Hiya,

As of writing this, there're like 620~ of you following, and even more reading Brighter Skies. Those of you who are up to date will have likely noticed that the rate of chapters being posted has dropped dramatically recently, and that in the past few weeks I haven't posted much at all. This update isn't a chapter either, unfortunately, though I want to make it clear that I am not giving up on the story. This is not me notifying you all about a random hiatus or saying that I've gotten bored with the story and am dropping it.

Rather, I seem to have run into some really significant writer's block. I've sat down to write chapter 40 multiple times over the past few weeks, and have scrapped and cannibalized the results of those writing sessions what feels like a dozen times. Probably closer to half that number, but that's not really the point. The point is that Brighter Skies is hitting a turning point. And while I know what comes next for Talia and the crew, there're a lot of moving pieces and lore that have made writing the continuation of the story challenging.

To name a few:

-I've got a slight 'overhaul' of the magic system that I'm still working through the mechanics of, for starters.

-The motivations of a very old, very eccentric Ancient to figure out.

-A training arc to start and finish in a satisfying manner.

-The beginnings of a few plot threads that will lead to politics and other things that make the world of Sach'elcor and Karzgorad feel truly alive, as opposed to a 2D cutout.

-And much more besides.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

The truth is that a lot of this stuff could and would have been avoided by a good outline and a little bit of forward planning. Unfortunately, my brain doesn't really work that way, and I feel like the quality of my writing has suffered because of it. The stress of meeting deadlines I have set for you and for myself has really weighed on me, and at times, opening my author dashboard has been quite nerve-wracking. As such, I've decided to take some good advice and go easy on myself, to really put the most I can into writing the best story I can.

I'll be removing the posting dates from the story description, and releasing chapters when I feel they are ready, instead of rushing, failing, and then feeling bad when I miss yet another deadline. I expect this to continue until at least the end of July, maybe longer. Once summer ends, I'll ironically be more free to write, as I will only have classes to worry about, so I expect that I'll reinstitute consistent posts then.

Even just writing this has felt weird. Like, writing 'update' posts is for stories with thousands upon of followers, right? For authors who monetize their work and stuff. But I am incredibly grateful for all the support you guys have given me on my first foray into writing a novel, and feel like for that, you at least deserve to not wonder if I've dropped off the face of the earth.

While you wait, enjoy the thousands of other awesome stories on RR. I've recently been reading 12 Miles Below, a futuristic post-post-apocalypse (no, not a typo) with a very interesting magic system, as well as The Hollowing: A Post-Apocalypse Adventure. Both are really good, though the first book of 12 Miles Below just released on amazon, I think. The Hollowing, in my opinion, deserves a lot more love than it's gotten once you get past the first few chapters.

If those aren't interesting to you, Will Wight just dropped the last book of the Cradle series not long ago, so if you haven't read that, go read it. Hell read the whole series, I can't fathom how anyone that likes fantasy/cultivation stuff might have missed it. If not, Black Prism by Brent Weeks is also one of my all time favourites. There're more, but like many of you, I imagine, I'd probably be here all week listing out good stuff to read, so I'll leave it at that.

As always, thanks for your understanding, your support, and your suggestions. So far it's been a dream come true, and I hope to continue writing Brighter Skies (and maybe other stories!) far into the future.

Cya when I cya,

Synod