Gold Whisker: A Fifth Grader's Attempt at Making a Book

Gold Whisker Afterthoughts

  Looking back at the story I wrote twelve years ago, I have one thing to say to sum up my opinion on it; a missed opportunity.  Gold Whisker has the elements to potentially be something really different from the typical cat fantasy book.  There are unique mystical elements introduced such a human metamorphosis into a cat in the case of Gold and the time-space altering elements of the Guardian.  The cats have a bit more of a realistic feel to them, with topics such as breeding and the structure of a more typical feral cat colony being introduced in The Dump.  Some of the characters such as Thorn feel nearly human with backstories that are compelling and make us root for them.  Basically, there are specks of potential for a good story here and there in the writing.  However, it falls short due to not having an identity of its own.

  Gold Whisker to me at the very least is trying too hard to be both Warriors and the RPG video game Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.  It even goes as far as taking entire elements from them, such as the hierarchy in clans and entire story elements from the RPG video game.  The unique elements that could make the story something special are snuffed out by the elements that make it a carbon copy of the other two properties. 

  That is not even mentioning the plot inconsistencies, especially when it comes to Jeanette's entire kidnapping storyline.  There are other issues with timeline during the traveling sections of the story, something that though I somewhat fixed here for damage control, was a huge problem in the original written draft.  The reason for this was because I took big breaks between chapters as a kid, sometimes going as long as a month before writing the next chapter.  However, it does not excuse the issue at all.  In fact, I think this makes my mistakes even worse, knowing if I wrote more consistently, less problems with the timeline would have popped up.

  To me, Gold Whisker is a huge mess of a story, which is a shame considering when the story really tried something new, it got really interesting.  It is a huge shame that Gold Whisker ended up being something not as magical as I remember it being as a child writing it.  This story has always been a huge part of my identity as an inspiring writer and to see it be this big of a mess is quite soul crushing.

  If only there was a way the story could have shown it's more unique angles and avoided copying other material.  With some refinement, the story could actually be something new, far from the Warriors and Explorers of Sky hybrid it ended up becoming.  A new vision of the already established story elements could turn the story into something Warriors and Explorers of Sky could only wish to be. 

  Actually, looking at the story now, I think that might actually be achievable.  After all, I have had twelve years since Gold Whisker to learn what makes a good story.  I have taken many writing classes, and I am now following a journalism major in college, something that requires learning how to structure multiple types of writing, including story writing.  It is quite possible I could turn out a product now that is what I originally wanted Gold Whisker to be; something special that stands out in the fantasy/adventure genre.

  Since releasing the original draft of Gold Whisker on Watt Pad, I have been more inspired than ever to rewrite the story.  While I cannot 100% confirm right now that I'll end up rewriting the story, it is definitely a possibility considering how special the story was to me as a child.  When I finally make a decision concerning the subject, I'll definitely say something here, maybe even potentially releasing the new version online for everyone to see. 

  For now though, thank you for taking this nostalgic journey into the past with me.  The story was far from perfect, but it is a strong part of my identity I cannot help but embracing a tiny bit.  After all, without creating this story, I never would have a couple of years later still been so inspired to write and become a part of this grand community on Watt Pad.  I have a lot to thank this story for, something that it seems I really didn't express until now.