Step One - Changes

I want to make a difference, so I have to change things. 

A good place to start for that is taking what critique my esteemed readers (and now I'm looking at you, guys, who keep cheering me on!) have left me over the years. That includes the following:

• The story was meant to educate and showcase a BDSM relationship in its many levels and facettes. Consequently, the balance between sex and plot was a little lopsided.
• Some character reactions were too predictable, because they weren't based on the part of the character that came from me, but was inspired by the original.
• Some things that were meant as almost inconsequential somehow managed to get blown out of proportions.
• Some incredibly important things were swallowed by the drama
• Because I was writing fanfiction, I built the story around what I figured were my readers' expectations, and only broke that like when necessary.

What does that mean mean for the new project? Less sex, and more talk. Sounds boring? After re-working what was the original 10k one-shot I think it works (although no cuts on sex have yet been made).

The second consequence is that I've decided to re-invent my characters, particularly two of the three main protagonists.

Here's a list of my own 'complaints':

• While I loved writing them all, some of the sex scenes are not fundamental to the plot, and will consequently be cut. Yes, it was fun to play dress-up, but does it in any way reflect on the character's development, on their own or as a couple? Cut.
• Bella and Edward have always rubbed me the wrong way with their whininess. Flaws are what makes a good character great - they both deserve to get pushed out of the 'mediocre' category. Once HBR was over, B was where I wanted her to be, but I never managed with E. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE them the way they are - but if I write a new story, I want to write ht people who will stand in their places differently.
• When I started turning the o/s into a fic, I knew where I wanted to go, but not where I'd end up. Now I know, so I'm going to cut a few corners, and widen a few narrow trails into paved roads.
• I put a lot of thought into what I wanted my readers subjected to in terms of fetishes and practice. Several things made more people uncomfortable than I expected, for many reasons. I'm going to cut some of those scenes completely, defuse most of the rest, and balance the ones I cannot do without so that hopefully people will read them the way I wrote them, without too much ground of misinterpretation that I left the first time around.

And that's my plan.

Besides all the planned changes, a lot of things will stay the same - the dynamic between the characters, the fundamental problems they face, the mistakes the make, the solutions they will find. I still hope I can surprise you in a few places, but my goal is to present you with a more mature version of the story you loved in the first place.