Chapter 36 Authors
Standing on top of the FOURTH WALL, hand-in-hand, Main Character and Author faced the world of Novella.
Technically, according to my own world-building rules, we shouldn’t have been able to stand on the FOURTH WALL between our dimensional realms. But I’m the author of this book, so I could make anything happen however I wanted.
There was no sound except our tense breathing. Beyond the thick blizzard looming over us, small stars peered down from the night skies.
From up there, we could see everything that made up Novella: forests, sea cliffs, apocalyptic cities, deserts, palaces, space stations, battles, swim parties, highways—everything.
Oceans were dotted with ships and sea monsters.
Mountains bore hikers or hidden fortresses.
Countless mythical creatures flew through the skies, beneath rainbow palaces stitched between the clouds.
Mages rode on storms. Waterfalls hung from rocks, trees, and ridges.
Some realms launched fireworks in celebration, while others went up in flames in strife.
Arenas and magical towers reflected the moonlight with golden pillars or crystal designs.
Islands floated both in the air and in the water, overflowing with cultures, volcanoes, and treasure.
However, along the borders of the Veil of Maas, billows of smoke rose into the gloomy heavens.
Ash drifted in the winds, intermixing with the snowflakes.
A monochromatic haze cast over the fantasy realms of the once-colorful world of my imagination; no doubt the relentless endeavors of Kriqir in Em’s absence.
Despite the burning forests, I watched as Em’s green eyes soaked in the panoramic landscape sprawling around us on either side.
“Millions of characters…” I motioned to my world, “with hundreds of stories in a thousand places with an eternity of words for a lifetime of readers.”
Em took in a deep breath.
“This is the world of Novella,” I said. “The dimension of a Great Author’s mind. The summary of my creativity.”
“Damn.”
This vast, magical world was Em’s home, and she could hardly believe it.
“No wonder everything was falling apart,” she said. “I didn’t know half of this existed.”
“It grows a little every day,” I explained. “Each time I come up with a new idea, Novella becomes more complex.”
“How do you keep up with all of it?” she asked.
“It’s all just a part of me.” I tapped a finger against my temple.
“Whenever I don’t know what to write, I come here.
I shut my eyes and imagine a place, a person, or a story.
And then I see this: the world of Novella.
All of it. I smell it. Hear it. And if a spark connects in the back of my head, if that idea is meant to be, I write it.
I’ve dedicated years to making this place into a living reality for future readers.
Maybe one day, when they close their eyes, they’ll also find Novella.
They’ll discover the realms, the inspirational potential, and something more to be written.
Something to take from this world and put into theirs. ”
I point toward the horizon.
“This is why I write. This is who I am.”
“I don’t know who I am,” Em admitted.
“Sure you do,” I said. “You’re the Main Character of a questline prophesied to rescue her world from a dark overlord in a tower. What’s more fun than that? But it’s up to you to decide what to do with that chance.”
“Yeah,” was all Em replied.
Deep inside, I shared an ounce of her resentment.
It had been a stubborn battle against each other; I fought against my imposter syndrome and hitting another writer’s block, while Em struggled to achieve her dreams despite my resistance to her preferences.
The results nearly destroyed Novella along with us.
Until we got this plotline back on track, time was running short for this dimension in my mind. The luminous glow of fires and thick smoke leered at us, a reminder of the task we both had at hand.
“Novella needs you. Kriqir’s begun his full-scale invasion,” I said. “You’re the Chosen One who must complete the prophecy and save my world, Em.”
Beneath us, the ground quaked. The thick cement of the FOURTH WALL cracked and groaned as Novella trembled. We both staggered and flailed our arms to keep our balance.
“We’ve made a deal.” I offered her my hand. “I write it, you determine how it ends. Just tell me what you want, and if you don’t try to destroy anything or kill any Secondary Characters again, we can work together to complete this book.”
“Fine.” Em shook on it.
Relief washed through me, a small spark of inspiration, that familiar urge to go and write.
“But for the love of Novella, please give my quest a proper climax,” she said. “Not the stereotypical final battle with a long-ass speech and one of my friends sacrificing themselves for the greater good. At least try to make it fun for me.”
“Don’t worry,” I replied, “Go back home, gather your Side Character again, and I’ll pull the discriminatory wool from your eyes.”
Em wrinkled her nose. She hesitated, her toes on the edge of the FOURTH WALL, surveying the Veil of Maas below us.
“And what about the damn fact that everyone hates me now?”
“They don’t hate you,” I rolled my eyes. “They were trying to help you. I was trying to use them to give you a reality check before you destroyed yourself. If I can reach you through a vision, I think I can come up with some reasoning for them to forgive you.”
“And you couldn’t have done that sooner?” Em demanded.
“You stole the manuscript,” I said. “I couldn’t do anything. Why didn’t you fix it when you had the chance?”
“Everything I tried to write went wrong.” Em frowned.
I nodded. “Right, because I’m the author and you’re not.”
Everything shook again, stealing a gasp from us.
Em stepped away from the ledge of the FOURTH WALL, and although the barrier was thicker than an average two-way street back in my world, we both drifted to the safety of the center. Apparently, we shared an unease of unstable heights.
“You did a crap job at stopping the Lack of Orderly World Building,” I said.
“Consider it revenge for writing the worst fucking prophecy known to all of fantasy,” Em retorted.
“Hey now,” I laughed. “I already told you I designed it that way so you could ruin it.”
“Don’t you have a shitty story to go write?” Em asked.
“Don’t you have a questline to go finish?” I snickered
She scoffed but managed to crack a smile. “We’ll finish this together, right?”
“We made a deal,” I said.
I hold out my arms, offering her a hug.
Em hesitated before melting into it. We clung to each other, our joint emptiness and apathy melting away in the unifying contact.
The wetness of Em’s relieved tears soaked into the sleeve of my tee-shirt.
My own crying slipped free past my embarrassed shame, streaking down my cheeks and into her dark hair beneath my chin.
Despite our struggle against one another, a newfound determination to finish what we started brought us closer together than our prior battles. Neither of us wanted to let go.
In the back of my mind, my teenage self was wedged between us; no longer alone, no longer lost, and no longer wondering if any of this writing thing was worth it.
I can tell younger Stephanie it is.
This is our story after all.
And Em and I were going to finish it how we wanted.
Together.