Man I love you guys.

Now, you may have noticed that I removed the expected month of release from the episodes page, replacing them with the expected ‘season’ of release. The reason I made the change was because your comments made me realize that my desire to get the books out on time was causing me a lot of stress. Even worse, it was keeping me from rewriting things when I got better ideas simply because I didn’t want to miss a deadline. That’s not healthy for me, and it’s not good for the story. Furthermore, since the story has gotten bigger and more complex, there are so many more variables to track and deal with. This increase in variables makes it not only more complex to plot, but it gives me so much more to play with. The possibilities are friggin’ endless, and I want to explore them.

I’m still going to shoot for 3-4 months between episodes, however, from now on, they will be done when they are done. Part one needs to end in such a way that it blows everyone’s minds, including my own. I’m not going to pull that off by rushing to meet a deadline. So, the best I can promise is that part 1 WILL conclude this year.

Now, when I start part two, I’m going to write the first three episodes BEFORE I release the first one, so that I have a buffer built in. This will also allow me to get the audio version ready so that all formats can be released simultaneously. Doing this requires that I take a year break from releasing new episodes of the main saga. However, I will be releasing a book in the interim, set in a different time period. (A sort of ‘prequel’, if you will.) In addition, the netcasts (short stories that will investigate how the bio-digital plague ravaged the Earth and her core worlds) will continue to be released once per month during the break, ending when the first episode of part two begins.

Moving on.

Luckily, it is getting a bit easier to write. I have been carefully following a 30 min writing/15 min break. (I tried the dictation route, and it just didn’t work for me. I may try it again later.) During breaks I get up and move around. I bought a bike as well, and every other break I take it for a couple of laps around our neighborhood. I also alternate from my desk chair to my recliner (with a big ass monitor on the wall). All this helps keep my back from getting sore. I’ve also started using a recording of the background noise of the universe. (It’s what they used for the constant humming of the engines on Star Trek TNG.) This helps block out noise and keeps me “in the scene” as I write.

More importantly though, I’ve started playing the guitar again and using one of those hand/finger strength exercise devices. This seems to help reduce the finger/wrist pain. (That and a wrist brace at night.) I’ve also found that I can think about the story while I’m running scales on the guitar. (I’m a bit rusty and need the practice before I start jamming with my brother again.)

Anyway, thanks for all your support. I will try to post updates about what’s going on in the future.

Thanks,

ryks-sig

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