So.

I feel I’ve reached a small milestone with The Redemption of Erâth, and thought I’d share a few stats to let you know where things stand. The tale itself, of course, is planned at the moment to span over seven books, and so by that measure I really haven’t even begun yet. But, by my drafts and outlines, I have just touched the halfway mark for Book One, and I’m sort of kind of proud of that, not least because I’ve never committed to anything and seen it through this far before.

Ever.

So, what did it take to get here? Let’s start by ignoring the 50,000-word history of the world of Erâth that I raced through during NaNoWriMo last year. That provided a huge impetus into getting this story out of my head and onto (digital) paper, and allowed me to flesh out the world in which my characters live, and how this world got to where it is now, in the time of my tale. I learned so much about the world of Erâth throughout this process, I feel I have lived there. I was astonished to discover the world was flat, and that ephemeral beings called the Duithèn were responsible for the downfall of the world and its casting into Darkness. I learned of the fall of Goroth, and the role Dragons played in his defeat. I even learned that the king Daevàr of Erârün deceived the king of Kiriün into joining him in battle against the forces of Darkness.

Still, all of that is a prelude to the tale I have to tell of Brandyé Dui-Erâth and his exile from the lands of Consolation. This is the story I have committed to, and this is what my commitment has taken me to so far:

• Chapters: 12/25

• Words: 52,416/100,000

• Pages: 166/300 (I’m not sure why this matters in an eBook)

• Weeks: 10/25 (at one chapter each week)

• Cups of coffee: 150/400

• Brain farts: 23/4

• View on WordPress: 450/1,000,000 (!)

• Korn songs listened to: 1/1

• Sonata Arctica songs listened to: 43/43

• Number of times I’ve annoyed my wife: 103/0

So that’s where I am! I’m feeling pretty good with myself. I hammered out three chapters this week and last, because I will be away for the next ten days and wanted to still share the ongoing tale without pause. These will auto-post each Saturday evening (this seems a popular time – let me know when you read your blogs!).

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the tale so far, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. All I can say is, it only gets better from here!

Satis