WHAT LIES BEYOND
Reflections, Stats, and Trivia
WHAT LIES BEYOND has come to a close. But the saga is far from over.
Didn't get some of those burning questions answered? The big questions will TRY to be answered in the third book, Through New Beginnings, which should be out by the time you're reading this! But if you ever had some smaller questions, or just want to see some more of what I considered or didn't consider for this project, take a look at this page for all the bonus facts and content I can safely share.
Thanks for all the time you spent reading my nearly four years of hard work. Think of this as a gift. :) -Cy |
As if the chapters weren't long ENOUGH!
You might gather from my lengthy update spaces and author's notes that I spend a lot of time making sure my chapters are flowing as well as they can, without losing what I deem to be "necessary information". I tend not to remove material unless it registers as completely useless, or if it inhibits the flow of a chapter. Perhaps it has no place and no way to transition. If that is the case, and it rarely is, I remove the scene, while keeping it around, but separate from the main chapter. In some cases I rework the dialogue into different scenes where they work much better.
I'm trying to be better about removing unnecessary material from the get-go, mostly useless sentences. If I were to rewrite What Lies Beyond I would definitely try trimming some more of the fat.
There isn't MUCH deleted content, but if you'd like to see it, try one of these links below:
You might gather from my lengthy update spaces and author's notes that I spend a lot of time making sure my chapters are flowing as well as they can, without losing what I deem to be "necessary information". I tend not to remove material unless it registers as completely useless, or if it inhibits the flow of a chapter. Perhaps it has no place and no way to transition. If that is the case, and it rarely is, I remove the scene, while keeping it around, but separate from the main chapter. In some cases I rework the dialogue into different scenes where they work much better.
I'm trying to be better about removing unnecessary material from the get-go, mostly useless sentences. If I were to rewrite What Lies Beyond I would definitely try trimming some more of the fat.
There isn't MUCH deleted content, but if you'd like to see it, try one of these links below:
This story has gone through many mental drafts. As a "pantsed" fic for the first year and a half of its life (meaning I was not working with any sort of outline), I created and rejected many ideas that were, um... INTERESTING, to say the least. The less I say about some of those treatments, the better. So in lieu of that sentiment, here's all the rejected plot points in as few words as possible:
Cyborg Vanessa! (As time went on it became clear to me that this was a stupid idea.)
The Kids Are Actually Sick! (Replaced with a better, more refined idea.)
Kai Gets Stabbed! (Too similar to an event in another fic of mine.)
Skeet Dies! (Predates Season 2 by two years. Tied to the Cyborg plot so was rejected.)
Romantic Subplot! (It just didn't work out. Through New Beginnings on the other hand... well. You'll see. I promise it wasn't in any way forced.)
Cyborg Vanessa! (As time went on it became clear to me that this was a stupid idea.)
The Kids Are Actually Sick! (Replaced with a better, more refined idea.)
Kai Gets Stabbed! (Too similar to an event in another fic of mine.)
Skeet Dies! (Predates Season 2 by two years. Tied to the Cyborg plot so was rejected.)
Romantic Subplot! (It just didn't work out. Through New Beginnings on the other hand... well. You'll see. I promise it wasn't in any way forced.)
And speaking of removed and repurposed Beyondverse material.
Glitch Fever
"Glitch Fever" was a short story set within the Beyondverse, but separate from the main story. It would have been along the lines of Infection or "The Cobra Incident", in that it was Beyondverse-adjacent, but not related to the plot of What Lies Beyond. It was based on a dream I had in 2019, during those 7-and-a-half months I was stuck on Chapter 6. The most significant 7 months of my life, both personally and for the Beyondverse.
See, "Glitch Fever" fit well into the five chapters I'd released at the time. In fact, it fit PERFECTLY. Suddenly, I had a compelling antagonist and a gripping mystery to work from. I knew I HAD to use it as the proper backstory for the Hollow Beyond. Y'all have no idea how much I'd been stressing and praying for a "Cyborg Vanessa" alternative, and suddenly I had this awesome dream that just happened to fit the existing material like a glove.
I can't tell you about the details, for obvious reasons. But without "Glitch Fever" or its inciting dream, there would be no Book 3, no Anna Abrams, and the plot of What Lies Beyond as you know it would not exist.
Fun Fact: Portions of the original "Glitch Fever" short story have been reworked and mixed in throughout What Lies Beyond. In a way, it lives on. And more of that story is going to unfold as Through New Beginnings marches on.
See, "Glitch Fever" fit well into the five chapters I'd released at the time. In fact, it fit PERFECTLY. Suddenly, I had a compelling antagonist and a gripping mystery to work from. I knew I HAD to use it as the proper backstory for the Hollow Beyond. Y'all have no idea how much I'd been stressing and praying for a "Cyborg Vanessa" alternative, and suddenly I had this awesome dream that just happened to fit the existing material like a glove.
I can't tell you about the details, for obvious reasons. But without "Glitch Fever" or its inciting dream, there would be no Book 3, no Anna Abrams, and the plot of What Lies Beyond as you know it would not exist.
Fun Fact: Portions of the original "Glitch Fever" short story have been reworked and mixed in throughout What Lies Beyond. In a way, it lives on. And more of that story is going to unfold as Through New Beginnings marches on.
Nerdy and fun stats that I am eager to share.
