I'm finally fed up with LiveJournal after all these years.  I've created the new home for the writer's blog over at Blogger.com.  Come find me there :)

In order to preempt what could easily become another year or two revision, I decided to reoutline The Order to try and gauge the value of its current in media res construction versus a more common chronological format.  Sadly, it looks like I've been writing short stories too long:  the slow build of the chronological construction is not only a better treatment of the setting, but allows for far better character development and a story that doesn't hinge on one young teenager's obsession. 

Ergo, I'm restructuring The Order into its new format.  Thankfully, that only adds about a dozen scenes to the mix, only three of which are complex to create.  While I can't say I'd have it done in two months, I have decided to rescind my bowing-out on NaNoWriMo this year to instead use the month to write the remainder of the book with all other edits added in.  That is to say, much like last year's NaNo consisted of a Gunner 7 revision, this years will hold the same fate for The Order.

The story already looks much better in its new format.  By the end of the year, the new copy should be out and ready in all its revitalized glory.

One final preemptive apology:  New deadline for The Order set to November 1st.  Clearly my weekends are not going to allow for the sort of overhaul I still have planned for this work in nearly the frequency I require.  In order to avoid putting out a prenatal disaster, I'm dedicating a sizable amount of time all throughout this month and next to get it done, and get it done right. 

I suspect the writing itself will be finished by mid-September, after which time I'll need to re-outline the entire work, insert the many new scenes, check for plot consistency across the board, then format, print, edit for typos, and finally open to the public.  I'm not sure why I initially believed I could do all that inside of two weeks, but I suppose we all have moments of dimentia.

Mine came in the form of a 450-lb hog.  Long story, saved for another day.

I've learned a valuable lesson about deadlines.  Largely that crunch time begins shortly after the words "I think I'd like to write a novel..."

Well.  There goes another deadline.

Life has dictated that The Order will not be released on time.  Again.  This time is somewhat difficult to explain, but the Cliff's Notes version is that two of my closest friends have just earned themselves the right of being the focus of a new novel one of these days, so great and so bizarre is the drama dance betwixt the two.  Ergo, my writing time has been eaten up on the far worthier pursuit of managing panic attacks and overactive guilt glands, which has put me off the mark again.

That said, I expect to have the writing finished by DragonCon, and will print myself a copy to hopefully receive upon my return from Atlanta.  Once I can edit it for typos, it'll at last be ready for public consumption (tentatively aiming for Sept 10 release).  Sorry again for the delays.  I believe this will put us two years to the day since The Order's original release as an online novel, so it has a nice symmetry. 

I was behind on my deadline back then, too...

No luck.  The morning maintenance ran long, the day helping the parents set up a new laptop ate my afternoon, and now the internet is crapping out as I'm trying to download the latest version of my manuscript.

There is no way at this point that I can write the remaining 8,000 or so words I have left to do.  New deadline:  printed, public copy available by Sept 1st.  That means not just first draft done.  Full, all-the-way done by Sept 1.