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The last installment of Rails is now posted. If you've been holding off on reading until it was all there for enjoyment... there it is! I will be formatting and bundling it as an ebook once I get taxes and some programming finished (and possibly an exclusive backstory...), but you can use the browsing tools at the site to go from the very beginning to the end (for now). It's decidedly set up for a followup series, and I already have a vague idea about the outline of that...

This is my first serial, and (aside from fanfiction), the first cohesive storyline that I've taken to such lengths. I'm surrounded by novel-writers and people who easily dash off a few 100,000 word stories each year, but I generally stick to stories about 1000 words, and this even (barely) beats out the Upheaval NaNoWriMo-winning novel that is still in bits and pieces on my harddrive. It solidly qualifies as a novella, and... it's done. I've been working on it for three years, and it wasn't really meant to turn into a serial - it just sort of inserted itself into a Muse Fusion-sparked stand-alone story and drug me along for the ride.

It was a challenge. I've found that the further we write into Torn World, the more convoluted it becomes... the shared world aspect of it works both to unexpectedly constrain - and to offer un-looked-for footholds for inspiration. Getting the timeline details to entwine with other ongoing stories (Tainted Wings, Lalya and Dini's romance, the City of Lights story, the arrival of the snow-unicorn riders in the South...) was not simple or straight-forward, but I feel like it added a lot of depth to the series.

Rails was also a sharp deviation from my usual fare - this isn't a light, fluffy slightly romantic fantasy where nothing really happens; this is a grittier, darker collection, with murder, blackmail, prostitution, rape, intrigue, betrayal... it wasn't always comfortable to write, and it wasn't always comfortable to share. Several scenes dipped into the spicy category, and one even ventured all the way into adult - a totally new experience for me, and one I am not convinced I will do again. It is a little unsettling posting this series and then wondering what someone who has just found me online would think about it - or think about me by reflection. That is often a consideration with artists sharing art, I know, but I'm not sure it's ever hit me quite so keenly.

I may have a daily post later, but I'm running on less sleep than usual and have much to do. I'll leave you with the artwork I did for Rails... though in truth, it came before the series was more than a few formless ideas. (You can see the WIP stages of this in the contributors forum if you are registered at the site and agree to the contributor's terms!)


(Click to see it at the Torn World site.)

If you've enjoyed the series, the artwork, or the rambles I've blogged about it, and you'd like to see more like it, I am happy to accept your tips!