Hidden behind the spoiler text below is my old rant-ish thing that is no longer relevant. Feel free to skip. I have already made dev edits, so the below is no longer relevant.
I wrote out the below just now in a cathartic trance, and now looking back, I'd like to preface it and clear up some concern. I am NOT dropping the story. I am NOT stopping to do a rewrite. I am NOT caving to feedback from a few more vocal readers. This just me letting you all know that I do see your comments and reviews, and that I am aware of the issues that some of you are having with the story. If you have had no issues with the story, feel free to ignore all this. Now, without further ado, behold:
I've been getting some comments and reviews lately complaining about this most recent arc. I hear you, and I understand. I made a promise in the first few chapters, and with the title, and then kind of broke it writing this arc. I promised evolution and survival, and instead, you've gotten a politics arc that I probably should have saved until way later, if I did it at all. Unfortunately for you all, you're just going to have to deal with it. This is what I wrote, and I'm not going to change it. Even if I was going to, it's way too late for that. I already have the resolution of this arc written in my backlog, and we've moved beyond that.
Basically what happened here is that I started this arc, created a setting and a background and tossed Elise into it, then started working toward resolving the situation. The solution took longer to arrive than I thought it was, but as I wrote, I didn't really care. Never once did it cross my mind that this was a big tonal shift from what came before it, nor did I realize how my release schedule would make it feel. I'm a pantser, not a planner. I planted the seeds, and did not control the growth well, and it expanded into this.
That being said, I don't think this arc is all bad. I still kind of like it. Obviously, I could have executed better, but I think that the overall plotline is still alright, and I hope you all think that too when you finally see the resolution. I will eventually edit this when I prepare for Amazon, I'll clean up some of the plotholes and maybe streamline the arc a bit, but the overall sequence of events is going to remain the same.
Now that I've got that out of the way, here's some good news: Book 1 is done on my end. It's not perfect, but it's complete, and I've started on Book 2. I'm learning from my mistakes, and I'm going to make sure that I don't fall into the same pits again. Book 2 has the added bonus of Elise being much stronger (yes, she will start gaining levels again), so it's easier for me to come up with ways for her to be productive and proactive.
Please note that this is NOT a promise that I won't do another politic arc, or that I'm going to put my foot on the gas and accelerate the pace by a ton. I like writing this story, and I want it to go on for a while, so I won't amp up the progression too much. If she evolves too quickly, the story will end, and I don't think any of us want that. Rather, I will focus on maintaining her agency more fully, and if I do more politics, I will do them better.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
In conclusion, this arc is here, and here to stay, but it does have an end. It will take a while for it to get here because of my slow release schedule, but it will arrive. After that, I don't know where the story will go, because as I mentioned, I'm a pantser, not a planner. However, I will do my best not to create any more situations where Elise loses agency and stops leveling for long periods of time. Thanks you all for reading. I hope you stick around to read more.
Here are some questions you may have after reading all that:
Q: If you have the end of the arc written, why don't you just post it all now so we can see the resolution?
A: That would decimate my backlog, and there's a non-zero chance my schedule would become inconsistent after that. I'm in my senior year studying engineering. My availability is not consistent. I can guarantee 2 chapters a week. Any more than that is bonus. I also have been going back and editing chapters to make sure that the ending is consistent with what came before it, and I'm still doing some of that, so I don't want to pull that trigger, only for you all to find a bajillion new plot holes.
Q: Will you change your release schedule in the future?
A: I really can't say, for the reasons listed above. My availability is inconsistent. It all depends on how much I'm able to write. If I can consistently output 3 chapters a week, I might change my upload schedule back to 3/week. I don't know if I'll be able to do any more than that though. For the foreseeable future, it will remain 2/week
Q: When will Elise get back outside?
A: Well, Imaginary-Reader-I-Created-To-Ask-Myself-This-Question, I'm glad you asked! On the Patreon advance chapters right now, she actually has made it back outside. Go check it out (or don't. I'm not your dad)!
Q: Will you stay at just 8 advance chapters for your highest tier on Patreon?
A: IRICTAMTQ, back again with another great question. The answer to this one is 'No!' As of right now, the top tier on Patreon is actually 10 chapters ahead! By the time the next chapter is posted, it will be 12 chapters ahead. That's a full 6 weeks!
Q: Why are you letting the negative feedback get to your head?
A: I'd be lying if I said it wasn't discouraging, but I'm not letting it influence me too much. I think. Seeing a negative comment or review brings me down, but I after the initial sucker punch, I can detach myself and look at things objectively. A lot of the critique I've gotten is valid. The story is flawed, but I think its bones are still good, and I know I haven't killed it. I also think that my slow release schedule is exacerbating the feeling. The arc might feel like it's dragging, but it's only been 6 or 7 chapters. I'll learn from my mistakes in this book and make an even better book 2. You'd better look forward to it. Or else.
Alright, that was 1k words, so I'll end this note here. I'll write up another reflection at the end of this book where I can talk in more detail about what happened without worrying about spoilers, but for now, you'll have to make do with this.
TL;DR: I know I messed up a lil bit this arc, and I will strive to improve in the future.