August 2024 Update
So... it's been a minute, huh? Almost a year now since I posted my update chapter. How have y'all been?
A lot has changed since September of last year - some of it good, some of it bad. And so I figured I owed you guys a new update, so that you can feel included in this little adventure of mine. So let's start with the good news first.
To begin with, the book is around 90% finished now, which is an achievement I am immensely proud of. At the time of this update (August 2024), the book numbers a grand total of ~142,000 words, which means that over the past 11 months, I have written roughly 120,000 words total. That's an incredible uptick in productivity for me, as I used to average about 50,000-60,000 words a year back when I was actively writing The Crimson Sorcerer.
Second, I feel confident in saying that my writing has improved by leaps and bounds in the past year alone. If you do not believe me, then please feel free to check out the snippet I have included at the bottom of this update. It's taken directly from the book, and should serve as adequate proof of my statement (as well as a little teaser for those interested)
Which brings us nicely along to the bad news, I suppose - my "deal" with the publication house fell through after some careful consideration on my part. Suffice it to say that, as time went on, I gradually came to realize that the goals of the publication house did not match up with my own, and thus, I chose to terminate our "agreement" by refusing to submit a partial of my manuscript. And I reckon that's about as much as I'm going to say on that matter, as I am not here to slander anyone or speak ill of the publisher.
(As a somewhat related side note for anyone looking to one day have their own novels traditionally published - don't do what I did, by going directly to the publishers. Chances are, you won't get very far, and even if they do decide to offer you a contract, it'll likely be a pretty terrible one that undervalues your work and falls far below the industry standard. You'll be much better off seeking literary representation by querying agents and editors. They work for free, and won't charge you anything until they manage to sell your book to a publisher. At which point, they'll take a small commission out of the agreed-upon contract, which gives them further incentive to push for better contracts, because the more they manage to sell your book for, the more they get paid.)
Despite this setback, I remain optimistic about the future. Over the past year, I have spoken with both publishers and agents alike, learned a lot about the industry at large, and connected with some awesome people. I've been able to write and almost finish a book I've had simmering in the back of my mind since 2019, and flesh out an intricate world and setting that I hope will support many more books to come. And I've been able to receive loads of valuable feedback on my work, curtesy of my awesome beta readers.
It's been a year of learning, and a year of hard work. Now, I'm settling in for another one, with my eyes fixed firmly on the horizon. As I said before, the book is almost finished now, which means that I can soon start shopping it around in earnest. It's by far my best work, and even though I'll likely have to rewrite portions of it later, I'm extremely proud of what I have created.
As for when I'll get back to writing The Crimson Sorcerer... That's a difficult question to answer. Looking at it now, it feels vastly inferior in both prose and storytelling to my original work, and so if I were to continue writing it, I would likely have to do substantial rewrites to the earlier chapters first. Such an undertaking would naturally take up quite a bit of time, considering the fact that the story is, what... a little over 200k words long? So we'll have to see. It might turn into something of a side project for me, something to work on after I've finished the last segment of my book.
... Damn, this update turned out longer than intended. My apologies. It's been a while since we've seen each other, and so I suppose I got a bit carried away. In any case, if you made it all the way to the end, I'd like to thank you for your time and attention. Know that I do not take even the slightest bit of it for granted - in the digital era, attention is a most precious commodity, after all.
I'll be back in the future when there's more to share. Oh, and keep an eye on the story if you're at all interested in the rewrites I mentioned earlier. Chances are, I'll be updating the older chapters one by one as I finish working on them. And I think that's about it. Again, thank you for your time, and your support. It truly means the world to me.
Now, for the snippet I promised earlier... :)
Snippet taken from Chapter 23: Aqua Vitae
The sensation of non-existence was one wholly indescribable to those who had not lived to experience it for themselves. Reduced to cosmic dust, Cliff felt his now shattered form exist in multiple places at once - every fragment an equal part of the whole, set adrift in the void that lingered twixt' reality and the infinite.
