June was a good month for writing, as I managed to add another 30,440 words. So, since early January of this year I’ve written 202,000 words and completed 150 sections. It puts me at just over 80% of the way there and, more importantly, I’m now working on the last of the four major plot arcs or ‘threads’ as I’ve been calling them.

I’m more of a plotter than a pantser in how I write. I like an idea of where the plot’s going, a roadmap if you will, but am fine if the characters hijack it and send the plot off on a tangent. It always comes back, of course! So, for Descent, I have around 180 sections to write which will merge together into chapters once the final draft is completed.

Thankfully there were no major changes in character profiles or plot line this month, like there have occasionally been. It’s more common than I thought, having characters hijack plots which, if you give it some thought, is a very strange thing. Non-existent figments of the imagination changing how they’re written? Of course, it’s the author’s mind making changes as they go, but it doesn’t sound quite as whimsical.

This month has also highlighted what I’ve had to let go of to progress the current novel. Every author makes choices, as does everyone who does anything of course (Economics 101 – Opportunity Cost people), but I do believe we lose sight of it when we’re deep in the middle of it all. For me it’s lack of social media time, an inability to finally get the darned gate on the house properly fixed (although it’s getting closer), putting a screen adaptation of Sha’Kert on the back shelf, and having to let go of my author website about 18 months ago. Well, at least the gate I can solve (next week, mind you), and the author website I’ve actually done something about. Resurrecting my author website wasn’t possible, as the content had gone and the domain was kaputnik. So, a new domain, a better plan, a cleaner look (I hope). It has become a little more important to me to have a place out there to put my books and thoughts other than Twitter and Goodreads, and to give me a little space for some other things if I feel the need. As the new novel also seems to be coming along well, there needs to be a proper space for updates, a bit of info, and a little teaser or two. So, the new site’s at http://www.ishmaeltheauthor.com and you’re already here! As I put more effort into it, I’ll be adding in excerpts from the new novel.

I think I’m still on track to complete the first draft by August/September 2022. After that it can take around six months to polish and revise, then begins the queries and approaches to publishers. My goal is to have Descent published by Temple Dark Books, but there’s no such thing as a sure thing in this world. However I am optimistic that I’ll have an announcement on publication towards the end of the first half of 2023.