A Cappella Part 325 - Epilogue's Epilogue

Silrana. well done. You've finished a story that kept us all (and me certainly) enthralled for the longest time. Your characters are yours, even the Bioware NPCs.

I did my best to give them a life of their own. I'm glad so many people think I succeeded.

It's been an awesome trip, and I can't wait to see what you do next.

Sathren: Now it's our turn!

Scribe: Lordie, woman, don't I even get time to breathe?

Sathren: Nope!

Thanks for the story, Daie

And thank you.

AC325- Epilogue’s Epilogue

To all things an ending comes....

Yes, whether we like it or not.

A bit farther down the road they came to a large building with a faded green sign hanging in front. The roof was in disrepair, there were cracked panes of glass in the windows, and weeds sprang up between patches of barren earth.

The maintenance man apparently doesn't come around too frequently...

And she wouldn't pay him if he did.

A slatternly woman came out of a back room and scowled when she saw the yarting slung across Jarran’s shoulder. “No singing for your supper,” she snapped. “You either put gold in my hand or turn around and head back out.”

Now that's customer service.

Sadly, I've dealt with almost the equivalent.

I can think of a few places she reminds me of, too.

“Jarran, do not be foolish. We lead far too busy lives to dream of a cottage with a garden.”

“Why is it foolish? We’ve saved the world more than our fair share of times, so why shouldn’t we enjoy a little peace?”

*nods*

And that's all Jarran has ever really wanted. A little peace and quiet.

“Yes, a little peace, until the next crisis or call for help.”

Well... isn't that always the way?

Jarran: *grumbles* You save Faerun once and everyone beats a path to your door.

“You have been dancing attendance on me the last several days. Why are you suddenly so careful of my well-being?”

“Jaheira,” he said softly, “I may not be a druid, but I do have eyes to see and hands to feel… changes.”

“I figured it out a week ago. The only thing I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me right away.”

“At first I could not believe it. Me, a mother? Then… I wanted to wait for the right time to tell you. I never imagined that this would come out at a ghastly inn like this. I wanted the moment that you discovered that you were going to be a father to be a special one.”

It's hard to break big news, even the happy kind.

“Oh, it was. It was that night in the forest, when we made love under the oak tree. I realized that your stomach felt different, and it suddenly occurred to me that there was only one explanation for the changes that I have seen in you.”

That would qualify, yes.

Jarran certainly thought it was a special moment.

He chuckled. “Terrified at first. Then excited, then worried, then… just happy. I’ve waited a long time for this day, Jaheira. You’ve always brushed off the idea of starting a family, and I was overjoyed that our time had finally come.”

And Jarran and Jaheira begin a family.

Yep. And they couldn't be happier.

“And adventurers do not make good parents, love, unless you want to risk the problems Keldorn had. I don’t mind the idea of settling down at all. And… I was thinking… If the baby is a boy, we should name him Khalid.”

A proper gesture to a good man.

I couldn't see Jarran *not* wanting to do that.

“Let’s buy this inn and live here.”

LOL - hey, why not? At least it should come cheap.

True, but hey, location, location, location.

“I’ve looked it over. The roof needs some work, but otherwise the building is in good shape. It needs a really thorough cleaning, and of course all the linens and such will need to be replaced. But a large plot of land comes with the inn, perfect for a garden and a corral so that the horses don’t need to be cooped up in a stable. I sweet-talked our hostess into showing me the private quarters, and they are more spacious than I had thought. With some work this place could become a popular stop on this road. There’s even a stage in the common room for bards to perform on, and plenty of woods around the village for you to roam.”

Sounds like a good place.

It is nice, and a good place to live out their lives.

She turned to face him, and said firmly, “I will do it on one condition.”

“What, love?”

“I refuse to be the proprietress of a place named ‘The Croaking Toad’.”

LOL - I don't blame her one bit.

Me neither.

Mistress Tallerby was thunderstruck that someone actually wanted to liberate her from the inn. She took their gold and was gone in an hour.

Singing and dancing the whole time.

I don't know if her sour face could handle the strain.

In the short time they had been in the village, Jarran and Jaheira had become well-liked neighbors. Nearly the entire village showed up for the celebration, and Jarran was generous with the ale as they cheered and toasted his health.

Free beer is always good.

It certainly goes a long way towards establishing friendly feelings.

“My new friends, I thank you all for coming. Though if I had known so many would be here, I might have bought cheaper ale.” Laughter rang out. “Today I officially become the innkeeper here, and I hope that Jaheira and I will spend many, many happy years as your neighbors.” As he pulled a rope that ran to the cloth covering the sign, he cried happily, “I welcome you to The Bard’s Lady.”

