FFC #78 - Basic lessons and epic conclusions

TGRF's Fan Fiction Chronicles - Entry #78

It's been mid-August since my last blog entry, and late June since my last real update, leading the more avid of my followers to perhaps wonder what has become of me and my writing. More likely my fiction endeavors have simply been forgotten, but I'm going to update you anyway.

Ever since I 'stopped' writing, back in July 2020, I've been waiting to say the words 'I'm back' in one of these FFCs.

Technically I did that already at least once, but as it turned out to be largely a false alarm, I'm not counting it.

Throughout the last year+, I've been trying to restart my fiction writing. I got a few stories out, namely Utgar and Valkyrie, and while the former wasn't bad, and the later definitely had some good parts to it, neither really felt like a return to my old writing ways. For the most part, I still couldn't get stories off the ground - they always had some problem, or if they didn't, my interest would inexplicably vanish.

By now, I think I know why. I've detailed elsewhere how, for around ten years, writing fan fiction was 'the thing'. It was the main priority for me, the thing I looked forward to everyday, what defined my schedule. Everything revolved around writing for me.

It took a long time for me to realize it, but that is, sadly, not how life works. I had to get slapped in the face by reality a few times before I started to get that. Kind of a basic lesson, I know, but apparently one I had talked myself out of believing.

This is why I'll never be able to say those words: 'I'm back'. At least not for a long while. Being 'back' would mean writing like I used to, and that's something I can no longer let myself do. Other things have to take priority.

Now this does not mean I'm done writing. I fully believe writing is what I was put on this Earth to do, and that my life will, someday, once again be consumed by it. Until that happy day arrives though, writing will have to be relegated to the back burner. It's still there, stories are still concocting, plots are still being formed. A fan fiction might spontaneously arrive in the forums from time to time. But the days of always working on some story or other to the exclusion of all else are gone. For now.

So the next question is if stories are always concocting, what is in the works right now, and will it see the light of day? As to the later question, no one knows. I feel good about the current story, but I've felt that way before to no avail.

As to the former... I still plan on whatever story I finally get out to be my last fan fiction. I feel like my novels have finally found the setting they needed, and it's time to start devoting attention to them. Before that happens though, there are some final writing techniques and such which I want to practice, and which I intend to include in this final fan fiction.

Since this is to be my last fan fiction, I want it to be epic. I want it to be on the scale of Horizon in Sight with the impact of The River that was Red. To that end, I've spent a long time (way too long) worldbuilding - maps, species, magic systems, languages, possible histories of the war on Valhalla, and possible ways it might end. At this point I have a lot invested in the world of Valhalla, and I'm ready to turn all that excitement which has been building into one last fan fiction the forums will never forget.

You will definitely see something, sometime. Progress might be slow, but it'll arrive eventually. And when it does, it will be awesome.

Until then, keep reading, keep writing, and get ready for the epic conclusion.

~TGRF.