Yikes, it’s been a while since I did one of these. I did promise irregularity, but 13 months … woof.
Okay. Well, here’s where we are.
Employed Again
I guess the big news is that I have a job again right now. It’s a multi-month contract position that’s work-from-home, so I’ve got money coming in. (And not a second too soon, since my website hosting dues are coming up.) While this means I’ve got less time available, I’ve actually been writing more consistently. Financial instability was hell for my stress; maintaining the blog and prepping for my D&D game was about all I was good for.
Hopefully it remains that way. My position potentially includes some mandatory overtime. I’m not at all fond of that idea, but we’ll have to wait and see what specifically might be expected of me. Everything should work out as long as it isn’t too disruptive.
So, what’s the news on Red Watch 3?
Well, first up, I hit my outline again and streamlined it some more. I cut another ancillary plotline from the book, but unlike last time, this one had involved some characters of Red Watch that I can use elsewhere now. I’m not upset about the loss here, either. It was a subplot that kept two people in Souhal, and removing it has also helped several other characters find space to behave more as I’d imagine them to.
There was also several additional Point-of-View characters I’ve cut from the remaining plotlines. These were mostly from brand new characters that had little-to-nothing to do with Red Watch as a group. I had specific roles in mind for them when I’d created them, but they were bloating the story. Sometimes less is more and now I can condense these ideas down into the familiar characters we’d want to see more of anyway.
What’s all that mean for the book?
It’s still early days on my productivity here, but I’m feeling really good about it all right now. I’m sorry this one has been taking me so long, but the good news is that I can truly see and feel the ways I’ve improved as a writer since that first go at Red Watch 3.
The goal at present is for this draft to be done no later than the end of the year, with the release of the book no later than next summer. The earlier I finish the draft, the sooner it will release. If I can start editing and obtaining beta reader feedback by fall, we’ll shoot for a release in spring.
Oh! One other thing! Since my father paid for me to have a year of Inkarnate’s pro subscription, I set some time aside and remade my map of Amera!
I’ll be adding this to the Red Watch page here on the website and my social media soon – but until then, you blog readers get the exclusive hook-up.
As always, thank you for reading! Here’s to many more adventures to come.
Ben Stovall Blog 
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