Standing in the Dark began with a simple question: what would it take to “break” Amanda King? We viewers had seen Lee Stetson hit personal walls in episodes such as “We’re Off to See the Wizard” and “Unfinished Business,” but there were few, if any, equivalent moments for Amanda during the series.
Because I have been asked: I intend to continue being hard on Lee and Amanda in future stories. It makes for some great plot lines. However, as of this writing there are no plans to kill off any other main characters. The continued success of the Stetsons’ marriage is also one of my non-negotiables, although it will suffer from stress and strain at times.
At the time I began writing, I figured the story would be fairly short – maybe 3 to 5 chapters – so I didn’t do any prewriting or outlining. By the time I got to Chapter 18, I had realized how utterly wrong I was; and after I wrote myself into a corner along about Chapter 21, it was clear that I needed to scrap the story as it then existed and start over from the beginning.
This time, I used an outline. As is usually the case, I ended up deviating from it in a few places, but the story in your hands benefited greatly from the decision to start over (even though that decision easily could have alienated readers). I am so very appreciative of everyone’s patience, and I hope that the final result has proven to be worth the wait.
You might note that this story is labeled “Restless Hearts #1.” I had planned a sequel to this story’s original version all along, and then, during the re-do, I figured out that one of the reasons I’d ended up in a corner was because I was trying to do too much. As such, I split the original into two stories, which turned the project into a trilogy.
The next story, which takes place during the first half of 1988, is tentatively titled All That Mattered, and the one after that (set during the second half of that year) currently has the working title of A New Horizon.
Once I realized that my “three to five chapter” story had become a flat-out series, several more story ideas occurred to me. At this point I am focusing on the initial trilogy, but if time and circumstances permit, I already know how I could add on to that.
When it comes to fan fiction, I’m not a fast writer. I have a full-time “day job” and I also write original fiction using the separate pen name of Jennie St. Thomas.
That said, the Scarecrow and Mrs. King fan community has been enormously welcoming and their reactions have kept me motivated. It might take a few years, but I’m going to get at least the initial trilogy done!
One of the comments I got while posting this story online was that I must have done quite a bit of research when writing it. That’s 100% correct, and there are places in Standing in the Dark where it felt as though I had to research something on every single page. Just remember that all errors are my own!