Mid-January update

Almost 11 days later and I barely got to 46k words. I still need to write the ending, but I kinda got sidetracked...

I am now plugging plot holes, fixing foreshadowing, and adding some extra layers to the story. I am unhappy with how vertical it can be at times. I want to widen the perspective and give even more depth. I would like people who read this to finish it and have it stay with them for a while. I would also like to inspire a little. Most importantly, I want people to understand that feelings take different shapes and forms for each one of us because we never know what others are going through. That should be the takeaway from this novel.

If I keep up this pace, I'll be done by the end of January or the beginning of February with writing and editing the general plot line. It should take me an extra month to polish it to the level I want it to be. Then most likely an extra month, at least, for all assets to be put together and coding to be done. I hope it will be sooner, but I kinda want this project to be something really good, so I don't want to rush it. What started as a small idea for the Novembear project turned into something quite big for me. 

The plan is to possibly release it as Early access to the Citizens and Elites for feedback so that I can have a good perspective over the final details before it gets released publicly. Up to now, our supporters have been very helpful with identifying typos and reporting bugs consistently so we're aware of possible issues. I hope that this continues so we can produce higher and higher quality overall with our upcoming projects. The Swimmer (novel) and Grand Unification Day (novella) will hopefully be released in 2025 as well. They are both in the same universe as Light My Way and Graven. But I won't get ahead of myself...There's enough on my plate as it is :)

I really like the story and the characters feel very much real to me. I am hopeful about this project. It gives me the right feelings when I write it. I can see the characters...They feel like I could see them on the street while I'm going to work. For me, they're real. Their actions feel like something actual people would do.

However. 

Work is really messing with my writing time. It's gotten to the point where I know without any more doubt at all that it should be the other way around: the real work for me is writing, the other thing I do is...just for bills. I am not bothered by my job, it's quite easy for me because I have tons of experience, but it's taking up a huge chunk of my day. I leave at about 13:00 and finish some days at around 22:00 or even later. It's very demanding time-wise and my writing suffers a lot from the constant breaks I need to take. I'm not saying I would write at Stephen King speed, a book every 3-4 months, but I certainly would make considerably more progress if I had an extra day of free time. For now, my Sunday and Monday are the only free days, and on both days I also want to socialize with people to not become a hermit (again...). Still, I'll do my best. I keep writing every morning with some days being very productive while others...I barely get out a few hundred words, if even that. It's a process. And I'm still in love with it. 

Thank you everyone for the kind words of encouragement. I hope I'll make all of my followers proud with this project! 

See you in Kazuul!
- Hadrian Maximus