Writing Update Before Christmas

Written by pepperthephoenix

A lot has happened since my last writing update. The Demon Book is now 109K words and we’re not even done with the first act. So, I’ve decided to split the Demon book into three different books because it’s the only way to cover all the plot points while allowing the character to grow and breathe and allow me to expand upon all the world building and themes. Unfortunately, I read too much Victor Hugo as a kid and now all I know how to do is write 1000 page tomes.

So now the series looks likes this:

  1. Queer Croc WIP
  2. First Demon WIP which takes place in the east
  3. Second Demon WIP which takes place in the west
  4. Third Demon WIP which focuses on the Demon War
  5. Giant Scorpion Book
  6. Gargoyle book
  7. Anthro Raptor book (with the gang of old queers raising Hell)
  8. Human book
  9. Olympic games with anthro dragons
  10. Book of two failing monarchs: the Shadows and Rashid’s family
  11. The Main Series XD

Originally, the books before the series were supposed to be organized as two trilogies and then one duology. So the Queer Croc, Demon, and Giant Scorpion book were supposed to be one trilogy, but now I’ve got a trilogy in my first trilogy. Hopefully, the second trilogy doesn’t rebel similarly.

The good news, is that this reorg means I am 50% done with the first Demon book, however, I have at least a month’s worth of work left and I need to finish my edits on the Queer Croc WIP by Jan 2023, sooooo…I think I’ll work on the Demon Book until Christmas just to make sure that the reorg works and to give myself something to return to when I’m done with the queer crocs. And then focus on the queer crocs for the next two weeks (which i have off, thank God) and hopefully finish it by Jan 8th? We’ll seeeee

Plot Progress

Plotwise, I’ve made great progress. All the characters are in the same city, some characters stabbed each other, others are fighting with assassins, others are having painful reunions that made end in bloodshed, Demons are running around, and the city is burning around them. So, you know, not like anything’s going on at all haha.

Actually, destroying the city is what inspired breaking up the Demon book. The city, Potushar, has such a rich history and rich culture and I want to dive deep into it and allow characters to sit with these cultures and these characters and their complicated relationships and traumas so when the destruction and the rebuilding happens, it actually means something to the readers. And, since Potushar is in the center of the entire continent, spending time with this city and its people allows the readers to understand what the world is like as a whole (since the Queer Croc WIP really only focuses on Kingsley and his crocodile brethren and doesn’t involve other peoples, except for the fucking Hevians). So, I add books because I want to do a Victor Hugo and interrupt a fight to the death to give you a chapter long history of Potushar’s sewers and another chapter about Potushar’s poor but modern readers don’t want to read 1000 books anymore. So now you just get three books of useful information, haha.

A character that really got to shine during the attack on Potushar is Abdurauf, the merchant/smuggler/doctor/unofficial mayor/resident secret keeper. I even made a new aesthetic for him.

a seven picture aesthetic. The top, left corner is a white hand holding four syringes, the middle left is a pair of dirty hands holding used shell casings, the bottom left is a bed and only a pair of legs visible with a IV bag in the forefront. The top middle is a puff of white smoke obscuring a face. The bottom middle is a picture of colorful, ornate lanterns hanging from a wooden booth. Top left corner is a picture of two poppies in a green and yellow field. Bottom left is a picture of a plate of falafel and dipping sauces and another picture of a green, hexagonal, arched dome covered in green and white tiles. A crystal chandelier hangs from the middle

Abdurauf is a really interesting character because he is as opaque as Nodira, and probably as untrusthworthy but for different reasons. Abdurauf has spent his entire life in Potushar and he has seen dozens of warlords come and go, but he and his people remained. As he tells someone in the book, “Warlords will come and go, but we will endure.”

He is also Ecaterina’s estranged brother and I just finished a tense conversation between the two where they sort of find common ground. Ecaterina is a disgraced assassin for god who hunted and killed people like Abdurauf. She also abandoned him to chase after god while he had to rebuild his life and the entire city of Potushar on his own. So, not a happy reunion, but at least they didn’t try to kill each other, haha

Discord

I created a discord for people who are interested in my work and want a glimpse at snippets and updates that I won’t share anywhere else. It’ll also be a great way to watch my mind at work in real time. I’m only share the link at request, so if you want to join find me on Twitter and DM me.

That’s how December’s been going. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and has an amazing New Year!

Leave a comment