Prodigal: Author's Notes
I'm going to get in the habit of doing this, as it's a chance for me to look back on stuff and reflect after it's all over and I've gotten past the "whatever, it's done" stage. Also, because I as a writer am interested in how other writers think, and there's an extremely slim possibility that the interest might be reciprocal with someone. You never know. This is not an epilogue of any sort, so feel free to skip it and move on to the next bit of your reading list.
Prodigal is made of pieces of worlds.
It's literally part of a hodgepodge, anachronism stew that's been slowly boiling in my brain for the past seven or so years. Of course, way back then it's not the story it is today, and the story itself is kind of a test run to see if I can make such a patchwork universe run smoothly. The only thing it has in common now with iteration one is that some of the characters have the ability to travel at will between otherwise unconnected worlds. And I think some names have managed to stick through all of this, but they often don't come from where I think that they come from, and a short archive dive informed me that the original story had a talking dolphin in it, which actually didn't disappear for good until iteration 4, the current universe that Leah and Ellie and co. inhabit. Of course, I was about twelve or thirteen when the dolphin was first dreamt up.
There are many, many worlds in this universe, of which Ellie and Leah are by no means the only focus - stories in my head include that of Leah's parents, those of Leah's sisters, and several people who can't claim relation by any stretch - so part of this was an excercise in re-establishing a world that has been central to all of this, but desperately vague since iteration 2. Strangely, this little private world is not the set of most of the other stories in this universe, simply because what kind of conflict can you run into on an island with practically no people? Okay, nature epic writers, don't answer that. I respect you all, but person vs. nature is not my cup of tea. I tend to have a bunch of person vs. person running counterpoint to person vs. society and person vs. self, because I want to know how people tick. The other thing that this story was good for establishing was the muddly time period between my two major chunks of stories, as well as the late teen, early adult dynamics within the family. Oh, and the fact that Ellie narrating doesn't change much at any age. I'm used to writing her in her mid twenties.
There will (probably) be no sequels to this story. Not because I don't have stories, but because this was sort of an outtake/idea dump/trial run for the whole universe, which I still hold out hopes of publishing. (You know, once I have a job and all that - double majoring in heavily academic subjects does not leave one much time in courting publishers, or indeed any idea of how to go about it.) Ellie and Leah and co. have been heavily annoying me because I replaced their names for this, as a paranoia-inducing precaution. Everyone gives you different advice on publication, and I wanted this to be able to stand alone, (as well as the ability not to do awkward retcons if canon shifts later,) so I decided to err on the side of caution, as I am rather fond of this universe.
The things that I am rather pleased with include that Ellie's voice is recognizable, but different from what it is 4+ years later in the actual novel bit, and that I finally have a handle on the characters of Rhian and Tess, who have changed a lot from iteration 2 and were, quite frankly, hardly visible in iteration 3. Writing everybody at ages I don't normally deal with for them was something of a challenge, and I have slight mixed feelings about Tess' presentation here. I really do love Tess as a character, and this story kind of vacilitated between not presenting her as, well, incorrigibly Tess and making too much of a big deal about her more peculiar qualities. All I can say to justify it is that this is Ellie's first encounter with Tess, so she pays a little more attention to that, and she is, after all, the narrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
I only have a couple, courtesy of my real-life perma betas and a couple fictionpress reviews.
Q: Is there a sequel? (Also known as "Why is the ending so indecisive?")
A: Not here, for reasons of publication hopes and the fact that there is a lot of material in the sequel and prequel plot. We could be here the next 20 years, and if it's going to take that long, I'm going to do my darndest to get it in print. You'll be informed if or when that happens.
It's also meant to be an open ending. It's more of a resolution on Ellie's part and a pivotal point in her relationship with Leah, as well as a point of sort of finding a new mission in life. Half the questions you might have had while reading aren't answered in the story at all, and honestly, it would kind of ruin my intent (not to mention involve the above mentioned decades) to explain everything, but any and all questions you may have will be answered honestly, even if the honest answer is "To avoid giving away the entire plot, yes, it certainly seems that way."
Q: Are Ellie and Leah a couple?
A: They haven't decided yet.
No, seriously. I know their lives for the next decade and a half after this little story, and I can tell you that the characters' relationship is deeply emotional, supportive, and at times pretty darn codependent, but the intent of the story has been to demonstrate their emotional and psychological closeness, and neither character has seen fit to inform me if hormones are indeed even a consideration in their lives. Also, this is probably the most frequently asked question here, and the only one that I really have to shrug and say "that wasn't really a consideration while writing." So, if what you see in the story fits your idea of a couple, go float your boat. :)
Q: Does Tess have an eating disorder?
A: If extreme childish pickiness counts.
