Status Report!
I’m not getting a lot of actual wordcount done, because I’m re-outlining & I work in a tourist area and it’s currently tourist season (for those who it impacts: happy fourth of july, please enjoy the fireworks and barbecues safely and keep an eye out for any burn bans in your areas), but . . . you know how I’ve said Heaven’s Dog is supposed to be a standalone series . . . . ?
It’s actually going to be a trilogy; one of the things I’ve been struggling with when revisiting the outline is a) how much the team’s individual character arcs have grown and b) how much I was already trying to fit in one novel even though I knew it needed to be at least a trilogy (because the pacing just . . . doesn’t match up to any magical girl series -- looking at some of Arina Tanemura’s older works (Phantom Thief Jeanne and Legend of Princess Sakura specifically because they both inform a lot of the drama and pacing I’m going for) makes it really clear that I have a trilogy’s worth of ups and downs.
So I’ve gotten a rough outline of what Volume One will cover (no spoilers though!) and it seems like it will be a lot smoother in terms of both character progression and the actual plotline, as well as allowing me more room to develop concepts that will be important later.
I’m really sorry I keep making huge, sweeping changes like this! On the one hand, I’m pleased that Heaven’s Dog seems to be maturing into a story I feel I can be proud of, but on the other hand . . .my inexperience and cockiness from earlier is becoming very apparent. Thank you to everyone for your continued patience and support, and even if you do end up deciding not to follow the development of Heaven’s Dog through these changes, I hope when everything is said and done, there can be a reunion between audience and story, but please don’t feel pressured in any way!
Sorry this message is a little disoriented -- again, tourist season, big holiday, my day job is very busy!
