Lizzie - Final Author's Note

This is gonna be a long, hardly-edited ramble as I try to sort through my emotions after this journey… You've been warned :) 

---

The End

It's crazy to think that I'm actually writing these words now. That I'm at the end of the journey I started over three and a half years ago… where one random afternoon in January, I had an idea… for a different story. 

I loved the idea, but truth be told, I thought I wasn't a good enough writer at the time to execute that story properly. So I decided to write a "throwaway" story, something that just combined fun concepts from various stories I had enjoyed on ADISC and other sites.

That story turned out to be Lizzie.

Being an outline writer, I did have a rough sketch of what I wanted to do. It was choppy, scattered across various note apps on my phone and some random papers that I've long-since misplaced, and that was fine, as this was just a silly little story for me to test my writing. 

The idea itself was plain, it was a simple concept done many times before, and my writing skills were a shadow of what they are today (not to say they're any good now)…, and again, that was fine, for it was just fun to write, and no one else was going to read it anyway…

I'd never shared any of my writing before, let alone posted any of it online, and originally, Lizzie was going to be the same. But then I thought "heck, why not?" So… not expecting much, I just threw the first few chapters online. 

And then came the comments. 

I've said this so many times throughout, but I feel that I've been genuinely blessed to have so many great commenters throughout my time writing Lizzie — whether they be publicly on ADISC and other forums or private messages on Discord — I've seen far better stories receive way less attention and feedback, and I genuinely don't know why. Perhaps I am just that lucky :) 

And over the months, as those comments trickled in, something magical began to happen… Lizzie suddenly wasn't just some concept in my head, but someone people began caring about. Readers began becoming invested in her story, and, perhaps more importantly, so did I…

The story began to evolve on its own. I went back to the drawing board around chapter four, then several times after that. Originally there was a (cliched) Disneyland arc and a visit to a special needs store, a sleepover w/ Lucas and his family. Most of the school characters didn't exist, and the focus was to be with the extended family and Ivie. Ivie herself was to play a babysitting role, while Madison was originally supposed to join Lizzie in babying tendencies…

Throughout it all, the core of the story stayed the same. I knew from the beginning that Lizzie's bedwetting was going to get progressively worse, and that her medication would be partially to blame. I knew that I wanted the back-zip pajamas to play a primary role in the story. I knew that her bedwetting and her relationship with her parents would be the central conflicts of the story. And I knew I wanted a happy ending, with growth and acceptance for her identity.

As I continued writing and hearing feedback from my readers, slowly, I began seeing Lizzie and her family and friends as something different — somehow more real than just words on paper. I spent hours upon hours daydreaming, watching them interact with each other and fleshing out their images in my head.

And even just half a dozen chapters in, I was hooked. 

I was having fun writing, unraveling Lizzie's story myself as I wrote it. I looked forward to posting each chapter, and hearing everyone's reactions.

The last few years were not a particularly easy time for me. As some readers will know, I lost a family member only months into writing. And as cliche or insane as it may sound, I believe that in some ways, the story kept me going. It was an escape from reality, a place where I could sit and watch my characters interact, put Lizzie through some turmoil (sorry!), but also see her journey progress.

As she faced hurdle after hurdle, I pushed myself forward too, and eventually I think both of us have reached a healthier place.

The more attached I grew to the story, the more I started to care. I no longer wanted Lizzie to just be some "throwaway" work, I wanted it to be my first, perhaps-imperfect but nonetheless complete, masterpiece. 

The writing wasn't always easy… I got stuck several times, and faced setbacks along the way. I made many mistakes that novice writers make, dug myself into holes that seemed impossible to escape. And on some days, it felt impossible to put pen on paper (or fingers on keyboard in my case)…

I promised myself I would finish it, but when my motivation began to wane, it was my patient and encouraging readers that allowed me to continue. I knew that if I stopped, not only would I not forgive myself, but I owed everyone reading a conclusion to the story.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who read my silly story, and a million thanks to any and all who commented. Whether you were here from day one, stopped following halfway but are somehow back and reading this, or just started reading yesterday. Thank you. 

I am a painfully slow writer, and to think that you all waited and followed despite several long-winded hiatuses. Followed a journey that spanned over three and a half years… I truly, truly appreciate you all. 

Without you, Lizzie's story would likely have never been completed. And even if it was, it wouldn't have had the same emotional impact to me as it is having now. I truly owe it to you all that we were able to see her journey unfold together.

Over the years, Lizzie has become one of the most viewed story threads on ADISC, and I only noticed this a few weeks ago, but I believe it has become the most replied-to story thread on ADISC, and that's not even including survey replies, DMs and comments on my other sites.

While I know many of those numbers are boosted by my own views / comments, it still blows my mind. And I haven't even gotten to the quality of the comments yet.

Every online author gets their share of "I loved it!" and "keep going!" comments, and while I obviously still appreciate those, the amount of depth and care that people have put into some of the comments over the years has genuinely amazed me. 

I had commenters dive deep into the characters thoughts and actions, share parallels with their own life stories. I received harsh yet true criticism (always presented quite politely). And I received heartfelt messages from readers that had realized what I had — that Lizzie had become more than just a mere character in the story, but rather someone they had begun to feel and care for.

