THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

by **Paul** Tue 19 Mar 2024, 7:34 pm

FROM THE FORUM THE ROAD TO MIURAG

AS ETASKI * Update from the Trenches...* 1

Hey, folks!

Heh, that photo seems quite appropriate for what I'm working on right now... ^_^ Things are not always as they appear...
Anyway, I missed my mid-month progress update but found an evening with a slot open tonight not far after! Let's get into it!

Sister Seekers 10 progress:

The book has reached 145,000 words and I am in the thick of the Final Battle Sequence at the end of Act Three! I've outlined about another 8-10 scenes to flow together, and the Surface plot will finally be finished!
After that, I need to dip down to Sivaraus for a couple important scenes/chapters to wrap up the book. Smile

Won't be nearly as complex as this "Three Act Rematch" I've been working on since the New Year, certainly far fewer characters to move around. XD
I still have a reasonable hope of finishing the draft around mid-April, though editing will be waiting next. Publishing is looking like it'll happen in early May.

For March WIP Readers:

I've just reached 10K words (about 50 pages) to share for this month and have more time before yet to add to it Smile

Getting scenes resolved has been averaging 1500 words a piece, so best estimate is I'm about 12K words from the finish to the final confrontation. It's a lot of moving and knocking over chess boards atm.

My Real Life Stuff:

I have needed to take to chipping out this book out 200-500 words (1-2 pages) in the mornings with occasional 1K-2K sprints on the weekends. I must be content because at least the book will get finished this way, even if it's slower and more like inching through a traffic jam of words some days. >.<
But I'm in the midst of a very busy and intense time for me and my hubs. While it won't be letting up for a while, at least it's headed in a good direction. Most of 2023 was headed in a very bad direction, and it's taken a lot of hard work and persistence from us both to steer the ship to calmer waters with some view of solid ground ahead.
The best parts so far are that I chose well in the company I work for. Even though it's not an easy job, the culture is one of positivity and purpose, something I didn't have at my last job, and helps me keep my head above water when I start to worry about other things.
Our first need was that it covers the large gap in the bills (Patreon and book sales covers the rest) to allow Hubs to go back to school, But to find a genuinely supportive environment at the day job, not unlike how supportive my Discord is for me? This is something I didn't realize I needed to make it this far until I got in. Smile

Hubs is doing well in his first semester in trade school, just passed the midterms, and we're keeping up on all the paperwork to arrange funding for the next semesters. He's recently been hired part-time as an apprentice, so he gets to apply what he's learning in class and bring in a bit of money for it. Smile

Of course, most of his early pay is going toward building his toolbox, so no breathing easy on those bills yet. Gotta keep working and writing, but at least the path forward is much clearer now.
I do see future books coming out faster than Book 10, which I've been working on since July 2023. Ironically, the Sister Seekers epic is reaching its midway transition at the same time we're going through a midlife crisis and career change. It's exhausting, but the work needs to be done to get to a better place, and I believe we will. Smile

I can't express my gratitude for you who are still supporting me, as a patron, in buying my books, in recommending them. Every one of you makes a difference in allowing me to publish the rest of the series. Do believe that. Smile

Best wishes to one and all. Good night! <3