S02 - The Antinium Wars (Pt.3)
Added 2018-06-23 08:21:53 +0000 UTCIt's all pain and regret over here. (12,700 Words)
historicalAccuracy
http://wanderinginn.com/s02-the-antinium-wars-pt-3
Comments
I thought the Antinium Wars should have been done as a play/musical/opera monstrosity by some [playwright] inspired by Erin's plays. Then you could have had fun using lots of Shakespearean or Churchillian speeches ... or the Necromancer as Phantom of the Opera ... and so on.
Random Information
2018-06-25 06:28:59 +0000 UTCHey Drew, I replied to your comment below. Mine's a bit wordy so I thought it was better to post it without squishing it into the reply field.
pirateaba
2018-06-25 05:29:42 +0000 UTCHey Drew, first off, thanks so much for the long comment! I appreciate it deeply when someone takes the time to write out a comment that tells me how they really feel. I also appreciate that it was hard for you to write, and I'll try to give you a response worthy of what you've said. I read everything my readers say about me, or I try to. I even check other websites to see what people say from time to time. That's the conceit of all writers/creators, I think. But what most people who put their works in any kind of public setting learn is, in my opinion, striking a balance between how you take feedback. A bad artist listens to nothing and a bad one also listens to everything. I know some readers can be angry, in a bad mood, or just critical of things that other readers love when they give me feedback. For instance, Rags and Goblin stories are beloved by some, and hated by others. Some comments are a rare opinion, others aren't. And no one comment speaks for everyone. I don't bow to peer pressure or the group opinion, but I do listen to everything. Rest assured on that account. And to address another point, don't worry about my mental health either. I consider myself extraordinary content if not happy most of the time, and I think my job is one of the best in the world because I can write and relax/recharge on my off days. I feel very, very guilty because you good readers always see my comments right after I finish a chapter. It's always late and I'm almost always unsure of how well it's gone. That's a natural part of writing and my own standards. And it's all genuine. But what you don't see or hear is my mood in the hours and days after, where I enjoy reading positive comments and I feel good about scenes that my audience found funny, sad, engaging, etc. Lastly, and I think, most importantly, don't worry about the plot speed. With what I've said recently and comments from other sites (and if you think my blog and Reddit can be critical, you've never read my Royalroad comments), it would be all too natural to think that I'm hurrying, especially with this chapter. But I will say this: this chapter was always meant to be this grand in scope. It hasn't hurried anything along, even by a day. And that's because it's a history. I don't think it would have been appropriate to write out all this as traditional chapters, and I'm actually very pleased at the end result, especially with how quite a few people have liked it. I always planned to write the Second Antinium Wars history this way. And I won't hurry my plot. You say you want a long story? You say you read 75+ books a year? You say you want to give me $10,000 dollars? I am on board with all of this. Drew, I AM the same kind of reader as you. I wanted to read the book that never seemed to end, the story that could tell a tale beyond all others. That's why I became a writer. I have a grand scheme for The Wandering Inn, one which stumbles sometimes, true, which may lag in places and rush to keep up in others, but which, ultimately, I'll take at my own pace. I'll only adjust my speed if my readers tell me in a huge mass that they're impatient and want more of this and less of that. And even then, I have a plan. With that said, my plot speed does vary according to needs of reality and the constraints of actual volumes. I have an unavoidable trip coming up on the 29th that I cannot get out of, and I want to get [REDACTED] done before then. Whether I succeed or not is up to me, my hands, and life, but I'll do my best to get to that point without every compromising the powerful scenes I want to write. Thanks for reading. I hope I reassured you on all your points, and I'm sorry if I complain too much. I just like complaining to you readers, without realizing it worries you all in turn. I am feeling good and in fact, about to eat cake as I flesh out the next Antinium Wars History. I hope you enjoy it, and take the tales of the past as that--tales of the past. Can you summarize a war into a chapter? Yes, if you're Krsysl Wordsmith. And the outrage of those who lived through it all tells far more than I could with mere descriptions. And that past will inform the story going forwards. Once again, thank you for writing that long comment and I hope the next chapter is gripping, engaging, and all things ending with -ing. Trying not to be plotty, --pirateaba PS: I did like the soft moments in the Wheel of Time too. I wish there were more--for how long the books were, it sometimes felt like it was action to action without enough time to see Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene, do their thing free of stress or the plot. I would have given anything to see them all in one room before the end. Just talking and being real. And that, partly, is what inspired me to write The Wandering Inn. Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett...all these great authors die before I get a chance to find out how their stories ended and shake their hands.