Everyone clapped and cheered as the beautiful sign glinted in the sun. It depicted a lovely woman, resplendent in a pale pink dancing gown, reclining on a sofa while strumming a yarting. The sign was impressive enough as a work of art, but what drew the loudest praise was that the lady on the sign was clearly Jaheira.

Nicely done.

It seemed to fit them.

Jarran and Jaheira’s first child was a girl, but that was certainly no disappointment. They were thoroughly delighted with their little Dynera. A son, who they did name Khalid, arrived a few years later.

I figure with their loses... but a fitting testament.

I thought it natural that they would want to remember old friends.

As the years passed, the village slowly forgot that their illustrious neighbors had once had far-reaching reputations, and Jarran and Jaheira were content to be simple innkeepers. No traveler would have guessed that the cheerful bear of a man serving ale with a booming laugh and occasionally entertaining his patrons with a rousing ballad had once stood on the threshold of godhood, and had turned and walked away.

A fitting end. A very fitting end.

Thankee.

The scribe rubbed her eyes and yawned. She carefully cleaned her quill and corked the ink bottle. Then she rose from her chair, stretching to relieve the tight muscles in her back and shoulders. The work had been long, but she could finally rest.

With a small smile, she spread the sheets of paper around the desk to let the ink dry. She looked at the last page and frowned. It seemed to be lacking something. Then with a nod of certainty, she added the words “The End” to the bottom of the page. Finally satisfied, the scribe blew out the candle and went to bed.

*Standing ovation*

First, my congratulations on finishing this wonderful tale. It's a beautifully written tale and I've enjoyed reading it once I finally decided to jump into it despire how many back chapters I had to read. And it was definitely worth it.

You gave us some vibrant and powerful characters woven into a great story. I've enjoyed it immensely and as happy as I am to see you finish it, I'll admit I'm going to be sorry not to see any more chapters appear.

I admit that it's a very strange feeling to look in my drafts folder and see... nothing.

That is unless you end up with RoboPlot Bunnies.

*chuckles* I always have plenty of them. Ogirl, curse her, keeps nudging me to do a small series. Nothing on the scale of AC, but enticing.

Thank you for writing and sharing such a great story Silrana. I've really enjoyed it.

VH

Thank you.

Congratulations, Silrana. Well done. You had some great twists and really memorable characters. I've followed this from the beginning and I'm sorry to see it end

Thank you. Yes, it seems odd to not have another chapter of AC to write. That means I've lost my excuse to procrastinate on my manuscript.

That is unless you end up with RoboPlot Bunnies.

*chuckles* I always have plenty of them. Ogirl, curse her, keeps nudging me to do a small series. Nothing on the scale of AC, but enticing.

Twice. I've mentioned it twice. Both times in the context of something to keep the writing wheels greased if the new project stalls out for a time.

Congratulations, Sil.... Beginning to end.

It must be a sign of the times, but these days it seems there's always some kind of hook or something that leaves open the possibility of a sequel. It used to be that stories had a definite end, where, as you have done, the characters finished telling their story.

And in a way, I can see why.

I don't want to see it end!

But then, all things do end eventually. And rather than draw it out like a tv series that has gone one season too long, leaving plot points unresolved in the hopes it would be picked up for one more season, it is nice to see a story complete.

Heh.. Maybe the song you could have put at the beginning of this part was "Stay" from Jackson Browne.

Thanks for the journey. I liked every bit of it... Well, except for the dismemberment of Anomen.

I hope to see your books on the shelves someday.

So they ended up with a quiet life in the end. All is well that ends well as it was. Like I said before, it has been a good read.

A very happy and suitable end for Jarran. Congratulations for finishing the saga!

Even if I never manage to get anything published, I am at least glad to know that I wrote one decent story, and that people enjoyed it.

I sort of feel the same way about the Sarevok Saga, but there is a downside to that. It's been already 4 years, and though I have started many a manuscript and written half-ass short stories, I haven't come close to caring so passionately about anything I have written since then.

It is a raw work of an amateur and beginner, and a non-native speaker at that, but still I fear that I will never again write anything that good. Anything that passionate and vivid and heart-felt. I can toy with writing techniques all I want, but the lack of passion shows.

I hope you will be more succesful!

That is unless you end up with RoboPlot Bunnies.

*chuckles* I always have plenty of them. Ogirl, curse her, keeps nudging me to do a small series. Nothing on the scale of AC, but enticing.

