Chương 44: Status Update!

3. 22 Update: Obviously, my initial timeline estimate below was a bit too eager. Putting an update here instead of a new post to prevent clutter in the chapters: Chapters will definitely be coming back; you don't need to worry about me disappearing. I'm writing the next book as we speak and am still interacting with people in the Discord daily! I just signed on with Aethon for the next three books of Spell Weaver, so this is still my primary writing focus, and there's plenty more coming your way.

I'll also be attending LitRPG Con as a panelist this year to talk about writing, and I'll also be going to Dragon Con with Aethon in September. So yeah, all that to say, I'm still really in the litRPG / writing scene! This particular stretch of writing has just been a bit hard for me to push through, and because of that, my brain wants to do almost anything else at the moment. I have some fun stuff planned for this book, it's just not something I've written before, which makes it feel challenging.

Also, Alex has a LOT to do and a TON of rewards to reap for the effort put into the previous three books. A lot of payoff is coming in this book, and I want to make sure it comes across well and isn't just dumped on him or the readers. Since it's different writing, and also challenging in terms of pacing and tension, I'm just working through it a little slower and trying to keep the story in line with the premise and my goals from early on. I'm doing my best to find a proper balance between: 1.

Pushing through this patch due to the responsibility of wanting to deliver something to waiting readers 2. Not wanting to rush things too quickly and output something crappy just for the sake of word count 3. Not obsessing over the whole "everything needs to be perfect" feeling. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. It's tricky, but we're getting there! Patreon is still paused to prevent people from getting charged each month.

I'm posting a chapter a week there for now to keep the pressure on me low while I work through some of the plot hiccups and frustrations I've been running into. Once I push through and get back into the swing of things, I'll make a more official announcement about starting things again in full. My mental health and love of the story are in a great place overall. Everyone in the comments and Discord has been very supportive, which I appreciate. Just know that the story isn't going anywhere.

Thank you all for being here and being understanding. Just thought I'd take some time to give those of you here a status update since I've seen a few people asking around in the last chapter of Book 3. At the end of most chapters I say this, but seriously, if you want consistent updates, joining the Discord or Patreon are your best bet. I don't think this is the best medium to post an update. Anyway, I am indeed alive and doing well! My break has been really refreshing.

I got to spend time with family, make some big progress at my job, played a ton of Old School RuneScape and Path of Exile, and even got to read a book or two! This break has been seriously needed, and a full three months is probably longer than I should have taken off from writing. This whole project has gotten a lot bigger than I ever thought it could, and while that's amazing, it can be a bit overwhelming as well.

I know many stories can die from even a short break, so I appreciate all of you for still being here and interested in Spell Weaver! Posting Update and Timeline: 1. Beta Readers will be getting the start to Book 4 tomorrow. 2. I will start posting at a 1-2 chapter per week schedule on Patreon in about two weeks. 3. As I get back into the rhythm of consistently writing, this'll bump back up to three per week. 4. Once I get to twenty chapters ahead on Patreon I'll start posting here on Royal Road again.

Clearly with this timeline, it will still be several weeks before posting resumes on Royal Road... That being said, there's a pretty high chance that I come back to post at a reduced rate here before I hit a full 20 chapters ahead on Patreon. Similar for how I'm doing for them at the start, I may come back and do 1-2 per week to just keep the story alive and everyone engaged. Through all of this, I'd like to keep you updated. So, yeah, check out the links below.

Once I start actually posting again, I'll be able to leave more regular updates in the Author's Notes. Thank you all so much for supporting and engaging with the story. - Xel PS- While you're in the End Note checking out the Discord and Patreon links, you can see a tease of Volume 4's Cover! Can you tell what's going on?