I genuinely teared up at some of the comments, discovering how my silly story had grown to affect people in ways they probably hadn't expected when they'd first started this journey. In ways that I had never expected… 

To think that my story managed to have such an impact, even if it was only for a few seconds… Receiving those comments made my day, my week, my year…

So once again, thank you.

For all that stuck through from the beginning to now, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

It truly has been a long, amazing journey. 

It's crazy looking at some of the numbers. Lizzie's story is 25 (long) chapters + 1 epilogue. Over 156000 words. That's twice as long as typical novels, something I certainly need to work on improving in future works…

I am genuinely amazed that so many have followed through this journey, reading my silly ramblings over all these years. Looking back, I have to admit I'm just a bit impressed in what I accomplished.

I accomplished something many "wannabe authors" are never able to do. 

I know Lizzie is not perfect, far from it really… but looking back, I could've never imagined myself sitting here today, typing the words "The End", and being able to say, "I completed my book".

I learned so so so much throughout this journey. Heck, just look back at my writing in chapter 1 compared to now… While I'm still far away from the skills of a professional writer, I have grown so much throughout this journey. I made so many mistakes and learned so many things, some I hadn't even intentionally sought after, and it's something that I'll forever be indebted to Lizzie. 

I don't know what lies ahead.

I honestly looked forward to this day for several years. I wanted to be done, not so I could get rid of it, but so I could feel accomplished in having finished a story, and so I could move onto new ones.

So as I wrapped up, I thought I'd be motivated to move onto the next piece. Heck, I've had dozens of new story ideas over the last few years, some that I've lightly drafted, and some that I've written little bits and pieces of during my stretches of writer's block. I have ideas jotted over a dozen notebooks and probably hundreds of random papers now… 

But right now, I simply feel empty, akin to post-series depression. To think the journey of the characters that have been with me for several years are to be no longer…

So… I don't know what exactly I want to do next. I don't know if they will be abdl-related, bondage-related, or maybe even just a traditional fantasy story.

Many of my ideas are long, not suitable for short-story format, yet I've come to learn just how much time writing takes… I likely spent close to a thousand hours on Lizzie's story over the years, and I honestly don't know if I'll have the free time to tackle something of this scale again…

Regardless, for now, I will definitely take a short break from writing, or at least from publishing. I want to spend some time on my personal life. And after that, I want to spend some time to properly draft out some of the stories I've been brainstorming these last few years, and see if any of them truly speak out to me. 

That being said, I still feel an urge to write. An urge to share more stories, assuming there are people interested. They might be similar, or very different from Lizzie, we'll see how I feel moving forward. 

For those that are interested, I am considering sharing some random snippets of the different ideas I've written, and getting some feedback on which ideas appeal to people. Please DM / reach out to me privately if you are, although I will make no promises to actually release anything anytime soon :) 

Otherwise, stay tuned to on my personal site, I'll definitely mention any and all projects there (and post relevant contents to other sites).

For now, I might disappear for a little bit after reading and addressing the final comments to Lizzie, but I'm quite confident that I'll be back. I have so many other stories to share. For example the story idea I had before writing Lizzie… As a spoiler, it's a love story that also involves my favorite prop — the backzip sleeper :) (Are you all sick and tired of it? or would you want to read it?) — a crossover of light bondage and the loving care of abdl between adults, along with some other fun twists.

As for Lizzie's story, it is now officially complete. While I know I may have left some loose ends, and some may be wanting more, I do not plan to make any more addendums to the story. I think her arc is complete, and while I could write other "fun" chapters, they wouldn't bring any meaningful development to the story or the characters. 

It would be cool to truly go back and edit / rewrite / polish the story, but I honestly think it's too much of a time investment for me right now, and I want to move onto other stories, leaving Lizzie untouched with all of its flaws… I see some beauty in that.

That being said, if there is interest, I would like to address any questions that people may have had on the story now that it's concluded and there's no fear of spoilers. 

For a month now, I've been thinking about how I could share some "author's insights", and I concluded that a Q/A or AMA session seems most ideal. Now that the story is finished, I can dive into any bits of the story that people still had questions about, whether they be on things that weren't resolved, things that stood out, or any random questions about the characters or the story.

I plan to make a Q/A post that I'll link here, please post your questions there, and I'll answer any and all that come in within the next week or two.

---

Welp, as expected, I've gone off the rails… I'm now over two hours into writing this and it's 3am on a work night. 

I want to close by saying thank you again for all that joined me on this journey. Thank you for being there through her, and my, ups and downs throughout the years. Without you, I would've never made it this far. And I truly, truly appreciate you all.

And for my commenters, a special thanks. As a decades-long lurker, I know just how difficult it can be to go out and share your thoughts. Thank you all for taking the time to do so.

And for everyone, whether you are reader, commenter, lurker, whatever… if you liked my story, just know how important you are to new authors. Please. Please… I encourage you to share your feedback, and encourage other new writers on their journeys as well. There are several amazing stories out there that don't get the love and attention they deserve, and end up not being completed as a result. 

So I encourage everyone to read more, comment more, and help build up our community more.

Finally, if you made it this far… thank you. 

Thank you for following Lizzie. And I hope that, despite all of its flaws, you enjoyed reading about her journey as much as I did. 

It truly has been a wild and magical ride.

Riven