Twice. I've mentioned it twice. Both times in the context of something to keep the writing wheels greased if the new project stalls out for a time.

*whines* But it was such a *good* idea...

Congratulations, Sil.... Beginning to end.

It must be a sign of the times, but these days it seems there's always some kind of hook or something that leaves open the possibility of a sequel. It used to be that stories had a definite end, where, as you have done, the characters finished telling their story.

And in a way, I can see why.

I don't have to sell another season or movie.

I don't want to see it end!

A part of me hates to see it end, too. But... it's been a long ride.

But then, all things do end eventually. And rather than draw it out like a tv series that has gone one season too long, leaving plot points unresolved in the hopes it would be picked up for one more season, it is nice to see a story complete.

Exactly. They want to make that last dollar from it.

Heh.. Maybe the song you could have put at the beginning of this part was "Stay" from Jackson Browne.

Maybe, but when I heard this one my mind immediately said, "Oh yeah. I'm using that."

Thanks for the journey. I liked every bit of it... Well, except for the dismemberment of Anomen.

*pets* It was necessary.

I hope to see your books on the shelves someday.

Thank you.

So they ended up with a quiet life in the end. All is well that ends well as it was. Like I said before, it has been a good read.

All Jarran ever really wanted was a nice peaceful life. I wanted him to have it. And thank you.

A very happy and suitable end for Jarran. Congratulations for finishing the saga!

Thank you.

Even if I never manage to get anything published, I am at least glad to know that I wrote one decent story, and that people enjoyed it.

I sort of feel the same way about the Sarevok Saga, but there is a downside to that. It's been already 4 years, and though I have started many a manuscript and written half-ass short stories, I haven't come close to caring so passionately about anything I have written since then.

It is a raw work of an amateur and beginner, and a non-native speaker at that, but still I fear that I will never again write anything that good. Anything that passionate and vivid and heart-felt. I can toy with writing techniques all I want, but the lack of passion shows.

I hope you will be more succesful!

I'm finding that there are a lot of differences between my Attic writing and my manuscript.

For one thing, fanfic has an immediacy that novel writing doesn't. You write it, and you get nearly instant feedback. And I don't mean ego strokes, I mean you get a quick answer to the 'did it bite?' question.

For another, with the Attic there was a sort of internal deadline, a feeling that I shouldn't go too long without posting a chapter. With the novel, nobody is breathing down my neck.

But I found that two things are helping me. First, I found a good website full of solid advice for writers. There are loads of pro writers, agents and editors who hang out there, and it helps spur me. The other is perspective. Last week I was wondering if my book had enough plot. Then I realized that A Cappella is nearly ten times the size of most novels bought from first-time writers. Suddenly the manuscript didn't seem so daunting when I realized it only needed to be as long as around 40 AC chapters!

I have lost my faith in my ability of becoming a writer to the extent that I plan going back to university just so that I wouldn't feel so useless

I'm finding that there are a lot of differences between my Attic writing and my manuscript.

For one thing, fanfic has an immediacy that novel writing doesn't. You write it, and you get nearly instant feedback. And I don't mean ego strokes, I mean you get a quick answer to the 'did it bite?' question.

It is also companionship, something I have had in all jobs and activities I have enjoyed and excelled in. If you work all alone all the time your thinking gets distorted.

For another, with the Attic there was a sort of internal deadline, a feeling that I shouldn't go too long without posting a chapter. With the novel, nobody is breathing down my neck.

*groan* I know.... it is so easy to put off writing because it feels hard and makes me feel incompetented and illiterate, when you can as well immerse yourself deeply in the transcendental-like quality of playing computer games. Or just reading interesting stuff (it also qualifies as 'research'...)

But I found that two things are helping me. First, I found a good website full of solid advice for writers. There are loads of pro writers, agents and editors who hang out there, and it helps spur me. The other is perspective. Last week I was wondering if my book had enough plot. Then I realized that A Cappella is nearly ten times the size of most novels bought from first-time writers. Suddenly the manuscript didn't seem so daunting when I realized it only needed to be as long as around 40 AC chapters!

Could you give me the website address, please? It seems that there are lot of people on Internet that try to trick wanna-be writers into giving them money For that reason I have found it really hard to find good websites for writers.

I have about one third of a novel in English, and another in Finnish. But I am stuck with both of them, and the problem is that I don't genuinely care for the stories. The characters are not as vivid as the ones I had in Sarevok Saga (the NPCs and my own both).

