Lizzie - Chapter 4 - Author's Note

Hey all, it's definitely been too long. I am honestly going through a rough patch in my life right now, and it's significantly affected the time I have to write, but nonetheless, I promise that as long as I see interest, more chapters will come. Believe me when I say that I too want to see where Lizzie's journey takes her.

As I mentioned here on this site, part of why I'm writing is to experiment and develop as a writer. And with that in mind, I decided to experiment a bit with this chapter.

As I was writing this chapter, I found myself going deep into certain elements and extending on various scenes. By the time I was done, the final draft was ~9000 words long. For context, the previous three chapters were ~4100, ~4600, ~7300 words respectively.

For something like fantasy, this length isn't at all outrageous. But I know the genre I am writing in, and here, it's definitely far more common to "get to the point" so-to-speak. Furthermore, this chapter isn't exactly "jam packed" with the "fun" scenes, it's meant to build up toward them in the later chapters.

I always had the intention of writing with a different approach than most. As I've mentioned already in previous chapters. I don't want Lizzie to be centered around its 'AB' elements. I want Lizzie to be a 'good story' first, with the added bonus of AB. And based on the feedback from the last chapter - at least those who commented - many people enjoyed the refreshing / different take.

With that said, I decided to do a bit of an experiment here, and I've actually created a TWO versions of this chapter. The second of which is far shorter (with a lot of the fluff / 'boring' stuff cut out). It still isn't by any means short - still ~6100 words, but I hope those who don't want to read 9000 words can still enjoy the shorter version.

I've tried my best to edit it so that future chapters should still remain consistent. Of course, the shorter version comes at the cost of losing a bit of the characterization and some scenes. I can't magically cut out 33% of a chapter without losing any context. Thus, it should be noted that the "full" version will be the official 'canon' version moving forward.

Don't worry, I don't plan to do this often, it is more-so a learning experience for me to develop as a writer. I hope you enjoy the end result :)

Anyways, I'll be allowing YOU the reader, to decide which route you wish to take. I don't expect anyone to read both versions, but I do hope that you share with me which version you decided to read, and what you thought about it. (And don't worry, my feelings aren't hurt if you decide to read the shorter version, just the fact that you took time to read my story already means so much to me <3). As always, I'm looking forward to your feedback, thoughts, and critiques.

If you'd like to read the 'longer edition', please click here.

If you wish to read the 'shorter' edition, please click here.

Interested in what changed between the two editions? I've outlined those below. OBVIOUS SPOILER ALERT!!

Scenes that were removed in the short edition (Expand to View)