Eleven of the 69 scene outlines have been accepted so far. That’s the prologue and the first ten numbered scenes, all within the opening act. These are outlines, rather than manuscript pages: I’m still working out the pressures, choices and consequences that will give me something solid to write from.
The biggest surprise this week is how much more nerfed Tarem is than I imagined him during ideation. The things he thought made him valuable are out of his reach. He’s good at cooking, but his peers value him more for his access to drugs.
Cooking has also started emerging as a motif, which I hadn’t expected. It’s connecting with the magic, too. Telekinesis is specific to the Scribe of Coherence, but it’s only one expression of a single power: the ability to attract, repel, and see what attracts and repels things in the world.
And that brings me back to cooking: Tarem helps Ephrela make a stew. A power that can move things through the air also has something to contribute to making dinner. I didn’t set out during ideation expecting cooking to connect so much of this story.
So we might start seeing some Golden Kamuy inspiration leaking into the mixture. Without the badly animated bears.
I’ve also been breaking the outlines into smaller drafting focuses, with flexible word estimates. The point is to make the next step manageable without pretending I can predict the exact length of a scene before I write it. Reviewing the opening together has already sent me back to strengthen earlier setup and revise scenes I’d previously accepted.
A more realistic calendar
Outlining is taking longer than I originally allowed. I’ve moved the goal for finishing the scene cards to December 6, with a week afterward to check the whole outline before beginning drafting on December 14.
My goal is still to begin querying on October 1, 2027. That is a goal for seeking representation, not a book-release date. I’ll reassess the schedule halfway through drafting Act I, when I have actual manuscript progress to compare with the estimates.
Finding the feeling of the book
I’ve started gathering Snare’s visual and musical references into a moodboard. The playlist is up to twelve tracks, about 43 minutes, moving between The HU, music associated with Vikings and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Evan Call’s Frieren scores. Some of those references belong to the setting; others are closer to the feeling of the story. The word I keep coming back to is wildness.
A conversation at a writing group this week also turned into an Instagram Reel about what happens in my head when I listen to music: I imagine the visuals of a TV intro. It was good to meet other debut authors and talk about that part of making things.
There’s more to see on the site, too. Zoethra and Elenari now have expanded AI-generated character references, and I’ve added an Agents & editors page. The book page also has a clearer progress tracker and quieter artwork credits.
Next week
I’ll continue through Act I, starting with the next scene outline and the revisions the opening still needs. In the next update, I’ll report how far that work has moved and what it’s teaching me about turning the story map into scenes I can draft.
Thanks for following along while this becomes a book.