I’ve been spending the last couple hours road-mapping the serial, trying to decide where I want to take it. No, I haven’t forgotten about it. Granted, I’ve had a lot of obligations and responsibilities to address recently but at the same time I just haven’t been able to really envision where I want to take the story. I’ve reread the whole thing, admittedly fixed one particularly embarrassing mistake, and am now just theorizing.

I’ve started off asking myself where I wanted the story to go and put up a few points that I think will lead the story to its conclusion. Next, I went in depth with each point and hypothesized possible leads that would fit the story, as well as leads I’ve already established. I’ve made considerations for different characters wondering which, if any, could go sour. I’ve also differentiated between possible internal and external threats to the status quo. When I’ve decided on some leads I’d like to pursue, I’ll flesh them out into possible payoffs, climaxes and resolutions.

I’ve admittedly never actually completed a longer story like this. My other, fantasy-themed, project is more fleshed out with a solid outline but I shelved it while I worked on Cam and the Sleeping Island. Cam in its entirety is, as of the end of Part 5, only 50% longer than the serial, clocking in at roughly 15k words to Arc’s 10k. I’m excited to see how The Pierced Arc develops for here on out and I wanted to post this to share my process in case it helps anyone else stuck in the yellow wood. Please, stick around and I’ll do my best not to disappoint. Also, expect a new illustration from the aforementioned Cam and the Sleeping Island soon.

God bless.