Will I Publish "Written in the Stars?"

It's a question I get asked frequently. Tonight, I conversed with a reader via PM on fanfiction.net, and the question of whether I'd publish Written in the Stars came up. The following is the reply I gave. I think it best encapsulates my feelings on the subject.

I've always said "Written in the Stars" is the best story I'll ever write. I don't think I'll ever top it. I've learned a lot since I wrote it, and if I were writing it today, it might be a little cleaner, a little tighter, but I think even as it is, it will stand as my best work. Sometimes, when I'm feeling blue, I go back and read the attack on Volterra. Those three chapters are my finest accomplishment.

I wrote "WITS" as a gift to the world of fiction, which has given me such pleasure over the years. And, truthfully, I like the idea of it remaining fanfiction. More people have read it on the website than ever would have read it if it was a book. I like the idea of it floating around in cyberspace, finding its way to new readers.

I know my publisher would probably accept it if I were to re-work it and remove all of the Twilight references. Heck, with the way things are going, I might even be able to sell it to one of the Big Six, 'cause they're eagerly snapping up Twilight fanfics. But I just don't want to do it. I want it to stay as-is.

Don't get me wrong... I'm strongly tempted just because I love that story so much and working on it again would be a sheer delight. But even stronger is my feeling I should leave it where it is, because this is where it belongs. I planted it here. And I could dig it up, re-pot it and prune it into something different, but it belongs "in the wild."

This is the story that changed my life, that led to my first publishing contract. The FF community gave that to me, and in that respect, the story is "theirs" as much as it is mine. Without their support, I never would have had these opportunities.

I admit, I considered it at one point. It is, after all, my best story. But when I started considering the changes I'd have to make and the fact I'd have to pull the story from its home, I decided against it. Because maybe my best should be here, in the community that launched my writing career.