I have written a book. That just feels so good to say. :)

I'm glad to finally have the epilogue published.  It was actually the first chapter I wrote almost two years ago, during the NaNoWriMo challenge in 2018, which started my attempts at being a writer.  Of course, I had to completely rewrite it, and every thing else I wrote, since my first version was... fairly novice, to say the least. 

Now where do we go from here?

Book Two Status:

I have already been working hard prepping book two. I have partially revised my outline, fleshed out my game system, and have already written the first chapter.

That being said, I would like to be at least a few chapters ahead before I start posting. So there will be a short break (maybe a couple months) before book two officially begins. Unlike my previous hiatus, where I did zero writing due to time constraints, this break will be filled with writing.

One thing I regret about book one was the rushed nature of a few of the chapters. Towards the latter half of book one, I fell behind on writing, even finishing the chapters the very morning I was posting them. That was stressful, and counterproductive to my writing process. Considering I am writing for fun as my hobby, stressing myself out doesn’t align with my intended goals.

Instead, for book two I will try to keep at least two chapters ahead of my posting schedule. There are a lot of advantages to this, particularly in that I can go back and edit my previous chapter much easier since it won’t be publically posted yet. Also, I may be much looser on my chapter target dates, allowing myself a reasonable amount of time to work instead of rushing to the finish.

Stolen novel; please report.

Book One Edit:

As I mentioned in my previous update, I am currently also doing an editing pass on all the currently posted chapters. So far, I have edited and updated the first seven chapters. This editing is mostly focused on improving the prose, tweaking the dialogue to feel more natural, and removing repetitive sentences.  I am also making a few minor tweaks to cheesy scenes here and there.

There are a few reasons why I have decided to do an editing pass, even though it is not the common practice of some of the most prolific web serial writers.

Firstly, I want to change Iliya’s name to Iliana. I have had many readers express that Lilly and Iliya’s names were too similar, and they couldn’t tell these characters apart, which is a shame given they are nothing alike. Additionally, a few of my Bulgarian readers have mentioned that Iliya, is in fact, a masculine name. While there is nothing wrong with this, it was unintentional on my part, and I would rather she had a traditional feminine name, such as Iliana.

Secondly, I need a refresher on the material. It’s been 8 months since I posted my first chapters, and I have forgotten some of the small details, foreshadowing, etc. I honestly need to go over my story again to ensure I maintain continuity. I will also be fact checking my stats, ensuring my numbers are all straight.

And lastly, and most importantly, I enjoy it. Going back and editing a chapter in between sessions of writing helps keep me fresh.

Thank you so much everyone who read, commented, and supported my story. I really appreciate it, and I am excited to reveal more of the arena world to you.