Name of the story: Whatever the Night May Bring
1) Since you started the story, has it lead you down the path you thought it would or have there been any surprises you didn't see coming?
I just got to the point where the story comes full circle, with the past parts catching up to the present. Because of the way the first half of the story was written, I felt like I could always see the destination ahead; I just didn't know what it was going to take to get there. So while there wasn't a lot that really surprised me, it was fun to go back and fill in all the details that I didn't know about what happened between Point A and Point B. I think from this point on, there will be more surprises because I don't have any future scenes to show me what's coming.
2) How is the pacing of the story? Do you feel like there are too many filler chapters or is it moving too quickly?
The pacing of the story is perfect. There really haven't been any filler chapters; every chapter tells a different part of their overall story, and it wouldn't make as much sense without each of those scenes to tie it all together.
3) Is it easy to understand?
I could see it possibly be confusing for some readers because of how it jumps around in time, but I've been able to understand it fine, and I think it will be even easier now because it looks like it will proceed in chronological order from this point on.
4) Have the characters fully developed to your liking? If not, what are they lacking?
Yeah... that's why I think the chapters of each of the Boys back in the Millennium promo days before shit went down were important, because we see how much they've changed as a result of what has happened to them. Even the supporting characters have enough traits that I can get a sense of what kind of people they are or were before all this happened, without them dominating the story.
5) Is this something you are still excited to finish?
Yes! I'm actually really looking forward to reading the alternate endings, old-school CYOA style! I remember when Mare was writing this last year and opted for different ending tracks, and I thought that was a really cool idea at the time, so I'm excited to see how it turned out!
6) Tell us something you feel has stood out about the story. The biggest strength thus far
The sci-fi aspect is different for Mare, and since I'm someone who doesn't feel very creative at coming up with that kind of stuff, I have to commend her for that! But I think what stands out most to me is the way the first half of this story was pieced together, out of order but in a way that still made sense. Mare has said she's not an outliner, but that had to have taken some careful planning to get it to work!
7) Do you feel like your reading partner has been reading and reviewing your work fairly and has been participating as they should?
Absolutely! Mare is very consistent; I always wake up to a new review or am still up at 5:30 a.m. when it comes LOL.
8) Any questions for the author now that you're halfway through?
Going back to what I said in #6, how did you go about planning this story? Did you have some sort of outline or timeline written down, or was it in all in your head? When you wrote the first scene of Nick and Howie in Randy and Clara's shack, did you know how they came to be there, or did you make up the backstory as you went along? And did you write the chapters in the same order you posted them, or did you write the events more chronologicall y?