We made it to the end without a single advanced review!

I'm joking. Thank you all for coming along on this bumpy journey with me. It means a lot and I can honestly say this fiction wouldn't exist without y'all following along as closely as you did.

I started writing this book all those months ago when I spoke with a friend who thought it was -- and I quote -- "impossible" to write a highly reader interactive story that was also good. This was also during a time in my life when I was feeling particularly trapped, and so, No Choice was born; a fiction about a dungeon core making do the best she can with the tools she is given.

As is usually the case with me, I couldn't let well enough alone. It couldn't just be a normal book. It had to be new. An experiment! Yes. From its inception, No Choice was supposed to be an experiment: Is it possible for me to write a fiction from a strict outline? As a born and bred pantser, I found the entire concept of an outline impenetrable. If you are unaware of the lingo, it basically means that I can write fast, but I tend to veer off course without adult supervision. So for No Choice, I gave myself a few rules. Before every arc, I would outline the events, and no matter what happened, I had to adhere to the outline. No exceptions. There were times when this failed (pre-rewrite chapter 12 comes to mind), but I think overall it worked which is rather shocking in it of itself.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

You may have noticed that the above doesn't mesh all that well with the whole reader interactive thing, and you are correct. This story was always supposed to be an exploration of choice. Stella's choices. Your choices. Especially your choices. When do we have a choice, and when do we just think we have a choice? How divorced is how something happens from why or what happens? It is an intriguing thought that I, unfortunately, think I only touched upon. For one, I did not realize how unpleasant and difficult it is to write about slavery, zealots, or deities. For another, the book was originally supposed to have 6 arcs, but as a wise woman once told me: 'any ending is better than no ending', so here we are.

I learned a lot writing this and I am excited to implement those ideas in my future work. I would love to know what you thought of the fiction (likes, dislikes, where it excelled, where it stumbled, etc..). I don't know what I'll write next. Perhaps a fun little story about a slightly insane hydra that just can't seem to get along with its own heads. Or maybe something to scratch that litrpg progression time loop itch I've been feeling lately. I don't know. I guess I'll let the wind guide me. While I wait for the wind to move its lazy ass, I'm going to visit family.

Cheers, my dudes and dudettes!

May you never find yourself with No Choice!