update 97.

march 4th-10th.

so, i did something. a reasonably big something that both pushes the chapter forward in development and backwards. forward because (and i know i've said this a lot) i feel like by doing this, i finally am happy with where chapter eleven is heading and think i will run into less bumps in the road this way. but backwards because a lot of what i wrote needs to be scrapped. if you haven't guessed it already, i'm starting chapter eleven over. well, not completely over, but i'm rewriting at least half of what i already have.

i'll spoil what i had in my original draft, but i had an idea to have nalani as some sort of anagram. strange, i know. you don't have to tell me. for some reason, i thought it was too easy that i revealed the name at the end of the last chapter and needed to complicate it. you could say that backfired. badly. i complicated it so much that nothing made sense anymore. i mean, an anagram? really? where was i even coming up with that idea? i must have been as stressed as the hunter to come up with such a theory. 

my new draft simply has the hunter trying to figure out who nalani is. that's the biggest part i'm rewriting—the rest is pretty much the same. i'm keeping the structure of the original chapter, that is, having a Blane and K & Rylan scene at the opening, with a chance to see A and N in the latter half. because a lot of the first conversation with Blane revolved around the possibility of an anagram (this sounds more ridiculous the more times i type it), however, it's been a lot of work reworking what parts i need to cut and what i can keep. 

as hard as the decision was, i'm glad i made it though. everything flows much smoother this way. for the first time in a long time, i truly think i have a grasp on what's happening. i know i've said that before, but i truly mean it now. things are moving much quicker than before and i'm really excited to finally, finally, get things going. that said, i won't be providing a word count for the next couple of updates as i get this sorted, since it's kind of all over the place. once i figure things out, i'll add it back in my weekly updates.

in terms of other news, i've put the anniversary special on a backburner. my main priority is chapter eleven right now; i feel like i've made people wait long enough for it. i still see it coming out sometime in the future, but just maybe after the new chapter. it's still very much a project i want to put out into the world, it's only a matter of not having enough time right now. 

as always, i hope everyone is doing well. sorry if this update is discouraging in a way, but i promise you, cutting the first draft is good news. thank you for trusting me <3

sneak peek.

I have a good idea of who's texting me, but rather than checking, when I reach for my phone, I merely flip it over. I don't want to deal with them. I don't want to deal with anything at fuck o'clock in the morning.