He could not see, for he had no eyes. He could not speak, for he had no mouth. Yet, he felt every ripple of the cosmos upon him like splashes of water, as he was flung far and wide across the stars.
It was freedom on a scale he had never known. Ataraxia that was impossible to achieve when bound to a physical form.
At last, the pieces of his being converged upon a singular point. Soon, he felt the touch of firm ground beneath his feet, and a pressing light upon his eyelids. A soft breeze ruffling his hair, caressing his skin.
He opened his eyes to the world, and saw manifest reality once more.
"... Wow," he said, feeling a shudder course through his body. "That was…"
"Yes, it is quite something, is it not?" Nathaniel said, standing a few feet to his right. "I can assure you, one does not get used to it."
They were standing in a forest glade, lone rays of sunlight penetrating through the thick carpet of leaves above. Fat, uncut straws of grass bent and swayed in roiling dunes, springing forth from the forest at the edges of the clearing. A tranquil pond sat square in the middle with a sizable boulder at its rim, barely touching the water. A collection of personal effects lay splayed out upon its surface - a wool scarf, a traveling sack, and a handbasket filled with various trinkets and a half-eaten sandwich.
But the most striking thing of all was the woman playing gleefully in the pond, dancing about with water up to her knees. She wore a brilliant, almost childlike smile upon her rosy lips, her golden hair flapping about with every wild twist of her body. It appeared as if she was attempting to glide upon the pond's surface, her pale feet trailing circles in the water.
A wreath of flowers sat atop her head, painted in the myriad colors of the rainbow. Her blue summer dress had streaks of green on it, from where it had been brushed against the grass. On the whole, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, but her demeanor was more akin to that of a young child.
Cliff soon found that he was unable to take his eyes off her. He could sense a touch of the divine in her, a faint lingering of the celestial. It was spellbinding, in more ways than one.
"Who is that?" he asked, still with his gaze locked firmly on her.
"You will soon find out, I reckon," Nathaniel said, tapping his chin. "She adores meeting new people."
As if on cue, the blonde-haired woman twirled about in the pond, water splashing in a great spray around her. Her eyes met with Cliff's, and for a moment, the two remained in a deadlock, staring at each other without speaking.
Then, she suddenly bounded forwards with a smile, arms thrown wide to either side.
"Nathaniel! You've brought me a new playmate!" she said, her voice a melodious singsong.
"Not quite, my dear," Nathaniel said, returning her smile. "This is an old friend of mine. His name is Cliff Fargo. You might have heard of him."
"Oohh~" she hummed, coming to a halt right in front of him, with nary a foot to spare between them. She was shorter than him by some measure, the top of her head reaching up to his collarbone. "The Azure Devil himself… He looks less scary than I thought he would."
Cliff blinked twice, and moved to speak. Before he was given the chance, however, the young woman had suddenly raised herself up onto the tips of her toes, and pushed her lips against his.
"?!"
Locked in an unexpected kiss, Cliff found himself utterly paralyzed by indecision. How was he supposed to react in this situation? How was anyone? His brain struggled to keep pace with the lived reality. As such, he was rendered a frozen husk of a man, standing with a rigid pose as the unknown woman kissed him.
Thankfully, the whole affair was over with in the span of four heartbeats, and the stranger soon separated from him once more, running the tip of her tongue across her lips.
"Hmm," she said. "You taste like blood. And daemons. And regret."
"... W-What?" Cliff said, eyes wide.
"Don't worry - it's not a bad taste," she continued. "It's just different, that's all."
"Ophelia, we have talked about this," Nathaniel sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. "It is not proper to kiss strangers you have only just met."
"But he looked like he would taste so exquisite!" the woman squealed. "And I was right! He did!"
"Yes, but that is neither here nor there. We do not kiss strangers. That is the rule."
"Hmph…" she pouted. "Fine. You spoilsport."