The Wayhaven Chronicles—Update+ 26/Feb/2021 (Patreon)

It was all about the editing and rewriting this week! 

As you all probably know by now, editing is probably my least favourite part of the process, hehe :D

It's a time when I can way too focused on all my errors and things and can start doubting my abilities to extreme lengths.

But at the end of it all, when I've finished, and I can play it through, I get a rush of happiness! Editing is always what makes the writing shine! It's such an important part of the process, and editing is a constant ongoing thing, even after I get the 'proper' edits back from SpunkyCat I will continue to rewrite/edit/fuss with things right up until release!

I won't be sending chapter 6 over to SpunkyCat yet as she's still working through chapter 5 (chapter 5 is so big and complicated, and she is incredibly thorough, which is why it's such a joy to work with her!), and I don't want to overwhelm her, hehe!

And I also want to do as many playthroughs as I can this time seeing as it's the final demo, so I need to make sure it's as super clean as I can make it. Things are getting really entwined with branches and variables, so I want to try and catch them all if at all possible, though I will obviously be having beta testers go through it as much as possible before releasing it to you guys (Patreon will get early access again).

I'm still planning on a Spring release for the demo, which I hope to coincide with the merchandise release (if I can actually get Redbubble to work, lol!).

So base chapter 6 is done, but there is a scene I'm back and forth about. I love it SO much, and it gives the exact feel I want. 

(SORT OF A SPOILER BELOW)

Basically, I want it to mirror a scene in Book One. It's an opportunity to show, rather than tell, how differently the MC and the LIs respond to something like this now they know each other and have been in the world together for a while.

But it may be too early for that kind of comparison. It doesn't feel like it to me, but it's definitely something I will be asking my readers when they try it out. I so badly want to leave it in, as I adore the LI moments before hand, but I want a strong narrative, and sometimes that means you have to cut even the stuff you love!

(END OF SPOILERY BIT)

I hope you all enjoyed the February Q&A! We are so happy to see people are loving that! I admit, I am SERIOUSLY loving getting the chance to just talk for so long about Wayhaven and its characters! Typing up asks is great, but it feels more like I'm interacting with you guys when I can do it through a mic! (Nai is also really looking into getting subtitles done for the videos, or maybe transcripts, so as it's more accessible to everyone!)

Next week, I will be continuing on with testing all of the demo from start to finish, as many times as possible, getting merch really ready and getting a lot done on that, as well as starting on chapter 7-which should probably wait, but you guys know me by now, and there's no way I can go without writing, hehe! :D

Bit of an essay of an update this week, but I like to share my thought processes with you guys as I write. It kind of helps me unload at the end of a week and write down where I'm at and where I want to go! A good way to clear my head and refresh!

--

For Update+ this week, I thought I'd share a little snippet of the meeting I finally got to write between Birdman and MC...

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"Hello," I offer as a starting point. My steps come to a stop a good few feet away. I may be trying to offer a peaceful start, but I'm still well aware of the potential threat.

The winged man examines me with a quick glance of his pewter eyes. "You may not be so keen to great me, child, when you realise the purpose of my being here."

"Purpose?" ${nate} asks.

"Child?" I add with a wrinkle of my nose.

-

There's obviously different ways to approach the man, but this is the 'polite/friendly' version :D

I've been waiting to write this scene for soooo long! I was smiling all the way through writing it, hehe!

Hope you all have the most fabulous weekend, and I'll talk to you soon! <3