FozzieBare: Blog

It took longer than I wanted to get Chapter 24 out. I found a certain part VERY hard to write, so I found a stopping point, and called it Chapter 24, because I said Labor Day and dammit, I'm not going to make you wait past it, or give you guys a chapter that I consider substandard.

Breaking Blades get two chapters later this morning, because quite frankly, I don't want to forget to post something if I overcelebrate too much at a Labor Day cookout.

Story Priorites for the days after Labor Day.

Free Trader Mary's Dream: Chapter 25 will be up this week. I will not be more specific than that, because I will post it when I'm happy with it. You guys have been waiting a long time for that.

World of WarMachines: Continuing posting Breaking Blades 1x/chapter a day (12 chapters+epilogue) till finished. Arc 4 is NOT being written QUITE yet. I want to finish FTMD 25 before I start Arc 4, because I don't want to bounce between stories back and forth. As with the first three arcs, I will not start positing it until it's done, 1 or 2 chapters a day tops.

Rogue's Rules: In the queue with Arc 4 of WoWM

And the rest: (here on Gilligan's Isle) no change in status. I will update when I can. They either wait for other stories to complete first (Wastrel) or for a spot in the queue.

May the greatest labor you have this holiday weekend (in the US) be flipping steaks on the Grill

FozzieBare (who wants his medium rare with A1 sauce)

And I'm terrified.

And thrilled.

So much writing to be done.

Would you believe I've planned out the narrative spine for the World of WarMachines series. We're at the end of Arc 2. The true end is when "People stop enjoying it", but I laid out the plot for five more arcs after the three I've either finished, or about to finish. Then a ninth arc to wrap up the story, an epilogue arc if you will.

Free Trader Mary's Dream is just entering the final third.

Rogue's Rules has a sequel planned out and plotted out, but not written.

Wastrel's Dream will start up again when Mary's Dream story ends

One-on-One's patiently waiting to return, and I owe it to them.

And I have a new story to write. It's not much yet, one chapter, but I wrote out the plot. If anyone wants to read the one chapter and tell me whether they think I should continue it or put it at a time when the other projects are finished, let me know.

Do you know how absolutely TERRIFYING/THRILLING it is to have so many projects, lovely projects, wonderful projects that need writing?

Especially when this time a few months ago, I considered dropping my subscription here because it hurt to read all those "Great stories, just could you finish ONE?" comments.

It's like riding the crest of one of those super-waves you see in surfing videos. You're thinking "God, this is awesome, I want it to last forever." and simultaneously. "Oh god, I'm going to wipe out at any moment and the wave's going to pull me under."

It's the curse of having an active imagination.

We're in the last third of Thunder Reforged. Arc 3 will start going up almost immediately after Thunder Reforged's completion. I'm 90% through writing it. I can't spoil the title just yet. It will involve some folks you meet at the end of Arc 2.

Depending on the Page count, I may do a ZBookapy store version of Arcs 1-3 or Arcs 1-4. Let me know if this is a thing you'd want.

I said Labor Day for FTMD Chapter 24, and it's looking like it'll be middle-late this upcoming week instead.

Rogue's Rules is getting a rewrite on a couple upcoming chapters.. I want to make sure that they come out well.

Hope the End of Summer is going well for y'all

Foz

Time for the weekly status update:

Book 2 of World of WarMachines is just about complete. 9 of 12 scheduled chapters are complete, and with some pre-readers. Once the last three chapters are written, and I get some feedback, they'll start to be posted, same as Book 1, roughly a chapter a day. Expect that to start middle of next week by the latest I think

The next chapter of FTMD is coming along slowly, because as I said previously, this is a payoff chapter and it has to be right. No ETA on it, but it should be up by about Labor Day

Rogue's Rules is puttering along, and is taking up odd moments of time. We're starting to get in the end game now.

And trying to fit in all the other stories I have, and the ideas I've come up with. I'm already writing 2-3 hours a night. Usually late at night, when my dog is sleeping and not begging for attention, treats, or to go out to do their business every three and a half minutes.

So stay tuned, true believers, and we'll get through the backlog and onto new stuff.

Oh, who am I kidding, there's always going to be a backlog. Mostly because I keep adding items to it. But that's the good thing about this writing spree I'm on. I want to ride it as long as possible.

The last couple days have seen a pair of updates go up, one for Rogue's Rules, one for Free Trader Mary's Dream.

Book 1 of World of WarMachines is completely posted. Book 2 has three chapters complete so far. Depending on how my writing goes, I'll start posting it before I hit the end of Book 2, because right now I'm confident that I know how this goes at this point.

Just a fair warning. It might be a few days to a few weeks for FTMD Chapter 24.

Why?

It's a very important chapter. It will be the first time our main trio are together. I mean that physically, emotionally, and quite possibly intimately. They need to celebrate each other's light

And this is a chapter I absolutely, positively HAVE to get right.

It's absolutely key to the story. It's not a "reward with intimacy" chapter. It's completing the circle they already have.

And that brings me to the other purpose of the post.

As I mentioned elsewhere, across the 21 years I've done my best to write the story, it's hit almost 100,000 downloads. That's.. there are no words for that.

Except two.

Thank you.

I wanted to try to hire an artist to do this, but the ones I looked at wanted a good amount of money and time. I don't blame them, that is how they make their living.

But I wanted to give you guys and gals something as a thank you.

So I came up with this. It's a graphic from a prompt I made. It's the first physical meeting of Alex, Mary, and Melissa together.

The circle is complete.

Alex's strength. Mary's spirit and hope. Melissa's the glue among them three.

https://imgur.com/a/TG3o0MG

I will look for ways to get this made into art.. but I hope you guys accept it in the spirit offered.