Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Hello everyone!

I bet you're all shocked to hear from me. In fact, I'm shocked that I'm here myself. I'm writing this because I feel like I owe you all an explanation as to where I've been for the last two years.

If I am being completely honest, I never really thought I'd come back to Wattpad. I don't really have a simple, exact answer for you guys. I attribute it to a combination of things - outgrowing Warriors, being busy, getting disenchanted with writing all together, so on and so forth. In reality, I just got older and my interests changed, and I evolved as a person. 

It was just by chance that I stumbled across my Wattpad account today. I still have the app on my phone, but I had it tucked away in a folder that I don't really visit much. I was hanging out with a friend (who also enjoys writing), and she happened to ask about some story ideas I've had in the past. Naturally, I remembered all of the book ideas I had stored away in my Wattpad drafts, so I opened the app to show her some of the story aspirations I had that I never followed through with, or hadn't bothered to publish onto my account.

I was absolutely taken aback and blown away at what I found on my Wattpad page. After two years of inactivity, I had over 6,000 notifications, over a hundred messages, and recent postings on my Conversations Board. After two years!  You guys, I was expecting this account to be a ghost town. I was completely sure that everyone had moved on and had abandoned the story that was once like my baby. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would find people still begging me to come back, complimenting my stories, and longing for a conclusion to the Skyfall series. In all seriousness, I didn't realize that people still read Warriors and still cared about it. I thought that all the Warriors role-plays and stories I read (and obviously wrote) would be forever tucked away in my memories, as a chapter of my life that was closed and to never be reopened, no matter how much I subconsciously longed for it.

I know what you're thinking - "Kaylin, if you longed for the Warriors community you used to be apart of, why didn't you stick around?" Well, when I became inactive, I was kind of over the whole thing. I longed for it more the longer I was away, it was a gradual thing. At first, I got distracted by school and by my friends, and by pursuing other hobbies (turns out I'm a huge history geek). I explored photography, I practiced art, and studied American history on my free time. Don't get me wrong, being a writer was always apart of my identity (I'm studying Professional Writing in college this upcoming fall), but it became more of a chore when I had been working my brain all day. I longed for an escape where I didn't really have to think about anything and could let my mind rest. I don't know if that will make sense to you all, but that's the best I could explain it. It felt like Wattpad was becoming a chore, and I was tired of forcing myself to do even more homework. I also felt the pressure mounting - I was getting people who were legitimately angry with me for not updating (and rightfully so). I stopped checking the app because I wanted to avoid the pressure and stress that Wattpad was putting upon me. I'm ashamed to admit that, but that's what happened (Disclaimer: I'd like to make clear that none of the messages I read today were angry or negative! They were all very sweet and kind messages. I'm referring to the ones I got when I recently became inactive - it was easier for me to avoid seeing people angry and disappointed in me for not doing something I needed a break from. I felt intense amounts of guilt, and it severed my relationship both with Warriors and Wattpad.) Once I reached a point where coming back and writing again was feasible, my self confidence had plummeted. I had left you guys waiting for so long that I felt nothing I could write would be good enough, and that I'd end up just being a massive disappointment. That stifled any excitement or desire for me to write.

With that being said, Elaina (I'm sure you all remember her, she was in a number of my author's notes!) and I still discussed Warriors as we played our occasional Minecraft session (yep, still a dork lol). We talked about all our fun times on the servers we role-played on and owned, and how we wished things could go back to the way they were. We talked about Wattpad, but we both came to the conclusion that everyone had moved on. It didn't ever occur to me to check (because as I said, I would've bet my life that that was the case). So it was purely by chance that I came back to my page today.

I knew I was blessed when I wrote on Wattpad. I knew that my story had been successful. But I never realized the extent to how blessed I truly am until I stumbled across all of the continuous support that people had given me for TWO YEARS! I was absolutely blown away. Nothing can describe how I felt when I scrolled through all the comments and messages written to me (and I even chuckled at the hate comments I came across!). 

If anyone noticed, I responded to a message on my message board just an hour after I had opened the app. The message described how they believed I was never coming back and that Wattpad was no longer apart of my life. It was a bittersweet to me - bitter as I realized I had let people down, and sweet due to the compliments given to me within that message. I responded that I will be finishing the Skyfall series, but that I did not know when. And that's the truth - I do intend to finish this series as I have always said I will!

