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Into New Territory

So, after some delays I didn't expect (and didn't want) there's a new chapter up: "Invalid Item"  (public) and "The Copyist"  (interactive).

I'm in new territory now. The just-published chapter was extensively rewritten (2/3rds of it thrown out and totally new words inserted), but it had been written. Now we're entering ground where I've written nothing, and only dimly sketched out where things might go.

You will notice that the story continues to "progress" (if that's the right word) by narrowing choices down rather than actually making a change. I warned you some days ago that this would be the pattern. The next chapter (whichever choice gets made) will end with Will choosing between some character types, and then there will be a chapter that finally presents some individuals. So there's a bit more to go.

At the same time, I am trying to solve certain story problems as I work my way slowly through. Will has returned to Saratoga Falls to find a real mess: His own "life" upended by the new Will Prescott; a very pushy girl demanding that everything be put back to normal; a middle-aged woman who wants her son back even as she herself wants a new identity; and his own ambivalent intentions. So I'm also using these chapters to finesse these issues.

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One caution on the choices presented at the end of today's chapter: It is easy to read a choice like "Stay close to the sophomore boys" and assume that it would imply a male identity at the end of it; similarly, "Stay close to the girls" would seem to imply a female identity. Don't assume this is the case. I know my readership well enough to know that it is biased toward gender-shifting, but the "gender choice" won't show up until the next chapter, when it comes time to pick a character type for Will to be. When choosing a preference, think in terms of where you think Will should be standing, not in terms of the kind of person he should become.