TGRF's Fan Fiction Chronicles - Entry 7

FFC #7 - (Possible) Return of the Elf

Here it is, another update from me. Now your day is complete.

In my last FFC, I talked about Dilmir, and how there was a slim chance I could rewrite it and release it here once more. Since I've said that, that chance has ballooned into a good possibility.

In FFC #6, I mentioned how the theme for Dilmir wasn't strong enough for an unending series of novels. Another part of the problem was that I simply could not find the right setting for it - a truly passive one. I had been trying to find the right setting for at least two years.

Conveniently enough, the moment I decided that Dilmir wasn't cut out to be a novel, I happened to find the perfect setting. No problems. No head banging. It was just... there, staring me in the face. It's so simple, so easily tested, that I know it works.

Now those of you who have followed me through the years might remember that I'm a Christian. Not to bring religion into this or anything, but to me, that's a door opening: an obvious sign saying, 'good job figuring out that Dilmir was supposed to be a fan fiction; here's how you do it.'

For that reason, I feel confident that Dilmir will return to these forums. With a truly passive setting, I'll be able to practice writing infinite installments like I would for novels. This means I obviously can't plan out the whole thing (because, you know, it's infinite). This means I'll get some good practice with making it up as I go along, which I'll have to do to some extent with my novels. I can't really do any of that with HiS because the story was already defined (that and the setting isn't truly passive).

At the moment I would say Dilmir will be my next project after HiS. This is partially because The Last Fan Fiction (TLFF) is supposed to be my last fan fiction, but also because TLFF doesn't yet have it's setting hammered down yet like Dilmir does. Another part of it is that to be honest, the theme of TLFF is a lot more powerful than Dilmir, and could make it to novel status before I write it. Possibly. Very slight chance.

So what does the schedule for Dilmir look like, given that its story is not defined like HiS, and it has the potential for infinite novels? I can't say. I can say there will be a lot of installments.

If it takes over for TLFF (not currently planned), it will go on forever. That would be a good exercise for me if I'm not ready for it, and it would put the setting to the ultimate test.

If it doesn't take over for TLFF, we are probably looking at two large story arcs, minimum. HiS is one story arc by comparison. I want to do at least two so I can practice writing one story arc without knowing how the next will unfold, or even what it will be. That's what I'll have to do with my novels, so I want to practice it. Each of those story arcs could contain several fan fictions, probably anywhere from two to four each.

That's a lot of Feylund.

What do you guys think of this development? Would you be excited about the Return of the Elf (elves, magic, and Feylund), or would you rather I shorten/skip it and get to TLFF (basically consisting of HS battles on Valhalla)? Let me know your thoughts.

~TGRF.

P.S. On a different topic, it is worth noting just how much content the two new phases of my process, subplots and subcharacters, are adding to HiS (and all future writings).

Without those two sections, the development would have been done long ago. It would have consisted of about 21-25K words. The development is a ways out from being completed, and currently consists of 75K words. So... yeah. Basically, this had better be the best thing I've ever written. I've spent long enough on it.