Beyond the screen… (Patreon)

FREE access for Members, Benefactors, Sponsors, and Supporters!

Some posts and sections of some posts are reserved for Supporters.

AGI Stories content almost always appears on Patreon first, in advance of all other platforms. You get it first!

Help AGI-Stories grow… If you’re enjoying the stories, please tell others. Word of mouth referrals and your endorsements are the best way for things here to grow!

Just a thought about the process…

As this site moves toward the two-year mark, I have thought about where things have been and where the are going. You may have seen some comments, and certainly shall see more of them.

At this moment (Like Cindi, Michael, and many of you) I am on downtime due to the winter storm. I thought I'd take a second to share something.

When I started this project, I spent a lot of time trying to write things that I thought would please readers. Never really knowing what that was, I think I found a track that seemed more to be storylines that pleased me.

Lately, something has changed.

I've written fiction for decades and have sold a few pieces here and there. There comes a point when characters are established so well that the writer has to stop and change paths. I remember 20 years ago stopping at the beginning of a scene and shaking my head.

"He would never do that. That's not his character…"

At that point, the character had become fundamental in the plot. The character, not the ideas of me the writer. At that point, I could enter a scene and—as writers say—let the character tell me what happens.

The storylines have, for the most part, arrived at that point.

No longer do I write to please the readers, nor to please me. I am writing what I think would (if you will) please the character.

This is happening more and more. In today's Journal, Clay had to ask. He cares about Ailana and Jason. He seeks to understand. When he read Ailana's statement about never romantically kissing anyone but Jason, he wanted to understand. That is his character coming through. That was Clay telling me, the writer, what would happen in that particular circumstance.

For me, this feels great!

In the weeks/months to come, I have a lot of ideas planned out. Already, Ailana is telling me how she will react. Hannah has some things to say about what happens to her. Etc.

Many of the (very large collection of) characters feel established enough that I can say something like…

Cindi is stuck in her empty house, now what? Then I can just let her character decide—She has a job. She has coffee. She is at peace. She has been through a lot. How does she spend her day?

I hope this little peek beyond the screen has been entertaining. Having a little extra time, I thought I'd share this.

As I realized the characters are now—ahem—in charge, I felt myself relax. They can take it from here. I just need to set up the scene and let them tell me how they react.

I'd love to hear you reactions to this. Let me know what you think and if you liked this.

Thank-You Message to Paying Supporters:

It is my belief that most of you who help with the costs are doing so because you want to support the production process and show your encouragement. I am honored and greatly moved.

I know that I share a LOT of content FREE TO ALL. I'd imagine that you understand why. The stories about giving back and helping seem like they shouldn't be exclusive. Certain plot moments need to be understood by anyone trying to to follow the stories.

With that in mind, I always consider you, the paid members, when deciding how to share content.

My hope is that reserving a few pictures and small sections of the post for you is a modest indication of gratitude!

Thank you very much for your help underwriting the cost of producing AGI Stories content. You can be sure that your paid membership is valued greatly! At the time of this post, not counting hardware, AGI Stories racks up expenses of just over $100 per month.

Again, thank you very, very much.

~AGI Original Stories & AI Images