Way Down We Go

Author's Note/Chapter Twenty Two

***PLEASE READ THIS AUTHORS NOTE BEFORE THE CHAPTER***

Hey guys,

before we get started with this next chapter, I thought I'd clear something up. In the last chapter, I got really mixed reviews upon what I wrote. First, I'd like to thank all of you who sent me lovely messages about it, since it really makes my day when I get lovely comments. But for the more critical comments, I was supper disappointed that you didn't like it since I had such positive feedback on the song based chapter before it. I put so much hard work into that chapter and when I do that, it's super disheartening to hear that people don't like what I've written. But. I slowly came to realise that it may be because people don't understand why I'm writing the way I am, as it is such a sudden change from what was up before it. So, let me try my best to explain.

First, the song based chapters. They are written as vague as they are for a reason. It's to represent Mary's confusion and vulnerability as she goes through what she's going through. At the start and even in the dialogue before it, it was clear and concise because she wasn't going through what she is now. It's all intentional. The fact that songs are introduced more frequently now is super simple. In this story, Mary is a singer. It makes literally no sense to build her up as this big famous celebrity star and just focus on her relationship with her husband behind closed doors. And ever since things got rocky with Francis, she's working more and more to fill the void, hense why the songs are more prominent. In addition, she is singing these songs and they are inspired by events that have happened, so they're not just random songfics that have been added for dramatic effect. Next, on a more personal level, it's so refreshing to write in this new style. I've been wanting to publish a songfic for a while now, and was so excited to see what you guys thought of it, so it was super disheartening to hear that some people didn't enjoy it. I've spend literally months trying to find songs that would match up with this plot and hearing how my work was discredited because a couple people didn't like the new direction kinda sucked. The song concept is gonna last for many more chapters, but it's eventually gonna stop when our main character heals from this situation and becomes clear and concise again. You guys can't expect a story told in Mary's POV to not become garbled when she does.

Next, the drug addiction. Mary mentioned in the dialogue that she had struggled with addiction in the past, so it can't come as much of a surprise that she relapsed when things got tough. And the depression and addiction, although fuelled by Francis' betrayal, isn't directly because of him, as you will find out in another chapter. It's to do with something else. And she will struggle with this for many, many chapters. It won't be a one and done chapter situation, since that's not realistic at all. Francis isn't gonna save her like some Knight in shining armour and they'll ride off into the sunset and have a hundred babies and live happily ever after and not think of Lola ever again yada yada yada. That's just not realistic and not where this story is gonna go. It's gonna get deep and dark, hense the mature rating. If you all want sunshine and rainbow Frary fluff, this just isn't the novel for you. Mary has gotta save herself from this, and she has to do it alone.

Next, I'm all for constructive criticism. It does help when I get it, but telling me to change something vital just cause you don't like it because it's not fluffy Frary really doesn't help. As much as I love writing for wattpad and all of you, I've gotta please myself first. As a wise man once said "a writer's job is not to make his readers happy, but to entertain them" and so that's the philosophy I've been living by ever since I started writing several years ago. I mean this in the nicest way, but this is my novel and I will write what I want. As usual, Frary is always endgame, never fear, but you guys are gonna have to get the bad to get to the good. If you don't want to and prefer fluffier Frary, I won't be offended if you choose to leave. I'll always take readers opinions into account and add some of their opinions into stories, but I'm not gonna go so far as to change a plot I've had for a year just because it gets a little confusing at times. It's written to make it confusing at times, because our narrator and main character is confused and vulnerable. I'll try and tone it down to make it easier to read, but it is Mary who is our main character, not Francis and not even Frary. It's her, and we've got a long road to recovery ahead of us.