Hello readers,

This is my first attempt at a web serial and I made the mistake of starting without sufficient preparation. I had the first chapter and a rough idea of where I wanted to go but it quickly became clear that wasn’t enough. This web serial thing isn’t like writing a novel, where I can craft my plot as I go, darting back and forth to add or subtract elements from previous chapters as my plot evolves. This process, it seems, needs much more detailed planning and story boarding. So I’m taking some time off to do just that, and to heavily edit each of the existing chapters, since none of them - not even the first - is really up to my preferred standards. Chapter One only needs some polish, the rest need surgery. And then there is the story boarding. It might take me a few weeks but I will be back, and this story will be even better.

Thank you for your patience!

Ciriolin

April 28, 2022: Update:

I have Chapter One edits ready to upload and Chapter Two completely rewritten, with almost entirely new material. Chapter Three is the same except I’m still working on the ending, ‘cause it’s not cooperating. None of this has been uploaded yet because I’m currently on “vacation” helping my brother and his family on the farm and I left my computer at home. By the time my trip is over in a few weeks, I hope to have several more chapters rewritten and I’ll upload it all in one go. I won’t be adding them as new chapters, though, just replacing what’s already there, so you won’t get any alerts until I’ve moved past the current Chapter Nine. It will be worth the wait though. :)

May 9, 2022:

Well, Chapter Four has been rewritten. I’d hoped to have made more progress by now but I came to my brother’s farm to help with lambing season, and while some days we had no lambs born, other days we might have half a dozen before breakfast. Writing hasn’t exactly been my primary focus.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Good news, though, is that the rewritten chapters are following the same basic plot line but are so far composed of over 90% new material. I’m fleshing out the world and developing much deeper characters. Also, my nieces and nephew have taken it upon themselves to help me create monsters and creatures for my imaginary little world. My brain can come up with a lot of stuff, but the chance to tap into the creativity of children is not something I’m about to turn down. I’ve also promised them that I’ll share their artwork whenever one of “their” creatures debuts in my story. My first fan art! 🥳

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why it is taking sooo long to rewrite short little chapters (2,000 to 2,500 words) it’s partly because the new ones are much longer: the shortest one is just under 3,000 words.

May 19, 2022:

Chapter One edits have been done and the new version of Chapter Two is online. My handwritten version was about 2,700 words but the final edited version is just under 3,600. Yeah!

Anyway, I'll try to get version two of Chapter Three edited and uploaded tomorrow, then the new Chapter Four before the end of the weekend.

May 28, 2022:

I've come to the realization that I'm being rather foolish by not upload my edited work as new chapters. My original plan was solid for what I thought I'd be doing - general edits and touch-ups that wouldn't take more than a week or two for all nine chapters and one interlude - but reality has turned out to be much different. Instead of light editing, I've ended up almost completely rewriting my chapters and including a ton of new material. Not only that, but I'm finding myself doing a lot of pondering about the development of the world, the characters, their motivations, etc. The story has turned out a lot darker than I originally envisioned, at least this first arc, but I suppose that's what I get for starting by introducing a character and immediately killing him off in the first chapter.

Anyway, I've decided that my biggest problem the first time around was that I pushed myself to produce material for frequent updates without giving the proper considerations to the quality of the writing or the progression and development of the story itself. That might work for some stories, but this one is too psychologically heavy for that light-hearted approach. So from now on I'll be posting every chapter as if it were all new material but I won't be forcing myself into a set schedule, other than aiming for about two chapters every month.

Thanks to those of you who stuck with me through all this and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.