Progress Report (Patreon)

Almost 3k words!!

Almost, but not quite, and as much as I want to keep going, I have to recognize that this is the perfect place to take a rest — especially since my brain is begging me to. Pesky mortality, always shoving its limitations.

This progress report is late! Truth is, I wasn't satisfied with where I was on Friday, so I decided to wait until I reached a spot that I can feel proud of. An author I admire a lot sent me a PM on the forum a few days after the Rose's first book was published.

He said that this journey I'm about to embark on, writing Book 2, is like hiking up a very steep, very dangerous mountain. He told me to watch my feet and keep my eyes on the top but not to forget to occasionally stop and take in the view.

That's precisely what I find myself doing this Monday afternoon as it slowly but gently dips into dusk. I'm admiring the view. The sky is open, and birds sing in the canopy above me. There's some unseen creek underneath my dangling feet which I cannot see but whose gentle current tickles my ears. What a nice, lovely view.

But enough with the hypotheticals. Where am I, exactly? On the very last sprint of the chapter! I'm so almost there. I just need to fill out a few choices, one branch, and some last-book variations! There are three checks to cross on my last checklist, and that's it! 😄

This last week I didn't have, frustratingly, as much writing time as I wanted. My NaNoWriMo progress stands at 17k words. I'm definitely planning to step it up this week. Just today, I had almost all afternoon to write. I would love to reach the 25k before Friday — I think it's very doable.

I've also been dreaming a bit about future scenes and where to best incorporate them. It can be so easy to let myself get carried away and write scenes I've been wanting to write for years. Or have revelations and character interactions that I've planned a long time ago. One of you made a comment on how you love the term of endearment Alessa calls you once deep in a romance — darling one — and God, I really want to write the first time she uses it.

But I know I can't mess up the journey, the slow but steady buildup. It wouldn't be fair to Alessa, and, most importantly, it wouldn't be fair to you. It would cheapen the moment. Just as all the other scenes I'm itching to get to would be cheapened too.

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking about pace and how to best fit all the puzzle pieces together. My outline is full of little scribbles 😅 to think it once almost looked nice.

The goal is to have the chapter written the next Progress Update. Either Friday or Saturday.

Until then, I hope this start of yet another week was a pleasant one for you all. I hope the rest of the days only get better, and if for some reason they do not, then I hope you can easily overcome it.

Cold winds are coming, I can smell them in the morning breeze. May your hearths be filled with timber and your mantles lined with warm, fuzzy fur. 🌹