With the start of this Book, Year Five, I want to pause for a moment, and take a look at The Jellicle Chronicles. The first chapter, “My Favorite Things,” was written the last week of August, after reading some fan fiction on the web. Since then (March 10, 2001), I have written 50 chapters of the Chronicles, and 6 chapters of the Ancients. For those who love statistics, this output measures out to eight (8) chapters per month! As I sit at my computer, and start writing this page, I have 13 more chapters to write, and one more for my Egyptian Jellicles.
Back in November of 2000, I placed my website on-line with the first five (5) chapters. My intent was to write one story per month, and update the site on a monthly basis. By the time I got ready to put the December update on the site, I had already achieved writing not only the Year One December Chapter, but all the stories up to and including the Year TWO December Chapter. When I asked Anna-Karin, my illustrator, what I should do, her advice was to go with what I felt. Should I keep to my intent and only publish ONE chapter, or update as much as I could. Well, I took her advice, and downloaded all the way up to Year Two. Each Month, I have continued to download as much as I have produced. As April 1, 2001 update looms, it looks like much of Year Five might be on the site. All this from the humble beginnings of “My Favorite Things.”
I have had a couple of fans who have commented on one thing about the Chronicles - each chapter is fairly long! When I set a story, I use Microsoft Word 2000 with a 12 point Times New Roman font and set on single spacing. Each story turns out anywhere between 15 to 20 pages, which amounts to an average of about 10,000 words! Thus, each story is one very long web page! Why write such a long chapter? I need that length many times to develop the story and the characters involved in the story. When I write the story, I use a technique that I have found in several “how-to” books on writing. I begin with an opening scene, and an ending. Then, I have to develop what takes place between the opening scene, and the ending. Sometimes, that means 10-15 pages to explain what happened! How do I do this? Sometimes, I have to sit down and outline the piece. Other times, I let the action flow as I type. The technique I use is wholly dependant on the story line.
How far will the Chronicles go? At this time, my guess is as hazy as the crystal ball Nightchaser has. As each “Year” is produced, the stories become harder to produce. I have to remember that my characters are aging, and that there are other characters - the kittens - to keep track of and use. Did you know that the first four kittens (Aphrodite, Augustus, Artemis and Adonis) will become the “teenagers” of the Tribe? Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks will turn thirteen (or about just over 50 Human years)! Most of the original “cast members” are now about ten (or about 40 Human years). Scary, yes, but that is what a series like this entails. I have a major plot line to develop and minor plot lines to keep in line. Thus, I have to be aware of what is happening to the Tribe, now, and what I still have to do. I do not see any problem with characters aging to the point of senility until at least Year Twelve! So, I still have a lot I can do.
Some of you may ask - “How do you find the time to produce all these stories?” At this writing, I am unemployed, and writing is my only pursuit. I also have a Civil War Novel in the works, and four other “Felinoid” fantasy novels on file. As soon as I finish the Civil War Novel (December 2001?), I seriously intend to secure an agent, and see if I can get it published. If so, then the website and the Chronicles might suffer. Otherwise, when I am not trying to find work, I still have this exciting exercise called CATS Fan Fiction.
For the readers of the Chronicles, I humbly thank those who have written E-Mails to me, complementing my writings. With each one, I feel like my ego has been massaged, and my soul was given wings. A Storyteller is nothing without readers or listeners, so thank you for being out there, and liking the stories. For those of you who are readers, and have not commented, I still thank you for reading the stories.
YOU ARE READING
The Jellicle Chronicles - Year Five
FanficThis is the fifth year out of fifteen years. I did NOT write this (I wish I did), but I wanted to have all the stories in a place that was easier to access. This story was written by Dennis Callin, and pictures were made by Anna-Karin Larsson and M...
