Hello, dreamers. It’s been a while.

I must first apologize for my conspicuous silence of late. The anxiety of Pitch Wars and a crisis of faith regarding my current work-in-progress left me feeling somewhat lost. It can be hard at times finding one’s footing with a new project, and this one presented some unique challenges. I’ve had the basic idea for this series of novels rattling around in my brain for years, but The Pioneers changed everything. In writing the novel, a lot of my basic character and plot work was altered, and while I’m happy with where it led me, the result was my difficulties in adapting that new framework to the original story I’d planned for the sequel.

In the end, I realized I was trying to do too much. I needed to rein in the plot, return to my original story but adapt it to fit the model The Pioneers produced. And after more than a little soul-searching, I feel I have done exactly that.

So, without further ado, here’s my latest update on my current work-in-progress:

Dawn of the Pioneers

At last, I think I’ve figured a few things out.

I had a lot of problems with Phase 1, but the biggest problem was trying too hard to make things happen. I’d developed a rigid outline of my plot, but too much of that relied on lining up the plot just right to make it all work. There were too many holes in the plot, too many suspect elements. What’s more, I botched the introduction of a major character, and upon analysis realized I’d done so because said character was completely unnecessary.

Thus, Dawn of the Pioneers was, to put it kindly, a mess. I needed a major rethink, which occupied the past week or so. But now I feel much better about it.

In the end, I decided to abandon the new character. Farewell, Coyate…alas, we barely knew ye. However, his eventual removal from the story will open things up for Phase 2. Now, I’ll be clear to introduce a different, far more important character in Phase 2, and allow the plot to revolve around him and his efforts to bond with Randall Holmes, ultimately forming a partnership that will become a major plot point in the subsequent novels.

For now, I still have work to do before I can write on. I plan to spend the rest of the week (and much of the weekend) researching for Phase 2 while reworking Phase 1 to remove Coyate. Then, hopefully next week, I will at last commence work on Phase 2, and the real fun can begin.

Great things lie ahead. So keep reading, and as always, dare to dream. – MK