So Much Happening, So Much I Can’t Discuss!
Hooray, it’s that time of the week! I definitely did not skip last week. Definitely not… Ok, I skipped last week. In fairness, I didn’t have anything ready to go, so I decided to pass it over in hopes I would have more this week. Thankfully… I don’t… Woops. Let’s go!
The Sapphire Verdict
Once again, I have another update for the Sapphire Verdict. As of two days ago, we are officially below 140k words! This is a HUGE milestone and puts us within farting distance of the number I designated so long ago, but it has DEFINITELY slowed down. On average, I would say I’m removing around 300 words a chapter now instead of the 1000+ I’ve been doing. While it is going slower, at the very least, we are right on the doorstep of the number I wanted. Talk about taking WAY longer than I ever imagined!
So, what’s my plan when I hit that number? I’m going to go back over the whole book to make CERTAIN I didn’t cut too much. Once I’m certain the book is as solid as I can get it in its current form, I’m going back out to search for an agent. This time, however, if I cannot find one, then I am mentally prepared to slap this thing out in electronic format so I can move on. Unfortunately, I’m not immortal, so I HAVE to get this thing out if I want to stand any chance of telling the whole story before I die. Yes, it’s that long. Unfortunately…
Beyond the Sapphire Verdict
There is more I want to write than just the Sapphire Verdict. I’ve been working on this for a LONG time, and more stories have managed to bubble up that aren’t exactly related to Sapphiria or even her universe. I would love to get the chance to tell these stories, but I’m struggling right now to find the time in the midst of all the other stuff I’m working on. It would mean cutting out different parts of my life to try and commit to more, so this is a bit of a tough decision, but one I’m very much still debating. I can at least, however, give some summary of them.
Guardians: The Harmonizer Saga - This story would follow a heroine of a totally different species from Sapphiria. With her sister falling ill to a mysterious plague, our heroine would set out on a quest to seek aid from divinity itself, but her encounter with the divine reveals a startling truth about her world, and what really operates at its heart, placing her on a direct path to a conflict with a supposed god.
Orrea and the Legend of Quetzalan - This is a story that is set in a world full of creature of all shapes and sizes. Our hero in this story arrives in this land seeking to prove himself, but quickly gets flung into a strange conspiracy that is slowly spreading across the land. With the help of the strange creatures he meets along his journey, he’ll face the villainous group operating in the shadows and uncover the truth of the land of Orrea and a lost city known as Quetzalan. Yes, this world functions very similarly to the Pokemon world.
Neither of these two stories are in ANY position for me to show off anything else other than that, but maybe someday I’ll be able to put some words to them both! AT the very least, I can say that I’ve drawn over 150 different critters for Orrea. What can I say? I like doodling.
Where Art?
Art is coming! I promise! In fact… The big piece is ALMOST DONE! I’m right at the end of the line with it, so most of my work has been touch up and small tweaks. There’s more I could do with it, and more I would love to learn to do, but I’ve spent over a month with it at this point. I need to put a stamp on it, so… I would say we’ll be seeing it next week!
After this piece is done, I want to get working on some pieces for Pokemon, to get back into the swing of quick pieces, and then begin working on another Sapphiria verdict piece, specifically a redesign for Gale. There’s a lot I want to work on, and only so much time to go around. Who knows where my time will end up going!
Will There be Another Tearna Anytime Soon?
No. I don’t mean to sound as if I regret doing it, but I simply do not want to spend the time on another Tearna story. I’m glad I wrote it, and I’m glad it’s out there, but if I’m going to invest time into something like that, I want it to either be Orrea or the Harmonizer story! We’ll see a return to short stories eventually, but it won’t be any time soon!
Twitch and Youtube
In regards to the Youtube situation, that is still frozen. I do not want to spare more time to it now that I’ve managed to separate myself from it, especially with more stories rising on the horizon. For now, my focus remains on twitch, which… may also be in danger at this point. We’ll see how the future plays out, but my desire to work on those two new stories is growing fast, and my available time is definitely not changing anytime soon.
Conclusion
I know it seems like nothing is happening, but I promise that things are happening on a daily basis at this point. There’s a LOT to keep up with, which is the main reason why these blogs keep turning into small things each week. I simply keep forgetting to write them ahead of time! Next week, however, I’m determined to do another big one! We did a character focused piece on Sapphiria last time, and now I want to do one on Atom since he’s just as important. So, keep an eye out for a small, mouthy bird next week, and until then… cheers!
The Flying Fennec