Progress Update - 13/10/26
It’s time for another update, and it’s a big one!
Starting with the Cryomancer, boy, it’s been a journey. I’m halfway through writing chapter 12, which was to be the final chapter in the book, but… for months now I have been uneasy about the fourth book for two main reasons: firstly, now that I have essentially the lead in written (book 3), I wasn’t satisfied with the motivations of the main characters concerning big plot points. My main characters had to do dumb, unreasonable things in book 3’s conclusion, and the decisions the main villain would make in book 4 were overly forced. I didn’t have a solution for this for several months, but it was always in the back of my mind. Secondly, after writing two books simultaneously this year, editing them, and looking ahead in terms of my writing and personal goals, I’ve felt burned out, and I wasn’t looking forward to starting a whole new book.
Then, one fateful afternoon, I figured out the missing jigsaw piece to my problems. I can’t reveal what the solution was, but you’ll be able to read the end result when book 3 is published! The new, fresh approach I had to the story has also changed the future of the series, as in book 3 shall be the final book in the Cryomancer series – that’s right, it’s going to be a trilogy! But how can I come up with a new ending while already halfway through chapter 12? Won’t it be completely rushed?
To answer that, I’ll say I’ve had to tweak a few things that have previously been written, but such is the nature of story development. The big ‘aha’ moment is that book 3 will be 15 chapters (and an epilogue) instead of 12! I’ve carefully planned out all these future chapters, and I am extremely satisfied with the ending to Arthur’s journey – in my opinion, it really brings the themes of the series full circle, and the ending will be both epic and emotional. Extending book 3 does mean that my 2027 publishing goal may be tight, so much so that I’m prepared to delay it to the first half of 2028. We’ll see on that one. Hopefully, it’s worth the wait.
In the meantime, here’s a little tease for the final book in the Cryomancer series: a map of the region the book predominantly takes place in.
Moving on to my web series, it’s hilarious to think that I originally planned to start publishing chapters way back in January- the hopium was strong there. Nevertheless, I’ve kept working on it, and now it’s at the point where I have a release date in mind, and I’m certain I’ll meet it. The date I’m speaking of is Dec 1st.
In my next update, I’ll be announcing/ introducing my web series. I hope it brings some new eyes to my writing, and I’m confident it’s a fun read – my girlfriend thinks it is, but I have a feeling she’s a little biased…
Until then, thanks for reading, and stay well.
Jack.
