Writing Update (Patreon)

So, first off, I want to apologize for how long I'm taking with DQ chapter 14 - or anything else, for that matter. Part of it is due to writer's block, and some of it is health (both mental and physical.) I've got the latter handled for now, and I have a way forward on the former.

I want to explain what's going on with the story, but first I need to warn that this will contain some (relatively light) spoilers. I won't be explicitly describing events, but I will be discussing what you can expect for the chapter, and hinting at some things that haven't come up much as of yet.

I'll also have a brief message at the end, so I'll use caps and bold text to mark where spoilers begin and start.

With that said, SEMI-SPOILERS BEYONG THIS POINT.

So, as of chapter 14, Devilla's past is going to become a lot more relevant. One section of said past in particular was fundamental to making her who she is, and it'll be influencing her behavior in this chapter quite a bit.

The problem is that while I'd previously plotted out her past, thinking about what happened and how it affected her, it was mostly just an outline and an understanding of how it affected her and why. With it becoming increasingly relevant, and having a more direct affect on her in this chapter, I needed to know the details.

So I ended up spending quite a few hours, both yesterday and today, plotting it out in detail. My plan at the moment is to actually write out a few of the more vital scenes from that period - nothing too crazy, not planning a prequel or anything, I just want to get as firm a grip as possible on how Devilla felt at certain crucial moments.

So far, for this chapter, I'm constantly second-guessing myself, and thinking, "Oh, that would work better!" and then going back to revise. I'm hoping that this plan will help me to be more confident in the way forward, making it easier and quicker to write, while also leading to better quality.

I am planning to share the scenes I write, as well - but maybe not immediately. If people really want to see them right away, I'll put them on Patreon, but my default plan (and recommendation for readers) is to wait until it's been covered enough in story for it to function as simply a look into the past rather than a giant spoiler.

SPOILERS ENDED

Finally, I just want to thank everyone for all their patience. I promise I'll do my best to put out something worth waiting for.