BlackDahliaStudios

Member
Game Developer
Nov 18, 2020
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516
Patreon post:

In November, I took a step back from The Archmage and focused on my writing. Specifically, I made a first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Though I didn’t write a novel in a month, I did finish the first draft of a novella I had been wanting to write for a long time. (Maybe it’s good?) I also worked on some other writing projects, mostly short stories for writing competitions. (I tried my hand at fan fiction for the first time.) In total, I wrote 35k words in November while setting aside time to attend the Dragonsteel convention! For those interested in my writing, I plan to publish my stories on AO3. In keeping with the spirit of my previous projects, all of my work will be publicly available. Here is my profile: . Please leave comments on the stories with your thoughts, if you feel so inclined. I welcome the criticism.

In December, I’m hoping to push another bugfix patch for The Archmage. However, I’m going to wait until January to resume writing for it. I feel that I need another month to continue working on my other writing projects and develop my writing skill. The main lesson that I’ve learned fumbling my way through work on The Archmage thus far is that my workflow was backwards from the beginning. I started with the code and an outline, then tacked on a script after the fact, but I should have instead started with a fully written manuscript and then coded the game to adapt the story. Therefore, moving forward, I will be prioritizing the completion of the game’s manuscript over the implementation of game mechanics or features. Those will come later. Fortunately, the core game mechanics already exist, even if they don’t work perfectly yet, so most of the script should slot in nicely as it's written. My plan for 2024 is to write 20k words per month from January through June. I expect the total word count for the project to be at least 200k by June, at which point, I ought to have a better handle on the manuscript. Maybe I’ll also adapt some of my other finished manuscripts into text adventures at some point?

I will not be charging Patrons for November or December as they presumably subscribed for updates to The Archmage. However, if readers are enjoying my other work and still want to contribute, maybe I’ll set up one of those tip jar things in the future.

Oh, and I did some modest reading. I completed Mistborn: Secret History (!) and Sixth of the Dusk (Sanderson). I re-read Metamorphosis (Kafka) and I’m currently working my way through A Game of Thrones (Martin). I’m hoping to knock out Dawnshard before diving into Rhythm of War over the holiday.

See you in 2024.

-Black Dahlia
 

noobzxD

New Member
May 21, 2023
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I think i have missed some prelude story here. After i opened the box and went to sleep and wake up. I found myself inside the school cabin. Is this supposed to happen?
 
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BlackDahliaStudios

Member
Game Developer
Nov 18, 2020
329
516
Weekly Update (1/7/24): I wrote 6,352 words this week (putting the total word count at 95,000), all of it set in the Monastery temple. I'll likely move onto another area next week. No coding work. My writing pace is looking good so far. I expect I'll hit 20k before the end of the month and spend those remaining days working on bug fixes. See you next week. Cheers!
 
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BlackDahliaStudios

Member
Game Developer
Nov 18, 2020
329
516
Weekly Update (1/14/24): I wrote 4,777 words this week, putting me at 11,129 words for the month so far, which means I'm on pace to hit 20k by the end of the month. It was a bit of a rough week with lots of distractions, but I still managed to get my writing time in. I worked on the temple and the farm this week. Total Word Count: 99,294.

I'm steadily working my way through Rhythm of War (almost finished with Part 2) and I also read Ryan Cahill's The Fall (the ebook is free if you sign up for his newsletter). I had a good time with Cahill, so I ordered paperbacks for all three novels he has published in his Bound and the Broken series. So far, it seems like a faster-paced, adult version of Paolini's Inheritance cycle (I also got some Stormlight vibes).

I can't stop thinking about Robert Jordan for some reason. Maybe I miss his prose? I recently did my best to complete my Jordan collection. I already owned Wheel of Time, so I purchased collections of his Conan volumes, Warrior of the Altaii, and the first book in the Fallon Blood series. He wrote a Cheyenne book, but it wasn't as readily available. The only Jordan book I've read so far is Eye of the World, and I had a good time with it, despite some gripes. Maybe I need to read The Great Hunt soon. Yet so many other books are staring at me from my shelf...

Oh, yeah. And I realized this week that my typing technique is slowing me down, thus I'm doing my best to finally learn touch typing. I did a few hours worth of lessons this week. Hopefully I can keep up the habit, though it's frustrating work.

Cheers! See you next week.
 

BlackDahliaStudios

Member
Game Developer
Nov 18, 2020
329
516
Weekly Update (1/21/24): I wrote 5,360 words this week, putting my monthly total at 16,489. I worked on Moloch, Mel, the librarian, and Achlys' demonic octopus companion! (Cue future mischief.) It was another rough week full of distractions for me, yet my pace is still looking good. Due to my personal schedule, I expect the next couple of weeks to allow for more productive time. But even if I keep my current pace, I'll hit my monthly target by Saturday. I updated my word count targets to aim for exactly 250,000 words per year. If I can hit that annual target, then I'll be outputting the equivalent of multiple novels (or one longer one) per year in terms of writing content. It also means that I'll hit my 1,000,000 word project target in four years; a non-depressing timeline. The project target will likely end up inflating as I make more progress, but it's a good starting estimate. In terms of my outline, I've just begun to scratch the surface of the First Act, so it's hard to truly judge how long the other acts will be. Project Word Count: 104,654.

As I insert my manuscript into the game's code, I expect to edit the prose as well as work on programming. My plan is to work on bug fixes and general coding at the end of the month after I hit my writing target, but before the beginning of the next month. But I know there will be months I don't hit my target early and don't have enough time to work on the code. As such, I'm thinking it will be prudent to schedule major releases as quarterly rather than monthly, with monthly updates including the new prose, but maybe not with all the bugfixes or properly functional game mechanics. This way, I'm not taking too much time away from writing, which I really do need to focus on at this point, but I'll still be providing content each month. There's still so much writing left to do! Anyway, I may pleasantly surprise my future self, but at this point I'm thinking that I won't get to work out all of the kinks in the code by the end of January. But we'll see!

As far as reading goes, I've been struggling a bit through Part 3 of Rhythm of War. I picked up Mort, my first Discworld book. I actually purchased the . The deal expires at the end of the month for those interested. I'm also still debating between my next read: The Great Hunt (Robert Jordan) or Of Blood and Fire (Ryan Cahill). These Sanderson books are so thick, I'm leaning towards the shorter one, but I also may just need a break from fantasy in between. It's sometimes difficult to find time to read when I'm prioritizing writing and then, once I do find the time, I don't want to have to think too hard or really pay attention. I'm working on my balancing act.

Cheers!
 
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