Brother Tod is a truancy officer for Alpha school, the academy where promising young superheroes and supervillains learn their craft. When young Alphas flee from the hardships of Alpha school, it is his job to fetch them back, usually against their will. It wouldn't be so bad if he had his own superpowers to combat the powerful young miscreants, but his powers are strictly middle class.
When Brother Tod's boss sends him to retrieve Alex Baker, a mentally unstable kid with powerful abilities that nobody really understands, he has his hands full. It is the beginning of a journey that will change Brother Tod, Alex, and possibly everything else.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Dec 2003
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I've been keeping up with this fairly regularly (I fell behind for a couple of weeks but have since caught up). I do have to say, I'm curious--how's this working out for you thus far?
Posts: 745 | Registered: May 2015
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So far it's a good experience. Writing in weekly installments is definitely different. Differences:(1) You definitely have to have a solid idea of what you're writing toward. (2) Once an installment is released, it's set in stone. If you later decide to change a character arc or move a setting or something, tough luck; it is already what it is and you have to work with it as it is. (3) Everything has to happen in short chunks. I shoot for 1,000-1,500 words per installment...an easily digestible amount to read while you're waiting at the bank or doctor's office or something. Doesn't leave a lot of room to screw around. (4) As a corollary of #3, you have to pay close attention to making sure something exciting, or at least interesting, happens in every installment. Can't get away with a chapter of navel-gazing.
As far as getting an audience, it's hard. I seem to have been able to pick up a reader or two with each installment, so I guess that's good. I'm hoping at some point I'll build some more momentum and pick up a bigger audience. It's tough, though. There are so many things screaming for everybody's attention, it's a hard-to-get commodity.
(By the way, don't forget you can "+ vote" for each chapter. Not asking for politeness votes, but don't forget to vote for any chapters you think deserve it.)
Overall, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I like the accountability of a weekly deadline, and getting to interact with readers is a lot of fun.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Honestly, that sounds like fun. It reminds me of how I got started in writing.
Social media might get you more readers... I'm not a big fan of it myself, but I recognize the help it can provide in this day and age. Also, having a consistent update schedule does a lot to encourage long-term readers.
For some reason I thought the +votes were once per story, not once per chapter. Still new to Jukepop. I'll hop back through and vote and/or comment later today.
I've been debating on whether or not I want to try this, myself... I've had a Weird West setting in my head for awhile that would lend itself quite well to a serial format like comic books or serial novelization. I thought about doing it as a comic book for a while, but I don't have the patience for sequential artwork lately. I get bored drawing the same characters/scenes over and over again.
Posts: 745 | Registered: May 2015
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