No, no, this isn't a real chapter. The story's finished, it's marked Complete, that's the end. I just want to take a minute to describe my future plans for the story, since I know some people might not be totally satisfied with that ending.
First of all, that's not really the end! The Normals is not a one-book story; I have plans for a whole series. That's the good news. The bad news is that it won't be written for quite some time. I have ideas for the sequel, lots and lots of ideas, lots and lots of subplots... but no actual main plot. It's unlikely I'll be able to form a cohesive one in less than, I don't know, a year.
For comparison, I wrote the first draft of The Normals in April of 2012. I started writing the second draft -- what you've just read -- sometime around December of 2012, possibly November. I finished writing the second draft in April or May of 2014, and finished publishing it now, November 2014. In short, it's been at least two years. There's no way I can say the sequel will be any quicker.
But! Good news again -- if you don't want to wait that long, you don't really have to. If you click on the External Link on this chapter (or any chapter) then it'll take you to a folder full of illustrations and excerpts from The Normals, as well as three short stories that weren't in this book. (Those three stories are "Realistic," "Freshening Up," and "Alternate Ending." "Alternate Ending" isn't really a short story. It's an alternate ending.)
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If you aren't interested, that's okay. I still want to thank you for sticking around and reading this far. I want to thank everyone who commented just once, and I want to thank those people who commented on every chapter. I want to thank everyone who loved the story, and I want to thank everyone who pointed out things I needed to change. Thank you.
I know this is the thousandth time I've mentioned this, and I promise it'll be the last, but The Normals is the first story I've ever written and published from beginning to end. I really want to express how important an achievement this is to me -- I've been writing on the internet since 2010, and this is the first time I've managed it. I'm so happy that I managed to get past two year's worth of writer's block and finish this, and I wouldn't have been able to do it if not for all the wonderful comments I've gotten.
So, once again, thank you.
YOU ARE READING
The Normals
HumorMarianne Averrige is not like other superheroes. Her costume isn't made of flashy skintight spandex. Her hair doesn't flow in waves of glorious curls. And her powers... well... they kind of don't exist. To tell the truth, Marianne isn't even really...
