Hello, dreamers. This is it: the final week of NaNoWriMo ‘25.

Much has changed over the past few days. But in any event, this will be my last Midweek Update. So here’s where things stand, and a look at the path ahead:

Aquarius 1

I’m finally settling back into a rhythm. Last night I split my work file in two: one file for Karen, one for Anita. As the two will be separated for the coming chapters, it seemed as good a time as any to make this change.

From here, I expect the story to be at least a little easier to write for a while. I have the characters split between different chapters, which allows me to really settle into the flow. I’ve actually begun working on chapters out of order, though that’s led me to carefully check my continuity.

So far, this section of the book has been (for me) a breath of fresh air. I’m in my element: filling the reader in on my world building while showing roomfuls of engineers solving problems. But my next major challenge lies ahead.

This series of chapters will lead to a sequence of pivotal events: the crew’s first landing on the surface of Thamiyn, and the effective removal of Anita Powell as a POV character. And at present, I’m still not sure exactly how long I have until those events come to pass. As I always say, writing isn’t an exact science. At present my instincts suggest I’m a good four or five chapters away. But only time will tell. —MK