Dear Readers,
Time for a public-service-announcement.
It's the height of exam season in the Real World and, though I might wish it were otherwise, colleges are not going to use Place In the Sun as the basis for whether or not I'm admitted. Needing to prepare has constricted my ability to write... along with some good-old-fashioned writer's block. That's Part 1.
The second bit is that in two weeks time, we'll be starting the Russian Civil War. Sunday the 6th's update will be the aftermath of the Republican Coup; the RCW will begin on the thirteenth. To give you context as to how enormous this thing will be: the Monstrous Danubia Chapter™ was 20,000 words (approximately). The rough draft for the RCW is nowhere near completion and is already well north of 10,000. There is simply no way I can finish such an enormous chapter in the depth it deserves in two weeks... even without exams bearing down upon me.
Fortunately, the Russian Civil War ITTL is a pretty dense topic. We've got different offensives by the players, separatist movements on the frontiers... easily a month's worth of content... except it's not. Posting only two or three thousand words a week on, say, Ukraine, wouldn't feel right. It wouldn't feel like I've given you guys a proper update, especially not since this TL is now a once-a-week affair. So, here's the plan: every Sunday I shall post a Russian Civil War segment and something else! That 'something else' will likely be a graphic or Wikibox of some sort, but it could be narrative or something else entirely. It probably won't pertain to the RCW either.
This is where you come in!
Effective immediately, I'm now accepting suggestions! What areas of Place In the Sun, too tangential to merit five thousand words and distract from the narrative, but still interesting, would you like to know more about? It can be literally anything- an election, a political figure... whatever! Tell me below and I'll include it of a week!
But wait, there's more: I'm also actively soliciting submissions! While the actual writing of chapters remains mine, if someone wants to submit something, please feel free! (The distinction between a 'chapter' and something which is merely canon is that a chapter will be listed as such whereas the latter isn't- ie, 'Chapter 33: Perifdous Albion' is a chapter whereas 'A Day in the Life of Ireland, 1917' isn't.) My only request is that you send it to me in a PM first before posting it in the main thread. I'm looking for anything-- maps, flags, graphics, vignettes, wikiboxes/wikipages, even ISOTs!
My hope here is to make the world of the TL a more vibrant and 'realistic' place and to give you guys a greater stake and input in it, as well as to make amends for my reduced pace of output. Please feel free to ask questions either here or in PMs.
Best,
-Kaiser Wilhelm the Tenth