I graduated high school four days ago (at the time I'm writing this). That probably comes as a shock to some of you, given my 'About' section on my page has said I am sixteen and barely entering my junior year of high school for two years. I have summer on my hands, a summer that is not plagued with AP English course reading lists and worksheets (the first one in four years!). While I do plan to work over the summer and follow up with some hobby writing (I write articles for a student news page now!), I plan to have a lot more free time than I'm used to. I want to be dedicated to returning, so I'm thinking by the time you're reading this, I'll have reread my own work (for the bazilyionth time), gotten over that cringe-fest, and should have an update written for you all. I do not want to post this until I am prepared for an actual return because I refuse to be a let down and not have anything ready. I'll probably date the time I'm writing this so it's not confusing.

I wonder if any of you all have noticed at this point the few specks of activity I've done today - I responded to a hate comment (that I laughed at with Elaina, no hard feelings at all!), and I responded to the message I spoke of above. I'm neglecting posting this & any actual "I've Returned" message until, like I said, I'm prepared to return. It's kind of cool writing to the future.

Before I end this letter, I'd like to give my sincerest and biggest thanks to every single one of you. Down to every last reader, every last commenter, every last messenger, everyone. I smile at every comment and message I get. I started this account five years ago as a thirteen year old girl who had an obsession with Warrior Cats and who loved to write. I never, ever, ever  thought that this account or my stories would become as loved and as popular as they are today. I never thought that they would still being read today at all! If you told me back in 2013 that I'd be writing this right now, I would have cried with joy. Not going to lie, I've teared up writing this, both from reminiscing about my time here on Wattpad and realizing just how blessed I am and how beautiful the world (and this community in particular) is. You all have allowed me to explore my biggest passions and I cannot begin to express my sheer and utmost gratitude. You gave me a chance, and I am here to continue my writing. It is the absolute least that you all deserve.

I have a lot to relearn when it comes to Warriors, as everyone knows that it has been awhile! I plan to get started right away. I appreciate everyone who has stuck around patiently and who has bothered to read this. I encourage everyone to support one another's writing, as that's what Warriors do! Together, we can keep this community alive and flourishing.

With love,

Kaylin

* 

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Hello again. I wasn't planning to write anymore on this page, since I wanted that letter above to be heartfelt and sincere. However, after reading 29 chapters of Skyfall and reading some comments, I think it's a good idea to say a few things before I continue writing Skylight. I would very much appreciate if you read these things and took them to heart as we continue on with Skypaw's journey.

Some things to remember...

1) I began writing Skyfall when I was 13 years old. I know it's super easy to criticize the work you read, especially when it appears to be 'old' or when the author appears to be inactive. I want to make it perfectly clear, before I continue, that I don't expect everyone to like every aspect of my stories, and that I welcome kind and constructive criticism on all of my work. Seriously, I do - it makes me a better writer! But looking back at the comments towards the beginning of Skyfall, I noticed some very aggressive and hateful comments, calling me stupid (I was actually called a mousebrain, gotta love the Warriors fandom!) for simple things like spelling errors and miscommunications. I fully admit that my work is nowhere near perfect, but I gave it my all, at just thirteen years old. A lot of people took a dump on the prophecy that the series is based around, and while I do admit that it is nowhere near like the beautiful, complex and perplexing prophecies found in the true Warriors books, it is no excuse for genuine hate (not to be confused with constructive criticism). While even I cringed while reading it, and fully admit it could have been better, I tried my best. I truly did. In fact, there are multiple areas of this series that I would have gone back and done differently, but that's life, and I just have to work with what I have. While this paragraph makes it seem I got a ton of hate, I would just like to say that these comments were not terribly high in numbers. It was just occurring enough for me to want to make this comment. If you don't like a fanfic that you read here on Wattpad (or any book in general), just stop reading! Don't try to make someone doubt themselves or their abilities. Just be kind. <3 On the bright side, all of the people accusing the prophecy of being painfully obvious have given me a new goal - to figure out a way to fulfill it that is not expected or obvious. I definitely have my work cut out for me!

