January 2024 - Update #4

 Good progress this week - I've almost finished chapter 8 ("The Dark Path") and am looking forward to chapter 9 (title still to be determined, but possibly "Togidubnos"). I've almost finished the "recycling" stretch and am now into new material, which goes more slowly but can include bits I hadn't thought of before. That can be exciting. 

The weather continues mild (for January) and dry, with some sunny mornings. This pleases my orange cat Ruay, who like to chase squirrels, but not in the snow.

January 2024 - Update #3

 I finished Chapter 6, and have almost finished chapter 7, bar a little polishing. There's been a lot of "recycling" again, as I mentioned last week, because these chapters are mirroring Neirin's "Dark Path" experiences from The Ash Spear. The difference, however, is that this time Gwernin will be one of the three Master Bards who will prepare the mound chamber for Mael and spend part of his "three days in the dark" with him while he journeys in trance through the three realms. What Gwernin himself will encounter there is another story. Stay tuned for chapter 8!

The weather is finally returning to normal - highs in the 30s and 40s, lows in the teens and 20s - a pleasant change from our sub-zero weekend!

January 2024 - Update #2

 I made a good bit of progress on chapter 6 over the weekend, but have since been stalled again. I have almost a chapter's worth of material, much of it "recycled" from passages in Storyteller and The Ash Spear - inevitable when Gwernin is revisiting the same places he's been before, where location descriptions and people need to match up. I still have to work on integrating this reused material better into the current story. Once I get that done, I can move on to the next chapter.

Wintry weather here this week, and worse in store, with four nights close to 0 deg. F. forecast. Brrr! My orange cat Ruay wants to be outside, but can't stay long. This results in him being restless and me distracted.

January 2024 - Update #1

Not as much progress as I would have liked in the last week, partly due to holidays. However, I finished chapter 5 and am a couple of pages into chapter 6 ("The Druids' Island"). To meet my planned publication of Samhain this year, I need to have the first draft finished by Lughnasadh, and to do that,  I need to average a chapter a week, and so far I've managed nothing near that. Hopefully I'll pick up some momentum soon, but it will be done when it's done.  

A cold gray morning today - should be good for writing... But I need coffee first. :)