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'Kayla' Question and Current Writing Projects!

So while I don't have too much to show for it yet, I've been busily preparing 'Kayla' stories #61 and #62 in my head. We'll be getting to know Zachary better, and a certain time of year is almost upon the planet's Penitatas involving switches and snowflakes. I'm so psyched to write both, I have two word processor files open in the event I feel like writing either, and #61 is already underway.

One thing that also slowed me down was the start of the 'Kayla' re-write project I've wanted to start on for a long time in an effort to bring older stories up to a more enjoyable level. Proper paragraph and sentence structure, more polish, etc. I've decided to start from 'Destiny's Meeting' and work my way back to the Velius arc, re-reading and tweaking the files as I go. I plan to add scenes and dialogue as seen fit too, perhaps giving everyone a nice reason to revisit Jacob's introductory tales and his 'penny arc. At the moment, 'Destiny's Meeting' has been finished, but I had a question regarding that -

Should I wait until the entire batch of tales are finished, or upload them one at a time, as many of them as there are?

These would be new uploads to IB, edits of existing stories on SoFurry, and on my site I'd have the new story version along with an archived original version available. Being re-worked and polished versions of older tales, I didn't know if folks would like them individually, or all-together, for a proper re-read.

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Added:	2 years, 4 months ago 19 Jun 2019 15:05 CEST

14 Comments on this Journal

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CuriousKit

2 years, 4 months ago

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Edited 2 years, 4 months ago by Owner

I don't mind at all... whatever works best for you, although for the rewrites, especially if they are part of a particular arc, I would say release them all at once.  Also, for older tales like "Destiny's Meeting", it might be worth making a note that they are revisions/re-writes, otherwise people may dive straight on in thinking it's a new chapter!

One thing that stood out for me as a slight negative with the older stories was the one where Kayla was shot by Tyson and Maxwell as she was being traced by Starfleet.  You talk about things like "the phaser was not set to stun" and that she won't be coming home for Christmas, and then the next chapter reveals that the phaser was set two levels BELOW stun.  It was a pretty unfair cliffhanger that, unfortunately, reminds me of some cheesy Saturday morning shows or a 1960s Batman episode, where the ending encourages viewers to find out what happens next week, only for the resolution to be somewhat anti-climatic or a bit of a cheat.

As evil as I sound, I actually hope that Zachary does not get his parole and is rejuved and relocated for his second cycle when the time comes, despite everyone's best efforts, and a devastated Kayla (sobbing and broken in Emily's arms) has to learn that she can't win every battle (although she stays in contact maybe, since she's such a good influence!).

And if I had to have a request... have arcs published in hardback books!  Or paperback... I'll live!  Aah, if only!

ProfessorBob

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ CuriousKit

Those stories would be harder to re-work, which is why I'd be putting them off for later. The beginning of 'The Ultimate' wasn't meant to be interpreted in such a way, considering I did mean everything I said. It was a nod to the things Kayla had been telling Maxwell and Tyson, constantly reminding them that she wasn't human and to stop thinking of her as such. The weapon was indeed not set to stun, but not set high enough to kill a more durable Aspatrian child instantly, instead paralyzing her and leaving her to die over a period of a few hours. She was still going to die, but not as intended, because they never did heed her words that she was a bit different.

And Zachary surely wouldn't be paroled after his first cycle, as many of them as he has been sentenced to. He'll be in hard time for quite a while - the poor fella.

CuriousKit

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ ProfessorBob

I need to see subtleties better, evidently!

In one way, I like the bad endings that occasionally occur, like Tyson and Maxwell getting away and probably never heard from again, unless one of them is stupid enough to attempt to kidnap Kayla again (they could get another hacker to eavesdrop on her conference calls and obtain her home address from her 'tests' if they don't have it already... scary thought). Sometimes in life, there aren't happy endings.

Also, I don't know if I missed something, but I had the impression that they weren't on Earth during the events of Cognitive Dissonance and the Ultimate, but I think the events of Willful Diaobedience suggested otherwise.

