Sythyry (sythyry) wrote,
Sythyry
sythyry

On continuing Sythyry's Journal

I haven't managed to do anything with Sythyry's Journal for months now. I've mostly been working on Mating Flight, which I consider to be a Good Thing too, but is a different sort of project. I do want to get back to writing a World Tree serial of some form or other, when I'm done with the first draft of Mating Flight. I want to be able to get more readers, too.

Sythyry's Journal has gotten rather unwieldy, to put it nicely. I have trouble keeping track of half a dozen years' random ideas, interesting characters, odd restaurants, and whatnots. I can't imagine many new readers getting into it: there's about 400,000 words to read, assisted only by some rather outdated glossaries and summaries. And indeed, I've lost a number of readers in the last three years or so, I think, and gained very few.

So one idea, of several, is starting Sythyry's Journal Part II. Same lizard writing, same general style. A sufficiently different situation that makes it a whole new story. Yes, prior readers will have some clues about what's going on that new ones will have to learn. But Part II will be mostly self-contained: new readers will be able to start at the beginning of Part II and not have to catch up with the mountain of words and characters and backstory and stuff. I'd also try to have more of an organized plot, though I daresay the small blue cave lizard will surprise me now and then. (Well, constantly like usual.)

And of course there are various other ideas floating around too.

I promise to read the results of the following poll and do whatever seems best to me.

Poll #1327492
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 61

Bard should write more World Tree serial fiction. (negative = no, positive =yes)

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Mean: 3.38 Median: 4 Std. Dev 1.00
-4
0(0.0%)
-3
0(0.0%)
-2
0(0.0%)
-1
0(0.0%)
0
2(3.4%)
1
2(3.4%)
2
4(6.9%)
3
14(24.1%)
4
36(62.1%)

When should Part II take place?

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Right after Part I
7(12.1%)
One year later
11(19.0%)
Ten years later
19(32.8%)
A hundred years later
9(15.5%)
A thousand years later
2(3.4%)
A hundred years earlier
0(0.0%)
At the same time at that start of Part I.
0(0.0%)
[Clicky!]
10(17.2%)

Got another idea for when?

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Where should Part II take place?

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Vheshrame, still
16(28.6%)
Daukhrame, the city next door
4(7.1%)
Oorah Thrassen, the sorcerous enemy city
8(14.3%)
Treverre, from the sourcebook
1(1.8%)
Far off in Ketheria
2(3.6%)
Far off in civilized lands
0(0.0%)
Far off on the edge of civilized lands
7(12.5%)
On an airship.
13(23.2%)
[This poll is too long.]
5(8.9%)

Got another idea for where?

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Which characters should continue to be important? (Not very many will!)

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Anoof
0(0.0%)
Countess Levande
0(0.0%)
Dustweed
0(0.0%)
Enziet
0(0.0%)
Esory
0(0.0%)
Floosh
0(0.0%)
Ghirbis Vlaan
0(0.0%)
Ilottat
0(0.0%)
Nestrune
0(0.0%)
Oixe
0(0.0%)
Pazi-Pazi
1(1.8%)
Rhedwy
1(1.8%)
Strenata
0(0.0%)
Sythyry
5(8.8%)
Thelvion
0(0.0%)
Thery and Yarwain and Ficina
0(0.0%)
Thestra and Denaist
0(0.0%)
Vae
0(0.0%)
Ysgwyd and Delframber
0(0.0%)
[This poll is cruising for egoboo, right?]
1(1.8%)

What sorts of plots do you enjoy the most in Sythyry?

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Love Stories
6(10.2%)
Monsters interacting with people
13(22.0%)
Tourism and ethnography
7(11.9%)
Traff and other social prejudice
7(11.9%)
War, World Tree style (which may include breakfast boxes)
4(6.8%)
Gradual maturing and getting clues
18(30.5%)
Hard SF (magical styled)
2(3.4%)
[Egoboo is the fuel for web serials.]
2(3.4%)

What other plots do you want me to think about?

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Which of the following is true of the current journal?

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The backstory is overwhelming and daunting.
0(0.0%)
The dramatis personae is overwhelming and daunting.
0(0.0%)
New readers pretty much can't get into Sythyry.
0(0.0%)
Bard can no longer keep stuff consistent.
0(0.0%)
Bard's never really been able to keep stuff consistent, but it's not a problem.
0(0.0%)
The momentum is gone.
1(1.7%)
Sythyry's Journal is worth continuing in some form (with Sythyry as the main character).
20(33.3%)
Sythyry's Journal should be abandoned, and Bard should do a different writing project instead.
0(0.0%)
Sythyry was more interesting when zie was more naive.
0(0.0%)
Sythyry is infuriatingly naive.
0(0.0%)
[See the replies, Bard!]
0(0.0%)

Anything else important about the current journal I should know?

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Or maybe I should abandon Sythyry as a viewpoint character, and start a new World Tree story? (Negative numbers = Don't! Positive numbers = Please do!)

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Mean: -1.64 Median: -1 Std. Dev 1.61
-4
10(16.9%)
-3
13(22.0%)
-2
5(8.5%)
-1
11(18.6%)
0
18(30.5%)
1
1(1.7%)
2
1(1.7%)
3
0(0.0%)
4
0(0.0%)

If I were abandoning Sythyry as a primary character and starting a new World Tree story, should I use some other character from Sythyry's Journal as the main character? (negative = Don't! Positive = Do!)

View Answers
Mean: 0.38 Median: 0 Std. Dev 2.05
-4
4(6.9%)
-3
4(6.9%)
-2
2(3.4%)
-1
0(0.0%)
0
25(43.1%)
1
4(6.9%)
2
9(15.5%)
3
8(13.8%)
4
2(3.4%)

Who would you like as primary character (or characters), assuming it's not Sythyry?

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Or is Sythyry's Journal Part II a stupid idea altogether?

View Answers
Megastupid. Restart the current journal from where it got abandoned and don't break continuity at all.
4(6.9%)
Unwise. Best to tie up loose ends in the current journal before starting new one.
7(12.1%)
Part II is better than no Sythyry at all
17(29.3%)
I want more World Tree fiction from Bard, but Sythyry the lizard isn't particularly important.
3(5.2%)
Part II is a good idea.
21(36.2%)
[Click!y]
6(10.3%)
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