I hate to be doing this (again), but after a recent review, I've been forced to admit that the story isn't progressing the way I want it to. I think the territory was a step in the right direction, but the way I did it forced the focus away from the Four and onto how the territory was affecting all the different realities, and that isn't what I want the story to be about. I want it to be about the Four and their path to power, not about Multiversal politics, but I can't find a way to rationally avoid the politics with the way I did the territory. It also kept the inherent issue of splitting the focus of the story between multiple realities, which I was hoping to fix as the territory grew, but politics kept getting in the way.

Unfortunately, I think this has also revealed another issue, a more personal one. I hate to say it, but I don't think I'm cut out for this serial upload style of writing, or at least I'm not capable of keeping it up when dealing with a story this complicated. I knew I was struggling to make the territory idea work, but because I was so focused on getting the next chapter out, I ignored it and just kept pushing myself deeper and deeper into the hole, trying to make the best of a poor decision. Additionally, I've gotten kind of burnt out on this story, which only adds to the struggle. But before you panic, let me make it clear, I AM NOT DONE WRITING THIS STORY.

Path to the Apocalypse will continue, but there will be two main changes going forward. First, I'm going to break away from regular uploads and only upload chapters when I've completed a book, more like a traditional author. So, there will be longer gaps between uploads, but when they do come, it will be in a similar rapid release style as when I uploaded the first four books. This will keep my focus more on getting the story right, instead of on making sure I always have a chapter ready to go. The second change is that I'm not going to make Path to the Apocalypse my only focus anymore. I'm going to spend some time working on some other less… ambitious projects, for a couple reasons. One, it gives my brain time to refresh so I can come back to Path full of energy and new ideas, and two… well, the fact is Path has somewhat of a niche draw, and as much as I love it, it hasn't exactly drawn the amount of attention I need it to if I want to keep doing this like I have. I've been blessed with a family that is willing to support me while I try to make my dreams of becoming a (profitable) author a reality, but that will only last so long and eventually I need something to show for it. Sinking all my time into a project that isn't making the impact I'd like it to just isn't realistic at this point. Not only will these new projects have a better chance to be profitable since they'll have a more mainstream draw, but they might even draw more attention to Path, helping me keep it going. Of course, these new projects won't be a complete departure from Path. We are dealing with a Multiverse here and there are solid odds that the systems and possibly even characters from these projects will end up interacting with the Four at some point.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Still, as much as I have my reasons, I know this is going to be disappointing for a lot of you, especially those of you who followed me from SLH, which is most of you, since despite Path's growth my unique follower count has barely wiggled, so honestly, thank you for your dedication and support. I hope you'll stick with me through all this, but I understand if you're losing faith in me. Just know that I truly am trying to deliver you the best story I possibly can. I don't think I'm capable of doing anything less.

For those of you who are subscribed to my Patreon (or want to subscribe to my Patreon) I will still be doing semi-regular uploads there, uploading four chapter chunks whenever I finish them, though they may come down sometimes since rewriting is apparently something I need to do every now and then. I'm also going to be taking a poll for which side project I should work on once I've finished writing the first chapter of each so you can get a feel for the story. It should go up sometime in the next week or so, and I'll make both the poll and chapters public so that those who don't want to subscribe can chime in as well.

Again, thank you for all your support and I hope you'll join me as I continue my journey as an author.