There is one story concept that I think could become a good one, with a preliminary set of characters, but I don't seem to get a hold of them, or an idea of an exact plot for the story.

The 'just write *something*' advice works when one is temporarily stuck, but after such a long time it only makes me feel more miserable and untalented.

Sorry for venting about my troubles, but perhaps someone can relate.

Could you give me the website address, please? It seems that there are lot of people on Internet that try to trick wanna-be writers into giving them money For that reason I have found it really hard to find good websites for writers.

Of course. http://www.absolutewrite.com/

Absolute Write has tons of articles, but the real gold of the site is the forum. You should especially check out the Bewares and Background Checks section. It tracks information about scams and people who are just plain bad news.

Another long but excellent read is in the Novels section. Find a thread called Learn Writing with Uncle Jim (it is almost always on the front page). It is chock full of discussion about novel writing, and the 'Uncle Jim' is James D. MacDonald, the famous Yog Sysop, originator of the saying "Money flows *toward* the writer".

I have about one third of a novel in English, and another in Finnish. But I am stuck with both of them, and the problem is that I don't genuinely care for the stories. The characters are not as vivid as the ones I had in Sarevok Saga (the NPCs and my own both).

I admit, it is hard to come up with characters that live in your head. My advice is to either chuck them, or find a way to make them more real to you.

There is one story concept that I think could become a good one, with a preliminary set of characters, but I don't seem to get a hold of them, or an idea of an exact plot for the story.

The 'just write *something*' advice works when one is temporarily stuck, but after such a long time it only makes me feel more miserable and untalented.

Sorry for venting about my troubles, but perhaps someone can relate.

No problem. Here's a little bit of writer's humor to cheer you up. It is far more realistic than we like to admit.

http://scott-lynch.l...com/187661.html

But I found that two things are helping me. First, I found a good website full of solid advice for writers. There are loads of pro writers, agents and editors who hang out there, and it helps spur me. The other is perspective. Last week I was wondering if my book had enough plot. Then I realized that A Cappella is nearly ten times the size of most novels bought from first-time writers. Suddenly the manuscript didn't seem so daunting when I realized it only needed to be as long as around 40 AC chapters!

Could you give me the website address, please? It seems that there are lot of people on Internet that try to trick wanna-be writers into giving them money For that reason I have found it really hard to find good websites for writers.

Absolute Write

A bit of a warning, though. Some very vocal people there are very strongly anti-fanfic. Don't let them get under your skin.

First place to head in the forum there is Learn Writing with Uncle Jim. (Jim also happens to be the Yog referred to in my sig, sff.net's Yog Sysop.)

The 'just write *something*' advice works when one is temporarily stuck, but after such a long time it only makes me feel more miserable and untalented.

Sorry for venting about my troubles, but perhaps someone can relate.

Jim's a strong advocate of the Butt In Chair school of writing; don't let that turn you off to him. There's lots of advice around on ways to convince yourself that your first draft doesn't really "count".

BTW, I got the recent chapter of City to break loose when I started exercising regularly again. And the works gummed up when work/RL issues forced me to stop again. I understand it's not an uncommon experience.

I'm late to the party, however...:

*applauds, whistles, throws flowers*

Well done, Silrana. I can only stand in awe of the self-discipline it must have taken to write an epic the size and quality of A Cappella.

As for Jarran and Jaheira, I hope that the old formula and they lived happily ever after can now be applied to them.

Many, many hundreds of thanks.

I've been following AC for a while, but I never feel right just jumping in and commenting on things while they're in the middle. So I figured, "I'll wait until it's done," which, alas, is here. So I just wanted to say that I'm very, extremely impressed with the entire story, and I hope I can manage to put even half as much effort as you've put into this. I, who am about to write, salute you!

Congrats, and good luck on your future publishing ventures!

I'm late to the party, however...:

Not at all.

*applauds, whistles, throws flowers*

*bows*

Well done, Silrana. I can only stand in awe of the self-discipline it must have taken to write an epic the size and quality of A Cappella.

As for Jarran and Jaheira, I hope that the old formula and they lived happily ever after can now be applied to them.

Many, many hundreds of thanks.

And thank you.

I've been following AC for a while, but I never feel right just jumping in and commenting on things while they're in the middle. So I figured, "I'll wait until it's done," which, alas, is here. So I just wanted to say that I'm very, extremely impressed with the entire story, and I hope I can manage to put even half as much effort as you've put into this. I, who am about to write, salute you!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Though you could have commented at any time, I'm not picky.

Congrats, and good luck on your future publishing ventures!

Thank you!