New Record
What Lies Beyond is the longest single book I've ever written. Prior to What Lies Beyond, the longest single book I'd written was roughly 45,000 words. What Lies Beyond averages to a whopping 90,000.
Top 3 Longest Chapters
1. Chapter 18 (6,910)
2. Chapter 12 (6,167)
3. Chapter 13 (5,964)
Top 3 Shortest Chapters
1. Chapter 1 (1,637)
2. Chapter 20 (3,113)
3. Chapter 10 (3,146)
Year Most Chapters Published
2021 (7)
Year Least Chapters Published
2018 (2)
Longest Wait for a Single Chapter
Chapter 6 (7.5 months)
Shortest Wait for a Single Chapter
Chapters 10 and 11 (14 days)
New Record
What Lies Beyond is the longest single book I've ever written. Prior to What Lies Beyond, the longest single book I'd written was roughly 45,000 words. What Lies Beyond averages to a whopping 90,000.
Top 3 Longest Chapters
1. Chapter 18 (6,910)
2. Chapter 12 (6,167)
3. Chapter 13 (5,964)
Top 3 Shortest Chapters
1. Chapter 1 (1,637)
2. Chapter 20 (3,113)
3. Chapter 10 (3,146)
Year Most Chapters Published
2021 (7)
Year Least Chapters Published
2018 (2)
Longest Wait for a Single Chapter
Chapter 6 (7.5 months)
Shortest Wait for a Single Chapter
Chapters 10 and 11 (14 days)
Congratulations, now you know a little more!
- Post Hollow Syndrome is an homage to the Sliders episode "Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome". What Lies Beyond is also influenced by an episode of Sliders, titled "Slidecage". Although the prime inspiration came from the episode's setting, an element of the plot made it into the fic as well.
- The ENGAGE pods induce a form of stasis in the physical body, preventing the need for sustenance, slowing the heartbeat down to a crawl, and even halting all physical changes like hormone spikes, hair and nail growth, and so forth. It puts a person on "pause". Anyone familiar with science fiction will have some understanding of this technological concept.
- What exactly is Shadam? He is a manifestation of Adam's own paranoia, his fears, his anxieties, and his darker impulses. These things combined are, in a sense, the worst parts of Adam, and the things that follow him around without respite. So of course they would manifest as a "shadow" version of Adam in the realm of the subconscious. You'll notice Shadam's progression from something that Adam is on top of, to something that is on top of Adam, to something which is completely dominating him.
Music to my ears.
I've taken the liberty of compiling all the songs whose lyrics I used in What Lies Beyond, plus other strong considerations that COULD have been the chosen lyrics, into a single YouTube playlist available for listening. Includes music from all across the electronic, rock, and metal spectrum.
Check out the Playlist!
Or check out each song individually, based on genre preference:
Cinematic Electronic Rock (think Starset)
"Cryosleep" by SoulExtract
Heavy Electronic Rock
"Fragile Machine" by Every Hour Kills
"Waste of Time" by Circle of Dust
"Telepathetic" by Voicians
"ULTRAnumb" by Blue Stahli
"Chasm" by Circle of Dust
Hypnotizing, Soothing Electronic (I don't know how else to describe this sound)
"Hollow" by The Anix
"Hollow Worlds" by Comaduster
Melodic Metal
"What Lies Beyond" by Pyramaze
Harder Metal
"Beyond Reach" by DIRE
"Lie Awake" by Believer
"Me Against Me" by Project 86
"I'm Not Here for Rage, I'm Here for Revenge" by Emery
"Summer of Darkness" by Demon Hunter
Assorted Rock
"Crazy" by From Ashes to New
"What's In the Eye" by Grey Daze
"Shadows" by Massface
"Becoming What I Hate" by Archetypes Collide
"Fallen Angel" by Three Days Grace
"Shadow Me" by Widow7
"Step Down" by Leader
"Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park
I've taken the liberty of compiling all the songs whose lyrics I used in What Lies Beyond, plus other strong considerations that COULD have been the chosen lyrics, into a single YouTube playlist available for listening. Includes music from all across the electronic, rock, and metal spectrum.
Check out the Playlist!
Or check out each song individually, based on genre preference:
Cinematic Electronic Rock (think Starset)
"Cryosleep" by SoulExtract
Heavy Electronic Rock
"Fragile Machine" by Every Hour Kills
"Waste of Time" by Circle of Dust
"Telepathetic" by Voicians
"ULTRAnumb" by Blue Stahli
"Chasm" by Circle of Dust
Hypnotizing, Soothing Electronic (I don't know how else to describe this sound)
"Hollow" by The Anix
"Hollow Worlds" by Comaduster
Melodic Metal
"What Lies Beyond" by Pyramaze
Harder Metal
"Beyond Reach" by DIRE
"Lie Awake" by Believer
"Me Against Me" by Project 86
"I'm Not Here for Rage, I'm Here for Revenge" by Emery
"Summer of Darkness" by Demon Hunter
Assorted Rock
"Crazy" by From Ashes to New
"What's In the Eye" by Grey Daze
"Shadows" by Massface
"Becoming What I Hate" by Archetypes Collide
"Fallen Angel" by Three Days Grace
"Shadow Me" by Widow7
"Step Down" by Leader
"Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park
Counting the days...
Since the dates in What Lies Beyond are not specified, I counted them on these calendars and figured out exactly when the kids should arrive home in Through New Beginnings.