"E'lsra" Drafted and Updates

 Hello everyone!

For the last few weeks I've dived head-first into the rewrite of Book 3 of the Legend of Draconite: E'lsra. I started rewriting this book several years ago, and I'm happy to announce that I've finished the draft!

What's interesting about this draft compared to the original book, though, is its composition. I actually haven't finished drafting the story, just this book. I have decided due to the size and the current flow of the first part of E'lsra that I will split this story into two, adding an additional volume to The Legend of Draconite to complete the story arc that starts in E'lsra.

That isn't to say this book, Book 3, is incomplete in a storytelling sense. There is an introduction to the characters, world, ideas, and plot of E'lsra, a build-up, a climax, and an aftermath, just like any good story. It felt natural to stop where I did, making "Part 1" of the book the whole book, and "Part 2" will be Book 4 of the Legend of Draconite, bumping Moonstone and Ascension down the line.

I knew that I would at the very least split Ascension into two volumes, but I hadn't anticipated doing so with E'lsra. I'm pleasantly surprised with the decision that I faced as the storyteller, but even if I plan things out, my characters and the world they inhabit and the stories they have to tell still surprise me! 

As the draft currently stands, it is close to the same size as Gift Search, which ultimately is what I wanted. With the first published round of the series, the books got larger and larger. I'd like to keep the novels close to the same size if possible.

I don't have a publish date for E'lsra, although I will start editing and revisions soon. I like to go through a manuscript at least three times with a critical eye, improving writing style and clarity, balancing characters and world with the story, and more. It's a process I enjoy going through, even if it takes some time.

The working title for Book 4 of The Legend of Draconite will be The Great Winter. This may or may not stay the same by the time I finish it. I also plan to have the Draconite warrior Kierra featured on the cover, as she plays a prominent role in the E'lsra story arc alongside Gage, who is featured on the Book 3 cover.

A concept of Loran castle Vartün,
featured in E'lsra.

Now that E'lsra is drafted, I will turn my attention back to the Legacy Incarnate anthology. I only have one more story to write in it, which is already partway finished, and then I will begin editing it as well. I have also started drafting Book V of The Legacy Incarnate: Incarnate Truth, which has been on my mind for quite some time.

Readers may wonder how I handle so many projects at once. I've had to prioritize what hobbies I do on which weeks of the month (such as DnD for one week, and Rover Scouts for another week, etc.). I have many avenues for my creative energies inside and outside my writing projects. On days or weeks I'm not working on a certain project, but I'm bursting with ideas, I will take a little time to write down some notes so that when I can get back in the zone and truly write, I won't have forgotten those ideas and can then mold them.

Though it may look overwhelming (and at times it can feel that way!), I'm grateful to have enough things to keep me busy so I don't get bored. I get anxious when I find I have free time, even if I've worked on my hobbies or projects for the day, or simply don't have the creative inspiration that day.