told, it's just, as the readers will know, reached a point where there's a significant change to Allison's life (beyond gender.) Certain "discoveries" have been made, which readers have commented on in the last part of the story.
Allison Zero is turning out a little longer than I expected. Maybe 35/40%-ish extra to get to the point Part 12 makes it now, at least according to standard sci-fi novel word counts. Although I have added some elements that should make the later parts of the novel more accessible, as well as to answer the primary medical transition questions — which I decided not to hold back on quite as much. Part 12 is, though, a significant turning point, something I’ll deal with later in this blog.
Something strange is happening to me writing Allison Zero. It’s not that this has never happened, it’s the intensity with which it’s happening. I spend quite a while working on each part of the story, and generally edit as I go; often reading back over pages after I’ve written maybe half a page extra. And I do this multiple times to maintain the flow of what I’m writing. This is how I’ve always written.
Since my previous blog post about story summaries and blurbs, and after all the helpful advice, my "process" has had a new addition. All my Toni With An i stories now have a blurb on them, so does Marking Your Card, and Allison Zero has been getting a blurb right from the start.
I don't know how it's working out, but I feel it's beneficial, and it's something I want to continue. I don't think comparing kudos/readers/comments across stories is very helpful as blurbs only play a small part, but I would hope readers are finding them helpful. I certainly feel justified in doing them (based on nothing but gut feeling and what people previously asked for in the older blog.)
Can anyone recommend a sci-fi story, or stories, on BCTS? I'm thinking of and have just written the first few paragraphs of something I feel has something to it, and I'm looking for the vibe of sci-fi stories on here.
At this point in my "career" on BC I've written nine entries in my Toni With An i serial, and one entry for the New Year's competition, Marking Your Card. And I've been thinking about how a story appears on the front page, and whether I should include a story summary or blurb. (You should all enter the competition, it's a challenge and enjoyable but not too difficult. Flex those writing muscles! It's fun, I promise!)
If you’ve stuck with Toni With An i from Part 1 to Part 2 (I know, two long parts in quick succession, I only have a third chapter completed at the moment, so don’t worry) you’ll have noticed a change in how explicit it is. There’s definitely going to be moments where bodies are to the fore. Bodies and all the feelings around them simply are a part of who everyone is, trans or not. I wanted to let readers know, however, this isn’t a pure smut story, or even a mostly smut story, which I know would be atypical for this site; this community I’ve just joined as a new author.
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