2) I've been away from the Warriors fandom for awhile.  I'm sure that that's pretty obvious to you all, but I want to say it anyway because like I said above, it's easy to criticize work you read online. Besides for mine and Elaina's reminiscing of the past, I've been away from Warriors for a long, long time. This means that I've forgotten a lot of essential information. I've forgotten what all the herbs do, I've forgotten all of the ceremonies, I've forgotten aspects of the Warrior Code, the map, etc. I've even forgotten my own characters and some plans I had for this story. While I am researching and re-reading and literally studying all of these things so I can make the story flow smoothly and seem conceptually correct, I am willing to bet I will make mistakes! If you see any errors about any of these technicalities (including typos), please kindly point them out to me. I want to keep the quality of my books high! It's just going to be difficult to get back into the groove, and I'm worried about a rough transition between the last chapter I wrote to the one I am going to write tomorrow. Please, please, please try your hardest to understand before you judge or send rude comments. I know I did this to myself, but I'm trying my best to get back in the know of things.

3) Be nice to each other. Upon glancing over comments I've read, most of them are very nice, positive, and even hilarious (seriously, you guys are really funny). However, there are some that I saw of people asking for clarification on the story, and people were rude answering, calling them names and insulting their intelligence. I just want to remind you all that we are all apart of the same fandom and that everyone gets confused sometimes! And honestly, some of that is on me by the way I chose to write some things. If someone needs help understanding, please just kindly explain it to them, or leave that opportunity to someone else. Don't be mean! I would like my books & my page to remain a welcoming and kind environment for everyone.

I also have some questions I'd like to ask you all on some various things regarding the books! If you wouldn't mind answering in the comments, that'd be extremely helpful!

1) Should I delete all stand-alone Author's Notes out of Skylight? I noticed that there are about 3-4 of them that are not written in actual chapters, but are their own parts. It seemed cluttered to me, and I haven't read them, but I'm sure they're just me trying to explain various absences. Should I keep them or remove them?

2) This sounds silly, but should I update my profile picture? This is the profile picture I've had since I started the account (seriously, I've never changed it). While I'm not particularly a fan of it anymore and find it doesn't match very well, I'm not sure if I should change my profile picture just because it's always been there and that it's linked to my account's recognition by now. What do you guys think, keep or update?

3) Are you an artist? I've been thinking of adding photos to each chapter of the series in the upcoming future for fan-art! Not only do I think it would make the book look polished and really beautiful, I think it'd be a great way to give back to you guys, by giving you all some recognition for your art and for your abilities! If you're interested, let me know. I think it'd be really cool to work together!

I think that's all for now. Once again, I appreciate every kind comment I receive! Some people have noticed my recent activity, and it's made me smile so much at how positive it has been received. I love you all. Please forgive me for not answering everyone who's noticed, I'm trying to keep this on the down low until I can release this to avoid being redundant in my responses.

Sincerely,

Kaylin

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Hi all!

I'm so happy to inform you guys that Chapter 15 is completed and Chapter 16 is already underway. I wanted to be sure that I had writing ready before I uploaded this, and I'm so thrilled to say I do!  

Now, there's nothing left to do but wait (unless you're me, I have to write lol). Chapter 15 of Skylight will be released tomorrow.

It isn't the most exciting chapter, since I had no choice but to pick up where I left off, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway!

Please be sure to regularly check my Message Board (that is now called 'Conversations' apparently)! I can't remember if my Message Board postings show up in News Feed or not, but I plan to be posting more updates there as to when I plan to release chapters, answers to questions, etc. I want to say that while I have purposefully not responded to the DMs or Message Board postings I've gotten, I have read many of them and appreciate them all! I'm sure I'll respond to them soon, I just wanted to keep things on the ~down low~ as I said previously.

Also, depending on how long it's been since you've read Skylight, you may want to consider reading Skyfall over again, or at least Skylight (or just the previous chapter). It's been a long time for some of you and I don't want anyone to be confused when the next chapter is released tomorrow. I managed to read it in 2 days on and off, so if you're dedicated enough, you could get it done by tomorrow!

Thank you for being sooooo incredibly patient. I don't deserve it.

See you soon!

Kaylin