I do wonder about how the mental health of Penitata are affected, given the harsh punishments, the constant breaking points from pain and the sudden uprooting and instability at the end of a cycle. True, prisoners go through the same, but I can't help but feel that a child will have an added element of helplessness and hopelessness if not PTSD. But thank goodness for the reform and training that parents go through.

Speaking of rewriting, I remember one of the very early stories, where Kayla helps defuse the hostage situation in the mall, it talked about Emily and Ki'rene caring about their charges more than the courts allow - but what they don't know won't harm them - definitely a carry-over from the older Rejuve Universe before your reformation.

ProfessorBob

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ CuriousKit

That is a correct observation in regard to the oldest stories! I hadn't made any particular decision yet to do things differently from the original universe then, and Ki`rene and Emily were outliers in the system at that time.

I'm going to have to write about a Penitatas being rejuvenated to another cycle and gaining new parents again. It is inevitable if I keep writing, considering the passage of time in the story universe.

And yup, Kayla was only taken some couple hundred miles from home when she was kidnapped, tops. They were in another part of the same preserve Kayla eventually vacationed in.

whitepawrolls

2 years, 4 months ago

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Bah don't start rewriting now...or put the old ones in another folder or something. I'm still re reading to catch up for the new ones. My brain don't need to be any more scrambled with having to start all over again :p

ProfessorBob

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ whitepawrolls

Meh, the polish project would take quite some time anyway, so you're good. X3 The one story took way longer than I'd have figured. My older stuff is so rife with mistakes and little bits and pieces for me to nitpick.

whitepawrolls

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ ProfessorBob

To be honest I don't understand the need to "go back and fix" things. To me personally when I look threw someones older stuff, and their newest stuff I get to see improvements. :)

ProfessorBob

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ whitepawrolls

I used to feel the same way, and still kind of do. The series is just one of those things I still really love, and sometimes as much as I go back to read bits of it, I wish some of it could be as nice as the stories are presently. Even if it was just paragraph and grammar structure, just so the stories were easier to read. The idea of taking an older tale and giving it a "polish pass" is still rather new, but figured I would try it considering I have been doing that with my newest stories before posting them and have more experience with it now. I basically read through like normal, and if something comes off strangely or the flow isn't right, I flag it to be corrected. It's really nit-picky, but eh. X3

whitepawrolls

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ ProfessorBob

Yea I guess I can understand. Its why I scrapped my own series, and now starting all over again. THIS time though I'm actually planning stuff out instead of going hog wild :)

PeachClover

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ ProfessorBob

About that, I highly recommend reading the whole story/chapter first, scribbling rewrite suggestions on another document as they come to mind, then opening another document, and write in the new parts as you transcribe the whole story. This is the method that I have used on my own writing that helps me to keep the direction and flow of the story inline with the original segments.

island

2 years, 4 months ago

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I'd love to see the rewrites whenever they are completed but that's just me.

ProfessorBob

2 years, 4 months ago

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@ island

I'm pondering to myself to release them like that on my site and SoFurry, and perhaps upload the whole bundle here once they are all done. It feels silly to do such work and not make it available at least in some way.

PeachClover

2 years, 4 months ago

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Hi there! Very happy to see you writing again. I think if you have trouble getting things done, upload them as you finish them because that will build your audience and give you more encouragement to finish the next one. If you are trying to make a super perfect work though, then I can understand wanting to hold onto them in case you wanted to add details from something that comes up further along, but if that is what you are going to do, be careful because it's tempting to try to hold everything in your head to the point where your creativity bubble bursts and then nothing gets finished.

Shippo

2 years, 4 months ago

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Ignoring most of the journal here -

Honestly I think one at a time would be great! It’d be like Christmas, Birthdays etc all rolled into one each time you upload something for us. As for rewriting well in my honest opinion I say go for it. But! Leave the original uploads alone start a new folder with *Revised* attached I think that’d be great for everyone but either way I continue to squirm in my seat anxiously waiting for the next chapter! :)

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