Before I wrote The House of Virgil, I had a different project in mind. The summer before I left for college, I had finished the first (and never to be titled) book of a four book series called the Sherwood Chronicles. The story I had come up with was an epic fantasy tale of a start of a revolt against a tyrannical kingdom. By the time I had finished, I had written over three hundred pages befitting of the idea I had in mind.

Yet, as I finished typing the final page, I realized that the story I had wasn’t going to be published. I didn’t know what was off but there was this feeling that I knew that what I had written wasn’t good enough. I was initially discouraged after having spent so long on the Sherwood Chronicles that I took a small break from writing, one that would end when I wrote The House of Virgil my freshman year.

I moved on from the Sherwood Chronicles and focused on new ideas. Eventually, there was a story that I came up with about two brothers ending up in a fantasy world on going on adventures that helped shape them to be heroes when they return home. When I thought about what this fantasy world would like, I realized that I had done plenty of worldbuilding for a setting like this before.

Although the Sherwood Chronicles would never be published, there was nothing stopping me from taking what did work to create a spiritual successor.

The Kucia Chronicles

The Kucia Chronicles is the tentative name given to a trilogy planned about two brothers from Santiago’s Shield, William and Percy Marshall. During a trip to their grandfather’s, the two accidentally activate a magical gateway that leads to another world called Kucia. To return home, William and Percy will meet new friends and learn new tricks as they find themselves caught in the middle of a brewing war while learning the secrets of their family.

That may not be a lot to go off of but I hope to have more to provide as I write more. As it happens, I feel a desire to write this story, hence why I am giving it priority over the Vigilant story previously talked about. I hope that this provides an understanding of what I was hoping to accomplish.

Until next time.

I’ve been working on Rise of the Adept, the sequel to The House of Virgil, for a long time by now. Yet, progress has been slowing down, and after some thought, I think I realize what the issue is. As I move forward to address this issue with changes, I’d like to share some thoughts on the writing process right now and what may change moving forward.

Although this is about Rise of the Adept, I had to go back to my thoughts on The House of Virgil to reach the conclusion I had, so I will share those thoughts here as well.

How have my thoughts on The House of Virgil influenced Rise of the Adept?

I wrote The House of Virgil as part of National Novel Writing Month. I managed to get to the 50,000 word goal in a single month, and happy with what I had, I decided to move forward to eventually publish. I was happy with how the story turned out and managed to get the help of some friends to edit the piece.

However, in my rush to publish the book, I had overlooked a crucial flaw. Looking back on The House of Virgil, I was disappointed with how many of the side characters turned out. Rather than make them their own character, they felt like parts meant to fill a required part of a story. Character building is one of my favorite parts of storytelling, and while I had little time to do that during November, should have seen the error and fixed it in editing.

I want to ensure that each major character, from those first introduced in The House of Virgil to newcomers in Rise of the Adept, have a story to tell and that they are not just filling a role in a plot.

How has this influenced the story of Rise of the Adept before now?

Rise of the Adept continues the story of Simon Crowley but there is more to be told. It was my idea to have several side stories that interweave with the main plot that help culminate with the ending of the book. These stories focus on the goals and ambitions of the other characters of the story.

When I had finished my first outline of the story for Rise of the Adept, I was pleased with what I had. Aside from the story of Simon, the outline saw that Phoenix, Alvin, and Scott progressed as characters as they pursued their own goals. Archmage’s development will continue but I wanted to continue the story of several other magicians, such as Cassandra and Solomon. I’ve even taken time to flesh out Darius’ character better to provide a better understanding of his motives.

I managed to write a third of the story from this outline when I started to slow down and think. It was then I realized that I had much to do.

What changes are necessary to improve on Rise of the Adept?

I’m not going to go too deep into spoilers, even though most of what I’m about to talk about is how the first outline draft looked like and what I need to change. I was pleased with what I was able to do for most of my characters but realized that there were two important characters whose stories I’ve failed in Rise of the Adept.

Where we last left Morgan, she had been possessed by her ancestor Virgil, who is now in hiding. There is no denying the significant role Morgan played in The House of Virgil as one of the major characters of the story. However, my first outline for Rise of the Adept gave her a diminished role. In the outline, she doesn’t return to the story until about two thirds of a way through without much happening with her afterwards, including facing the possible consequences of her betrayal of the group.

While it was always my intention to give Morgan in the finale of the trilogy that would address many questions, I realized that I needed to do a better job of her return to the story and that it needed to happen sooner. I’m working on ideas for how it will happen but there’s very little room for Morgan to return in the first story outline, hence the need for something new.

