I'm writing this update a little early this month for two reasons: firstly, there's no telling if the impending holidays will sap my time away - better to write this now. And secondly, I actually have something worthwhile to report. 
Novels
Shortly after posting my previous Writing Update, I was seized by an idea for fan fiction, which I have been developing ever since. As a result, progress on my novels has paused. This is a good thing: the fan fiction won't be overly long (or so I've told myself), and I needed a break from the overly complicated arcs and plots of my novel series - the questions were piling up too fast. Once I return to my novels, I should have a fresh perspective and be ready to tackle the plot anew.
Fan Fiction
That of course leaves the question: what is the fan fiction? Ever since I wrote Valkyrie and DoD, I've wanted to continue the story. Not necessarily with the same characters, but certainly in the same world. I like exploring the lore of HeroScape, and envisioning different scenarios, adding character and twists to well-known characters. There is one issue with that: if I were to return to Valhalla, and write a story set in the war but based on the events of DoD... I would need to explain how the alliances have shifted. Last we saw, Vydar, Einar, and Utgar were all allies, Jandar was backpedaling, and Ullar and Aquilla weren't even mentioned. I couldn't just go from there to the alliances as we know them. I needed an interim story.
I've been thinking about what that story could be for a few months. Nothing really stuck, mostly due to the fact if I made the story about Vydar's betrayal, the reader would know it was coming, which would immediately sap all tension from the story (that's not a spoiler - we all know Vydar has to betray Utgar at some point). I did for a time land on a way around that, which involved an interesting take on the character of Sir Hawthorne of all people, but that story sadly did not work out.
Instead I landed on a direct sequel to DoD. I was hesitant about using Taelord as a main character again. He isn't exactly the most cheery of people, and I worried that he might come across as boring at best. But I couldn't deny that my interest was there. I wanted to explore his character more, answer the lingering questions I had about his past, and address some of the future concerns (how does he join the war? How does he become one of Utgar's greatest warriors, according to his bio? Does any of that happen at all, or will I retcon everything)?
So that's where my writing endeavors have been focused for the past month. Last we saw in DoD, Taelord abandoned the war, going to the remote island of Crevcor, bringing the news of Rehs' death to Syafa and Aiiva. The story will pick up on Crevcor, a few years later. The story will be built on the premise (loosely) of Vydar's betrayal, and all sides have begun to use the Wellsprings. Expect to see new units and/or renditions of units. How do the kyrie react to these extraplanar invaders? What happened to Runa? Why does Vydar betray Utgar? What happens to Einar? Will Taelord ever get off his behind and join the war? These and more questions will be answered.
The Future
I plan on the fan fiction being complete or nearly complete in another month. This of course pushes the novels back by the same amount, putting the beginning of the writing now into the summer of 2025. However, I have finally found a better way to balance my time, and ensure that I am getting consistent work on writing done throughout the week, rather than trying to cram everything into the weekends. It is my hope that this will enable me to keep up steady (if slow) progress on both fan fiction and novels. It seems to be working well so far - I'll keep you updated.
Until then, keep reading.
~TGRF.
Novels
Shortly after posting my previous Writing Update, I was seized by an idea for fan fiction, which I have been developing ever since. As a result, progress on my novels has paused. This is a good thing: the fan fiction won't be overly long (or so I've told myself), and I needed a break from the overly complicated arcs and plots of my novel series - the questions were piling up too fast. Once I return to my novels, I should have a fresh perspective and be ready to tackle the plot anew.
Fan Fiction
That of course leaves the question: what is the fan fiction? Ever since I wrote Valkyrie and DoD, I've wanted to continue the story. Not necessarily with the same characters, but certainly in the same world. I like exploring the lore of HeroScape, and envisioning different scenarios, adding character and twists to well-known characters. There is one issue with that: if I were to return to Valhalla, and write a story set in the war but based on the events of DoD... I would need to explain how the alliances have shifted. Last we saw, Vydar, Einar, and Utgar were all allies, Jandar was backpedaling, and Ullar and Aquilla weren't even mentioned. I couldn't just go from there to the alliances as we know them. I needed an interim story.
I've been thinking about what that story could be for a few months. Nothing really stuck, mostly due to the fact if I made the story about Vydar's betrayal, the reader would know it was coming, which would immediately sap all tension from the story (that's not a spoiler - we all know Vydar has to betray Utgar at some point). I did for a time land on a way around that, which involved an interesting take on the character of Sir Hawthorne of all people, but that story sadly did not work out.
Instead I landed on a direct sequel to DoD. I was hesitant about using Taelord as a main character again. He isn't exactly the most cheery of people, and I worried that he might come across as boring at best. But I couldn't deny that my interest was there. I wanted to explore his character more, answer the lingering questions I had about his past, and address some of the future concerns (how does he join the war? How does he become one of Utgar's greatest warriors, according to his bio? Does any of that happen at all, or will I retcon everything)?
So that's where my writing endeavors have been focused for the past month. Last we saw in DoD, Taelord abandoned the war, going to the remote island of Crevcor, bringing the news of Rehs' death to Syafa and Aiiva. The story will pick up on Crevcor, a few years later. The story will be built on the premise (loosely) of Vydar's betrayal, and all sides have begun to use the Wellsprings. Expect to see new units and/or renditions of units. How do the kyrie react to these extraplanar invaders? What happened to Runa? Why does Vydar betray Utgar? What happens to Einar? Will Taelord ever get off his behind and join the war? These and more questions will be answered.
The Future
I plan on the fan fiction being complete or nearly complete in another month. This of course pushes the novels back by the same amount, putting the beginning of the writing now into the summer of 2025. However, I have finally found a better way to balance my time, and ensure that I am getting consistent work on writing done throughout the week, rather than trying to cram everything into the weekends. It is my hope that this will enable me to keep up steady (if slow) progress on both fan fiction and novels. It seems to be working well so far - I'll keep you updated.
Until then, keep reading.
~TGRF.
