Chrysalis Beta Letter

UPDATED: 2024-12-14

Welcome to Mooland! In Short: ¶

We appreciate your interest in our budding project. You will be receiving the current draft of the early chapters of Chrysalis — The Dawn of Mooland Tales, our pilot trailblazer book to open the Mooland realms with their characters and buffets of embedded essence.

In this letter, we share the core ideas of our vision and mission. We also explore key aspects of feedback that you may want to keep in mind as you read along. We don't expect you to provide feedback across the board. Simply share your thoughts on anything that's relevant to your perspective, insights, and experience.

Here's the general picture we have in mind:

• Epic animal fables cast into a fantastical universe that runs parallel to the archetypal concerns of our lives
• A narrative framework where we can freely explore and embed insights and wisdom into playful and immersive settings
• Following this initial world-generating adventure, we'll craft related short and long stories with a rich selection of themes
• Accessible for audiences from all walks of life, we aspire to carry perspective and meaning to a broad spectrum of readers

With this, we'll remind you that Chrysalis isn't one of the regular short and long stories in the plans. It specifically exists to crack open the egg of this universe and develop the realms, characters, and principles that will carry into our future writings — a world-building excursion stemming from our creative process. It may not have the arcs and bustling action of the standard epic. It is primarily a book for immersion and reflection. We hope you enjoy it.

Onward to the concerns we ruminate on as the writing moves along. What follows is not an exhaustive list of the sorts of feedback we will benefit from — but it is a good starting point. Jot down and share your notes on any-every-thing at all as you flip through the pages of Chrysalis.

Language and Style ¶

• How accessible is the language? Too complex or too simple? For you, and also for whoever you think might read this.
• How do you find the tones of language we use? Boring or engaging, mechanical or lively, flat or inspiring?
• Do the voices of the characters fit, and are they distinct enough? Do the narrator and the characters play well together?

Further chapters, coming out soon, will reveal more major and minor characters. We'll have a broader spread of voices in our dialogues. Our lead characters will also adapt their language to better deal with diverse upcoming scenarios.

Typoes will be wedded out in due course. If you have gripes on our grammar, do let us know.

Narrative Flow ¶

• What sorts of feelings, inner landscapes, tunes and vibes, do you find as you read along? Does it evoke imagination?
• Does the pacing of the book flow and feel about right? Or does it drag or rush, dilute or saturate, at times?
• We hope to paint an immersive world with balance in exposition, dialogue, musings, and minor drifts. Does it strike a balance?

Concerns and Issues ¶

• Are there omissions or shortcomings, information you'd prefer to have in order to understand what's going on and why?
• We'd like to revise anything that may be misunderstood, e.g. the herbal tea of Izzy's grandma is not a pot of magic dope!
• Is there coherent continuity to the story? A well-framed build-up — or disrupting leaps and confusing assumptions?

Meaning and Impact ¶

• Do you find, overall, that this might be an interesting and meaningful world to explore? What can we improve here?
• We try to avoid "telling stuff" in excess. Are characters "teachy beyond the need", does the narrator muse too much?
• Does the narrative and its world serve as a mirror into something relevant? Do you find meaningful parallels to real life?
• Are the embedded symbols and wisdoms "on your face" — or blended well enough into the narrative to feel natural?

All in all, we hope to share insights with the readers by opening perspectives and exposure, with a skillful tuning of symbols, motifs, and timeless tropes. Not by describing in way of a text-book. There are times where the characters must seek insight from elders and mentors, but this has to fit the natural flow of the story. Our success is with leading the reader to the actual questions in their lives. The rest will follow.

Finally ¶

While Chrysalis is our budding baby calf of a project, we're not about to raise a fragile mooling. Please don't spare the critique. This beta-reader loop has been spawned to help all of us adapt and evolve toward a well-rooted and wholesome creation. Know that your unique contributions are always welcome and appreciated. If there's anything we can do to better accommodate your review process, keep us posted. We are here to serve and cater.

Finally, Chrysalis. Is what exactly. A golden shell for a precious pupa, the emergent butterfly to cross the yonder rainbow. That is what we are in the ever-tranforming shells of our lives. That is what the present book is. We are churning on. Keep well and keep in touch.

With lofty spirits and gratitude,

Ananda & Friends