The second character I’ve failed is one of the new entries into the story. Some of you may remember from the end of the Rise of the Adept preview I previously posted a character named Caz. Although his role in the preview was short, he has a bigger role to play in Rise of the Adept as the story’s deuteragonist. While his story went pretty well, I eventually realized that Simon and Caz only interacted three times in Rise of the Adept, including the interaction that started in the preview.

In theory, I may not need to have more interactions between Simon and Caz as more was planned for the end of the trilogy. However, I figured that I could do a better job of setting up how the ending works out by including more scenes in Rise of the Adept that build up to what I have planned.

It was with these ideas in mind that I knew I had to change the story of Rise of the Adept?

What is my plan moving forward?

Rise of the Adept will be written and published; it’s just taking longer than I expected it to. I want to tell the best story I can which means scrapping the overall idea I had and taking what does work alongside my fixes for the issues I’ve seen.

You might be expecting me to say that I am currently working on an outline but that is not the case. I never had any problems with the overall story of The House of Virgil, which didn’t had an outline. All it had was a beginning, a rough idea of what happens throughout the story, and an ending. I already know how Rise of the Adept begins and how it ends as well as what happens in the middle. I just need to write, keep the lessons I’ve learned in mind, and take a second look during the editing phase for any issues.

Do these changes retcon the preview previously posted?

The chapter preview I’ve made before will remain in the story. As I’ve said, I’m happy with how the introduction has turned out and don’t feel the need to remove it. No content that I have shared with you, the reader, has gone to waste so far.

I would like to finish with an apology over the delays. I sincerely hope that these changes are what’s necessary to finish Rise of the Adept.

Until next time.

For as long as I can remember. I’ve always enjoyed going to the movies. The experience itself is magical and something that allows me to feel emotional, an aspect I have struggled with in the past. Gettin’ Real with the Reels has been one of my favorite podcast series to record but even I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking in uploading new episodes.

I want to take this time to look back on what was accomplished and outline my new plan for Gettin’ Real with the Reels.

What is the current status of Gettin’ Real with the Reels?

Despite the inactivity, Gettin’ Real with the Reels hasn’t been cancelled. The lack of episodes can be contributed to adjusting to life outside of college, even though releases had been slow before due to schoolwork. I have a list of movies that I have watched since the end of 2021 to make episodes about but that brings up something on the back of my mind.

I’ve studied mass media and journalism for years and I know that emphasis is given to what’s out right now. Timeliness is an area that I have fallen behind, which is something I want to change. However, at the same time, I would love the chance to talk about past movies that I’ve enjoyed even if their time has gone by.

How will Gettin’ Real with the Reels look in the future?

To start off, I am going to make an episode on Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Yes, it has been over a year since it came out, but in my last episode, I said that would be the next movie I review, and I intend to keep my word.

However, once I upload that episode, I will go on a short hiatus until March. It is my intention to get back into Gettin’ Real with the Reels in a soft reset, starting with whatever wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year. From there, I hope to release three to four new episodes a month, preferably once a week.

I am going to keep the list of movies from the last year I have on me for whenever I can’t find the time to see a movie in theater. That isn’t the only rule I hope to change. Although it was never mentioned, I tended to avoid sequels of movies I haven’t already covered. For sake of keeping up with the movies that are coming out, I am opening myself to review new movies, regardless of any series.

With these changes in mind, I hope to revive Gettin’ Real with the Reels. It may be ambitious but I really want to follow my passion with movie reviews in this matter.

Until next time.

New year, new month, new monthly agenda.

A lot of what I have to discuss was covered in the 2023 New Year Announcements. There really isn’t too much to add here other than a few things.

There are changes coming to Gettin’ Real with the Reels but I’ll give an idea of what to expect immediately in this post. There’ll be one episode posted this month followed by a short hiatus until March. I hope that these upcoming changes will let me frequently post more episodes in the future.

There may be other forms of content posted if I can think of what to do but it isn’t something I am requiring of myself.

Let’s start the new year off strong.

Until next time.

This time, I’m not forgetting to post the monthly agenda on the first of the month.

So, for those of you wondering, I did complete NaNoWriMo on time. It was close due to a bad cold and work keeping me busy but I’m happy to have finished it again for the fourth time, third year in the row. I feel as though the experience will get me over my writer’s block.

I intend to focus primarily on preparing for the announcements for the new year over the month. I’d rather focus on new projects coming up than look over the past year. It was tough finishing college and then adjusting to adult life which kept me busy from what I promised at the start of last year. I hope that now that I’m adjusting to this next chapter of my life I’ll be able to better deliver on what I promise.

Just because I’m focusing on the announcements doesn’t mean there will be no content. I intend to get back into making podcast with Gettin’ Real with the Reels. Expect more episodes over the month as I desperately try to catch up with the movies over the past year or two.

Also, I may or may not be trying something new. If I do, expect to hear about it on the yearly announcements. It’s a secret until I actually give it a go.

