The Lost Stars: (The Discontinued Stories of Sky Writers in Perspective)

Goodbye

Let's get down to business and not waste time shall we? I do apologize that this isn't an update like you guys might have been hoping, but this is important.

I think I'll be saying goodbye this book soon.

That is as terrible as it sounds, but please do take a few deep breaths from your shock and keep reading.

In reality I am breaking up my chapters into smaller segments.

That's right. The same girl who has written chapters that are 30,000 words and up is making them into smaller chapters.

I was laughing with my friends at how long these transition scenes in the next chapter were. I mean, (Name) met a few people, went to breakfast, and learned some things along the way, and yet here this chapter is already 5,000 words in progress. Those 5,000 words are filled with a number of scenes that foreshadow later chapters. Those 5,000 words are filled with new characters. Those 5,000 words are filled with new information that some readers might be seeing for the very first time. I stopped to realize how important those 5000 words were. I wouldn't condense the scene just to get moving because I thought the words that I wrote were significant and important.

It's so easy to overlook something in those first 5,000 words when you have 10,000+ words in front of you- isn't it?

How long has it been since I last updated? Three months? In three months, I have gone through another half of a semester, and survived finals week. So much happens in that much time. Hell, I'll skim the chapter to remind myself of what happened, and I wrote the damn thing. I'd be surprised if someone here honestly remembers everything that happened from the last chapter without skimming over it, I'd be happy and impressed, but still surprised.

Hell, that's not how we process information. We need constant reinforcement to really nail something into our minds, rather than cramming it all in. Just think about finals week- I'm sure a majority of people out there know exactly what I'm talking about. Spreading something out over a week is certainly easier than trying to learn it all in a day!

This is where the heart of my argument comes in. I plan on breaking chapters into smaller and more manageable parts. This does not mean writing less of a day. It would still be a single day, but broken into more parts. I want Sky Writers to be accessible. That's why I try not to use overly complex language. I don't want a giant word count to be daunting. Sure, a giant update is a blessing to see. But it's also nice to actually HAVE an update to read- without having to go back and skim the last giant update to remember what happened.

After talking to some friends, I think I'm definitely breaking up chapters into smaller parts. It comes down to updating more frequently with slightly shorter chapters, but each of those chapters would still have plenty of context and plot to keep you entertained. For everyone that favors binge reading, you can most certainly wait three months and binge read the chapters I've released in that time, but this way I think it would be a win-win for everyone. Those who want more updates and frequent reinforcement of what happened last chapters can keep up on a weekly basis and those who enjoy binging can wait for more chapters to be released. After all, it's not quantity, it's quality, right?

So why does that mean this book is ending?

The way I dealt with the last rewrite, I have all the old chapters saved as drafts here on Wattpad. That also saves the number of votes and reads. So I will post a rewritten chapter and it will have about 40 or so votes on it already. This artificially inflates the number of votes and reads on the chapter. I don't write for the statistics. I write for the love of writing, the love for these characters, the love for tap dancing on your fragile feelings. Don't get me wrong- every vote and comment is incredibly encouraging to see. When my notifications are filled up, I feel happiness swell in me. Like, thank you so much for taking the time out of your lives to sit here and read this story about the world I've created. Thank you so much for pressing a little button that means anyone who follows you can see that you read and enjoyed this story. Thank you for your kind words. I sincerely appreciate every single one of you out there, you guys are literally the best. When I have a bad day I can count on your comments to encourage me. BUT. I want to earn every vote. I want the rewrite to get the attention it truly deserves, and not just attention from a ghost of the former Sky Writers.