Umi, the Cryoverse AI
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Showing My Work: Future Outlines for TCTH!
🕑 Added 2021-10-27 12:40:34 +0000 UTCThis post is part of a series focusing on outlines I'm writing for the Cryoverse.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/cryoverse-my-to-57381971
I have been writing the Cryoverse for a long time. Five years. Half a decade. In that time, I have made huge strides in not only my writing style, but how I prepare my writing ahead of time. In the past, I have guarded my fanbase against spoilers. In fact, I don't like spoiling things at all, ever. I detest spoilers.
However, the last Cryopod part was 5 months ago. Nearly half a year. After I stopped writing TCTH to focus on TLP, and then subsequently finished TLP, I have spent an additional 1.5 months re-reading TCTH and writing a massive outline for what is to come.
The problem is, I feel that my claims might feel a tad artificial. What exactly have I been doing these past 45 days? What sort of outline have I written? Is it really worth all that time I've spent? Heck, did I just sit around all that time and do nothing, just to get a free vacation?
I doubt any of my readers have thoughts like this, but I worry they do. Therefore, I've decided to pen a series of posts discussing ALL of the supplemental materials I have written and will eventually write in the future for the Cryoverse. These posts will be part of a series I call 'Showing My Work."
I highly recommend that only the most ardent TCTH readers continue reading what will be the most spoiler-filled post I've ever written. If you don't like spoilers or want to retain any enjoyment of what's to come, STOP READING HERE.
If you are an aspiring author who wants to learn how I apply my skills and craft, this post should actually be highly educational! I hope it helps you, and you can feel free to ask questions in the comments. I'll answer anything you might want to know in this SPOILER ZONE!
45 days ago, after completing TLP, I started re-reading TCTH to catch up on all the nuances, story beats I overlooked, and so on. I also wanted to compile a list of foreshadowing I planned to pick up on, minor characters and events I forgot about, and other such matters. I re-read the whole story, but only ended up jotting down the relevant stuff from Book 3 of TCTH Refresh.
Cryopod Chapter 3 Part By Part Recap.
The document above already features several notable spoilers. I detailed a whole bunch of plot twists I've set up (Particularly regarding Amelia) as well as plans I made to have characters show back up later.
After I finished re-reading TCTH and then documented all of my thoughts on chapter 3, I sat down to write the actual outline for the story.
Cryopod Post-Stormbringer BROAD Outline.
This document is where we first start getting into the meat of the story. This is what I call a 'broad' outline, in that it is somewhat light on details, and only focuses on the MOST important parts of Refresh post-Stormbringer. I don't focus on any individual character interactions, but only the plot and overall character arcs.
The point of this document is to carefully outline the broad vision of the story. It might seem somewhat short, but there is a LOT of time that went into making it even before I finished TLP. I spent an inordinate amount of time crafting TCTH's timeline in my head, thus pre-writing it even before I pen it to the page. There are still plenty of parts of this document that don't necessarily have to be written in the order I presented them.
For example. The Hope Infiltration Arc was originally going to be the Jason Infiltration Arc, where Jason infiltrates the Volgrim. However, I decided that Hope didn't have much to do, and I liked the idea of him entering the Volgrim high command to try and steal Excalibur and the Dominion Rod. But where exactly does this happen? It definitely occurs after Jason and the gang rescue Hope, but might he leave early, just after getting back? Or should I have him spend more time interacting with not-Amelia before he leaves?
The Broad Outline is not here to organize things perfectly. Rather, it is designed to give me a vision of what major story beats I should take. The next outline, however, is the Part-by-Part Outline, the one that will detail much more of what is to come.
Cryopod Refresh Post-Stormbringer Part By Part Outline.
This is a highly detailed (but unfinished and very WIP!) outline that focuses on fleshing out as much detail as possible in the Post-Stormbringer content.
Unlike the Broad Outline, I use this level of outlining to detail what happens on a part by part basis. This is still a fairly broad outline. For example, later in the outline, I stated that Gabriel would teach Jason about souls. However, in the part I've already written (Part 292) I already included that detail. I can and will deviate heavily from this outline as I write, looking to fit important details in wherever possible.
This outline also is not even close to finished. I will be adding and altering things as I go along!
I really wanted to focus on four things in the Post-Stormbringer content.
1. Jason's progressive slide into violence, and his eventual mental snap which will result in him rewinding back in time. (Cryopod Classic readers will understand)
2. Hope's sidequest, which will put him in direct conflict with Jason, while simultaneously teaching us about the Volgrim and the threat of the Plague.
3. The Hidden Emperors, setting them up more as big-bads in the Rewind era, when Jason will not possess Camael's Cube.
4. Orias's arc of becoming the Master of Karma. He will eventually undo the damage caused by the Volgrim's assault on Tarus II, but not until after Jason rewinds back in time.
These four big plotlines are, of course, only a fraction of the main story. We also have to consider Beelzebub's 'redemption arc' (A pseudo-redemption, mind you. He's still one bad dude.) as well as the Ose/Bael body swap story, Valac's rise through Gressil, and a whole host of other major storyline reveals.
Anyway, these three major documents are only the start of the Showing My Work series. I plan to post even more focusing on TLP, earlier Cryopod Refresh chapters, and even documents pertaining to Cryopod Classic!
Let nobody say I have done nothing in these past 45 days. I've worked hard!
