Thank you so much for reading this far in my story! We've hit the 38% mark of book 1 and Skye is finally about to start learning how to channel! If you've got any comments about the story (good or bad) please share them below. I can only improve with your feedback.
I discuss some heavy themes in this part: trauma, nihilism, faith, purpose, depression. I tried to give a realistic and balanced approach to Skye's questions by exposing him to ideas from different viewpoints without neglecting or favoring any belief. Do you think I handled that well? Were those sections enjoyable?
I had multiple iterations for the hermit in the woods. One time he was a hopeless drunkard, another he was a hotheaded red-headed short man with temper issues. Finally, I saw a creature concept art online for an arboreal tortoise, and eureka hit me! That's when the deliberate and kind old hermit manifested onto the page. Originally, I wanted Ku to be a sloth-tortoise, but I also wanted him to be imposing, so I decided to make him a megatherium (ancient giant sloth), but it was a mouthful, and so, he's now a bear-tortoise humanoid!
Even greater changes were applied to the birds. First, they weren't birds at all, but animalkin like the master. But those characters didn't fit the story, so the current cast was born. Did you enjoy them? Do you have a favorite?
About the caravan sequence, it was not included in the first draft! Originally, Skye leaves Troqua on his own, wanders in the forest for a while, runs into some elexii, then reaches the master's treehouse.
it was boring.
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And it didn't make sense! Skye spent most of part one doing everything he could to solve his problem. Sneaking onto the wardens' caravan was the logical step he should take. I had no plan when he got there, then his panic attack happened on its own! I like the scenes, but because Skye wasn't a channeler in them, he was a bit passive for my taste, so I tried to get him involved with his surroundings as much as possible.
Finally, Skye was revealed to be a prism—a channeler with the ability to use 'most' magic. But... he has to train first. Which element do you think he'll start with? Which would you choose?
Oh, I have two pieces of good news! First, during part three, I plan on releasing multiple Magic Addendums which'll explain the magic system. I know not everyone enjoys such info, but I'm a sucker for them if the system is interesting enough. Look forward to them!
Second, I'm 50% finished with the second draft of book two! Every author knows that first drafts are terrible, but mine are ten times so. I don't write full sentences most of the time, gloss over description, use bad dialogue/action tags, and don't even name most of my characters! I just power through to the end to get the story on the page and leave the real writing to future me.
Hi, I'm future me, and I'm struggling!
But I'm also loving it! With the whole novel written, I could see and plug plot holes, fix inconsistent pacing, enhance character arcs, and add/remove scenes as needed. The novel is shaping up to be amazing with lots of action, twists, and interesting characters. Usually, I write four drafts before I send to beta readers, then I edit using their feedback and post here.
I want to hype part three, but I don't want to spoil anything. I'll only say that I'm keeping my promise to ramp up the action as the story progresses, so buckle up, cause it'll be one hell of a ride!
That's all I have for now! Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming chapters of The Forgotten Hopes, the first book in my StarMoire series.