pirateaba
2018-06-25 05:29:10 +0000 UTCI thought it was pretty good. Don't worry so much about the small things
Carter
2018-06-24 06:37:07 +0000 UTCThis is hard to say. Your best writing is when you create stories that make your readers feel something. The [Immortal Moments]. Etc. Erin being betrayed by Toren. Etc. The death of Calruz. Etc. The Clown. Etc. Larkin (most the time). Etc. Lots of them. You are also very good at allowing your readers to feel smaller emotions regularly that you can play like chords and build up to bigger emotions when you want to. This is very good. Your writing also show a great awareness of your character arcs. Which, as a reader, I enjoy reflecting back on what you have done, even the more non-traditional character arcs like Ryoka, the twins, Rags, boring Toren (when you are floundering around trying to figure out what trouble he can get into next). I like being there with the characters. And this is hard to say, I don’t know you, but I am worried about how you are responding to internet criticism in your writing. Your work is really, really good. Generally an 8.5 (somedays it goes up to the 9s). I think you see that, and you get proof from the number of readers you have and the number of people that are willing to support you with money and the growth of your Patreon (though it has seemed to slow down lately). It also seems like this is a bit of an experiment for you. I don’t know if I am right, but your comment section, and reddit seem to be more active and critical than other webfiction. And I am worried that you are taking seriously comments that I (and those like me) don’t want you to be listening to. I think your writing’s strengths are in the feelings it produces. And sometimes when you are doing things on a global scale (as epic fantasy often lends itself to) those small stories that produce the emotional resonance can make it seem like the plot point you set up a year ago is taking a long time to get to. Let it take its time. Readers like me and my lot don’t care. We want the small stories set in a world we like. I like it when you lean more Pratchett than Brooks. More James Oliver Rigney than Sanderson. Take all the time in the world to get where you are going. Those of us that read 50, 75+ books a year know that too much careful plotting gets boring on a meta level. I like your stories (and I assume that there are other’s like me) because they feel continually fresh. Worm, Practical Guide to Evil are meticulously plotted (i.e., you can skip big chunks in the middle and guess what happened if you are familiar with narrative structure) and they move the plot along, but their arcs can be forgettable because they feel too well designed. But you are writing stories about characters, you pick up new ones you like and drop ones that stop working for you. I don’t want the stories to reach the “end”. I just want to experience this world with your characters for the next however long you are willing to do this (as your Patreon goes to $10,000 then $20,000 a month). Why would anyone want to butcher their stories by forcing to much plot in them? Yet, I feel like the recent posts have tried to move the plot forward at a pace that isn’t your best pace, but is one created in response to comments that your plotting is slow. You are avoiding these pitfalls in a new way. In the way Pratchett did it, but new because of the medium. I’m wandering a bit in my thoughts, but it is late and I am tired. Just trying to say, today it seems like you felt you needed to infodump to progress the plot and expressed frustration in your comments about how wrong your writing felt. It seemed like you covered 6 months writing worth of plot today, and I (and those like me) would prefer to see the 6 months of your style rather than some arbitrary push towards plotty-ness. We like the small story in a comfortable world. I liked Egwene washing her face in the morning, and Perrin enjoying the locals feeding him too much garlic out of superstition. This was hard to say, because it feels like I am commenting to tell you to not listen to the commenters. And I am. The other commenters. The ones that are giving you advice I disagree with. I am looking forward to continuing to read your work and support it even if it gets too plotty. Hope it doesn’t, but as long as you keep the small story thing coming I (and those like me) will continue to follow and promote.
Drew Gilmour
2018-06-24 05:55:46 +0000 UTCThis was literally the best info dump I've ever read...this was beautiful
AKi1red
2018-06-23 14:17:21 +0000 UTCI've posted in the past that I'm not a fan of the Antinium Wars or Wistram chapters that are purely backstory and don't impact the main timeline. This chapter, however, was much better in my opinion. Instead of coming off as a dry textbook, the interspersed current timeline text was enough to keep it from being a slog of an information dump and injected some much needed humor/drama that your series is known for. Thanks for this.
John Koor
2018-06-23 14:09:35 +0000 UTC
