Elven trekked alone for many days, and the solitude was often unbearable. He would not return to the waters of the lake, for he knew not how to make a raft of his own, and did not wish to return to those used by the Hochträe. He was also wary of watercraft in general, and so kept to the borders of the lake by foot.
The return to Erârün was long, and quiet. Without the knowledge of the Hochträe’s tongue, Elven was largely left in silence, and in silence he preferred to stay. He seemed not to have Brandyé’s gift for communication, and found himself mystified by the lyrical and thoroughly incomprehensible language the folk around him kept to themselves. Every so often one of them would attempt to speak to him in his own tongue, but by necessity his answers were always short and succinct, and they would eventually leave him be.
As you might be aware, I recently wrapped up writing the first draft of my third book, The Redemption of Erâth: Ancients & Death. I had made a start at re-reading and editing it, but there came a point a few chapters in where I realized I really wasn’t in a place to edit it yet—it’s too close to the writing phase, and I’m not sure I can do it the justice it deserves.
I have sent a few copies out to beta-readers, so I’m hoping over the next few weeks that I’ll be getting some workable feedback on the draft, and that’s when I’ll probably start diving in earnest into making the third book the best it possibly can be.
So what does that mean for the meantime? Am I going to relax, sit still, and twiddle my thumbs?
Well, yes … but not just that. Some of you may be aware that I have a side project, a contemporary fiction novel called (for the moment) A Gothic Symphony. I’ve been neglecting this work for far too long, and writing it provides a welcome respite from the world-building and language of my fantasy series. I’ve actually been working on A Gothic Symphony for over ten years, and I’m still only partway through a first draft. However, it’s going well at the moment, and I’m hoping to be able to make some significant progress throughout the next month or so. I don’t necessarily expect to finish it any time soon, but every word down is one closer to the goal.
So that’s where my work is taking me at the moment, and it should do well to keep me busy. I won’t be sharing any of it on here, as I wouldn’t publish it under ‘Satis’ (it’s not even remotely related to the fantasy that Satis is now associated with), but wish me luck, because it’s a deeply personal story that I absolutely will finish and publish one day.
Satis Writes 