Chapter V might be the longest chapter in Books I and II so far! On its own, it’s right around ten thousand words1: stated another way, it’s a touch longer than one quarter of a 40,000-word novel!
I think I said somewhere before that I do most of my writing in Google Docs (that way, I can make fast edits from my phone, if necessary): I think I also mentioned that I had to split Beneath the Vault of Stars into two Google Docs files because my browser pitched a fit right around one hundred or so 8.5″×11″ pages. For Between the Lion and the Wolf (BLW), I’ve already had to split things across two files (Parts IA and IB, for now)! I suspect I’ll be creating Parts IIA and IIB down the line, too.
One of the reasons BLW Chapter V is larger than most others is because…well, I don’t want to give anything away! But a few threads get resolved…which results in additional threads coming unraveled (of course!), and at the same time, I have a vague impression of where I need to be before the next chapter begins and everything that has to happen before we get there: were I the type of person who kept track of things with sticky notes on a cork board, connected with lengths of string, I’d quickly become irate with me! As it is, rearranging my outline document is simpler! Documents, I mean. With an s: even the original “outline” file grew too big to be comfortable in a browser window!
And of course, Chapter VI is underway! I have four more chapters (including VI) to get everyone (and everything) where it needs to be before charging into Part II. I suspect I’m going to need every last page of each! I had intended to give one (minor) character one fate, but as I wrote, I thought something different would be more fitting. (I’ve mentioned such surprises before: they’re still coming!)
I’m also still working on Tsharak’s Tale, a hybrid memoir/notebook (available as a PDF) as told by a character called Tsharak. See this post for more details. I plan to give the first part (at least) away for free to everyone who signs up for my newsletter—but I can’t do that until it’s complete! Rest assured, anyone who signs up before it’s complete will still receive a copy! Having written from Kalas’ perspective through all these words, it’s been a trick to tell Tsharak’s story from his point of view!
Oh! One last thing: Holly Springs, North Carolina, has its annual Community Arts Festival scheduled for February 10, from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. I’ll have some of my Ïsriba falcon bookmarks, as well as some like the one pictured on the right. I’ll be one of several “local authors” there, so if you’re not too far away, come say hello!
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