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I had wanted to write a proper forward to the story but ended up jumping the gun and posting the first chapter without it. Oh, well… here we are - Chapter 1 is now available, and Chapter 2 will be published tomorrow.
Still, I wanted to say a few words about the setting of ATWB. As you may have gathered from the slightly odd character names and ornate language, “we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Although the story is set in a fantasy world - that is to say, one I made up - it is not, I hasten to add a Fantasy novel.
If like me, you are not a big fan of elves and such running about your erotic stories, don’t write ‘Woodchopper’ off. There is no ‘hobbildy gobildy’ stuff here, no magic or sci-fi elements.
Although the story is not set on Earth, the characters are intended to be normal humans and behave as such. There are no wizards or characters flying through the sky, no fantastical machines and people don’t attend public orgies organised by the municipality.
My priority was to avoid tedious, momentum-sapping exposition. In fact, I would argue that the story can be enjoyed almost independently of the setting, although obviously, I think the setting is pretty cool.
The setting for Woodchopper has the feel of a historical novel, except for the fact that the history is entirely fictional, and the locations are imaginary. I wanted to create a particular ambience, one that harkened back to a bygone era and evoked many small wonders that are quickly fading from the world.
The world of Woodchopper resembles, somewhat, a Europe of the inter-war period (roughly 1910-1940) in terms of available technology and much of its customs and social etiquette. Unlike the real thing, however, there hasn't been an equivalent to the Franco-Prussian War, which contributed to the First World War. As a result, threat of WWII isn’t looming over the horizon. While the geopolitical climate isn't sweetness and flowers (people are worried about the outbreak of war), my idea was to have the story take place during a kind of extended Belle Epoque.
There were a lot of factors that influenced my decision to set this story in a fantasy world (not Fantasy, mind you). Delving into all of these details in a single post would be tedious, but the primary reason was simply that it's a lot of fun to conjure up another world.
It's also worth noting that most erotic fiction takes place in a fantasy world of some kind. Even if the setting is pretty prosaic, with fast-food restaurants and chain stores lining every street, most works of adult fiction still take liberties with reality. Men and women are, for example often sexually insatiable, there are no STDs and the realities of hygiene can be casually disregarded. In writing smut, we tend to take liberties with the everyday world, creating an environment where sexual exploration is the norm.
I should have probably mentioned that I intend to post chapters twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.
I suppose some kind of explanation is in order.
Yes, this is the first time I’ve tried my hand at fiction, but no, don’t worry - it won’t be abandoned. All chapters apart from the last have been written already. I should be able to finish the last chapter (chapter 12) before chapters 6 or 7 have been posted.
There was another point I wanted to mention at the outset. I am aware that some readers don’t like their erotica too smutty. There are things about this story — it’s tagged ‘some sex,’ takes a few chapters to get to the hot and heavy parts and perhaps the style it is written in — that might lead people to think it is tamer than it is.
That would be a misleading impression. Not that this story is a ’stroke story’ or is going to become one. However, once it gets to the smutty parts, it will stay smutty.
Most importantly, I must thank the people without whose help and encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to complete this.
JoeBobMack has been patient and encouraging from the start. All he would often get were infrequent fragments of chapters but he would still encourage me to keep going. I was very fortunate indeed that he responded to my request for help. He’s been an invaluable sounding board and a wonderful source of advice.
Leo has done a ton of work proofreading but that’s just the beginning. He has been hugely encouraging and helpful with feedback. That there are still errors in the text is entirely my fault because I can’t stop fiddling with it after he has made his pass.
Big Ed Magusson has been endlessly kind and patient, providing wise advice and encouragement.
Bluedragon, as well as being a big source of inspiration, has been kind enough to let me squat in his Discord server.
Finally, NoRefund has been another great sounding board and tenacious in encouraging me to write.
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