Actually I was kind of surprised that this came up (though, upon editing chapter 4, and the fact that there are probably 10+ references there alone to Tess refusing to sit down and eat a proper meal... yeah, I might be a little concerned if I was her child psychologist too,) and my answer is no. She's extremely impatient and extremely picky and has been throughout her life. Think a three-year-old's eating habits towards anything nutritious and you've basically got Tess' attitude towards food.
Prodigal is made of pieces of worlds.
It's literally part of a hodgepodge, anachronism stew that's been slowly boiling in my brain for the past seven or so years. Of course, way back then it's not the story it is today, and the story itself is kind of a test run to see if I can make such a patchwork universe run smoothly. The only thing it has in common now with iteration one is that some of the characters have the ability to travel at will between otherwise unconnected worlds. And I think some names have managed to stick through all of this, but they often don't come from where I think that they come from, and a short archive dive informed me that the original story had a talking dolphin in it, which actually didn't disappear for good until iteration 4, the current universe that Leah and Ellie and co. inhabit. Of course, I was about twelve or thirteen when the dolphin was first dreamt up.
There are many, many worlds in this universe, of which Ellie and Leah are by no means the only focus - stories in my head include that of Leah's parents, those of Leah's sisters, and several people who can't claim relation by any stretch - so part of this was an excercise in re-establishing a world that has been central to all of this, but desperately vague since iteration 2. Strangely, this little private world is not the set of most of the other stories in this universe, simply because what kind of conflict can you run into on an island with practically no people? Okay, nature epic writers, don't answer that. I respect you all, but person vs. nature is not my cup of tea. I tend to have a bunch of person vs. person running counterpoint to person vs. society and person vs. self, because I want to know how people tick. The other thing that this story was good for establishing was the muddly time period between my two major chunks of stories, as well as the late teen, early adult dynamics within the family. Oh, and the fact that Ellie narrating doesn't change much at any age. I'm used to writing her in her mid twenties.
There will (probably) be no sequels to this story. Not because I don't have stories, but because this was sort of an outtake/idea dump/trial run for the whole universe, which I still hold out hopes of publishing. (You know, once I have a job and all that - double majoring in heavily academic subjects does not leave one much time in courting publishers, or indeed any idea of how to go about it.) Ellie and Leah and co. have been heavily annoying me because I replaced their names for this, as a paranoia-inducing precaution. Everyone gives you different advice on publication, and I wanted this to be able to stand alone, (as well as the ability not to do awkward retcons if canon shifts later,) so I decided to err on the side of caution, as I am rather fond of this universe.
The things that I am rather pleased with include that Ellie's voice is recognizable, but different from what it is 4+ years later in the actual novel bit, and that I finally have a handle on the characters of Rhian and Tess, who have changed a lot from iteration 2 and were, quite frankly, hardly visible in iteration 3. Writing everybody at ages I don't normally deal with for them was something of a challenge, and I have slight mixed feelings about Tess' presentation here. I really do love Tess as a character, and this story kind of vacilitated between not presenting her as, well, incorrigibly Tess and making too much of a big deal about her more peculiar qualities. All I can say to justify it is that this is Ellie's first encounter with Tess, so she pays a little more attention to that, and she is, after all, the narrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
I only have a couple, courtesy of my real-life perma betas and a couple fictionpress reviews.
Q: Is there a sequel? (Also known as "Why is the ending so indecisive?")
A: Not here, for reasons of publication hopes and the fact that there is a lot of material in the sequel and prequel plot. We could be here the next 20 years, and if it's going to take that long, I'm going to do my darndest to get it in print. You'll be informed if or when that happens.
It's also meant to be an open ending. It's more of a resolution on Ellie's part and a pivotal point in her relationship with Leah, as well as a point of sort of finding a new mission in life. Half the questions you might have had while reading aren't answered in the story at all, and honestly, it would kind of ruin my intent (not to mention involve the above mentioned decades) to explain everything, but any and all questions you may have will be answered honestly, even if the honest answer is "To avoid giving away the entire plot, yes, it certainly seems that way."
Q: Are Ellie and Leah a couple?
A: They haven't decided yet.
No, seriously. I know their lives for the next decade and a half after this little story, and I can tell you that the characters' relationship is deeply emotional, supportive, and at times pretty darn codependent, but the intent of the story has been to demonstrate their emotional and psychological closeness, and neither character has seen fit to inform me if hormones are indeed even a consideration in their lives. Also, this is probably the most frequently asked question here, and the only one that I really have to shrug and say "that wasn't really a consideration while writing." So, if what you see in the story fits your idea of a couple, go float your boat. :)
Q: Does Tess have an eating disorder?
A: If extreme childish pickiness counts.
Actually I was kind of surprised that this came up (though, upon editing chapter 4, and the fact that there are probably 10+ references there alone to Tess refusing to sit down and eat a proper meal... yeah, I might be a little concerned if I was her child psychologist too,) and my answer is no. She's extremely impatient and extremely picky and has been throughout her life. Think a three-year-old's eating habits towards anything nutritious and you've basically got Tess' attitude towards food.