Writer’s Diary: December 2024 Update

December. The time of snow, early sunsets, and holiday cheer. For other people, at least. I live in Florida; all I get are the sunsets.

It’s been a hot minute since the last update. Calling the last month of my life ‘hectic’ would be an understatement. I have been short personal time for blogging and writing, much to my chagrin. But I’m here to give an update, not excuses, so let’s get into it.

Blog articles are still going to be rare in the coming months. Mostly because I’ve put 100% of my creative focus into ‘Father of Monsters‘. With that being said, I am planning to review the fifth Stormlight Archive book, ‘Wind and Truth‘, as soon as I have finished it. Beyond that, I have a few ideas that may yet become articles. Like a wizard, expect those when you see them.

As for ‘Father of Monsters‘, progress continues to be slow and steady. Here are the current numbers:

• Total words: 126,989
• Pages revised & edited: 213 of 257
• Chapters complete: 41, work beginning on 42
• Parts complete: 3/5

The cleanup process has been completed. Everything I’m keeping from the rough draft into the first edit remains while all the fat has been cut away. Now I just need to fill in the remaining gaps with newer, better material.

After heavy re-writes, part 4 is nearly finished; I only need to complete chapters 42-44 before I can move on. Part 5 will be a much easier beast to tackle, as it will have fewer but thicker chapters, and the ending will be more or less the same as the rough draft. I aim to have it wrap up by chapter 50, though it may go over or under depending on how things play out. Once that’s all done, I’ll wind back to the beginning and revise the prologue. After all, writing a strong beginning is much easier if you already have a strong ending.

If I keep up this current pace, I ought to have the drafting done by late January – early February next year. But I aim to increase the pace, so hopefully I’ll have it done and in the hands of beta readers sooner. I’ll let y’all know how that pans out in the January update.

That’s just about all I have for this month. As always, thank you all very much for reading, and have a lovely rest of your day.