Let’s finish off the year strong!

Until next time.

Only two more months to go, meaning it’s time for the start of another monthly agenda.

Let’s address the issue that’s on all of your minds: the fact that I posted the agenda for November a day late. It was bound to happen sooner or later given my memory and I do apologize for my tardiness. I was caught up with the start of NaNoWriMo and working at my job that it slipped my mind.

Of course, there are people who are likely more concerned that I didn’t do anything I said in the last agenda. Everything is going alright on my end, it’s just that work is keeping me busy. It is my intention to return to what I promised after NaNoWriMo. I intend to get back to podcasts during December and post the updates on my new project and the ebook version of The House of Virgil at the start of 2023.

Finally, joining the announcements of the new year is more information on Rise of the Adept. I intend to meet with one of my editors to discuss the story and figure out any changes that I need to address. I will put this out with the other announcements as I do not want to rush any messages I have to say given their importance.

Back to writing.

Until next time.

The year only has three months left, and there’s a lot to cover for the monthly agenda today.

Last time, I mentioned having an idea for National Novel Writing Month this year. The update on that is while I believe it is something I will publish, I will not be doing it for NaNoWriMo this year. Rather, I have actually started working on it now. This was not a decision I made lightly, but after struggling with Rise of the Adept for so long, I thought that I would rather be working on a new project than failing to make significant progress on a current project. This is not to say that Rise of the Adept is being cancelled and I hope to reach a point where I can write both stories on some sort of schedule until one is done. Expect a post announcing in further detail what my other writing project is along with answers to some questions that I think people may have.

While progress on Rise of the Adept isn’t going too well, I am pleased to announce that I am looking into expanding The House of Virgil to other formats. Be on the lookout for an announcement regarding that sometime this month as well.

Finally, I expect to post some podcasts this month. NaNoWriMo is in November and I’d want to have reviews for last year’s movies posted before I have to dedicate myself to writing for an entire month. At what times these podcasts will be posted is dependent on free time between writing and my new job.

Lot of announcements coming up this month. I look forward to seeing how everyone reacts.

Until next time.

Summer is almost over and there’s another monthly agenda to look at.

Work on Rise of the Adept has been slow. I do believe that I am overcoming the writer’s block that halted progress on the story and that my writing will start to catch up for the time that’s been lost. The reason for overcoming writer’s block is something that I am very excited to talk about.

I am pleased to announce that not only have I thought of my idea for National Novel Writing Month this year, but if all goes well, it may very well be something I publish. I don’t want to say more as I am still working out the details and am not sure about how this will conflict with Rise of the Adept but I have high hopes for this new idea that borrows upon some of my previous ideas. What I will say is that this new idea is loosely connected to the Adventures of Stylish Simon and leave it at that.

Finally, I am looking to a way to get the pictures I’ve mentioned onto the website. I’ve been playing around with account on Instagram and think that it may be able to get the pictures from my phone to the website as a middle ground. Be on the lookout for that.

Looking forward to what the future holds.

Until next time.

Summer is almost over yet the monthly agendas will continue on.

So, I may have jinxed myself with the 25,000 words for Rise of the Adept. I wasn’t able to get that done even though I am making some progress in writing. Currently, I have a creative/writer’s block going on and have been struggling to write. The good news is that with my birthday coming up, I am hoping that the celebration will be enough to refresh my mind moving forward.

Regarding podcasts, there have been no new episodes recently. I don’t think I can approach an episode with the same problems I faced while writing. Still, I am hoping that I can publish at least one new episode of Gettin’ Real with the Reels, likely towards the last half of the month.

I am also pleased to announce that I am in the process of getting my remote drone pilot certificate. It’s funny that I never expected to do that yet I remain optimistic about the future with this new development.

I’ll keep everyone updated on my progress on these different projects.

Until next time.

The year continues on and with it comes a new monthly agenda.

I am pleased to announce that progress is being made on Rise of the Adept as two chapters have been finished. I expect that the amount of work will increase on Rise of the Adept this month. Not only will I be going to North Carolina where I always spend my time writing without distractions, but starting with this year, I have signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo. If all goes well, I shall have written 25,000 words for Rise of the Adept before the month is over.

While I am starting to catch up on my podcasts, I believe that there may be a delay throughout this month with recording and editing. I don’t plan on recording any podcasts during my vacation and want to put more focus on my writing. There will still be episodes of Gettin’ Real with the Reels but I don’t imagine there will be frequent updates.

Other projects will be updated infrequently as well. I make this decision not only because I am focusing on Rise of the Adept but also because I am also working on finding a job. Once I’m settled in the post-graduate life, I will look over different projects and see what to expect.

Thank you for sticking with me this long. It means a lot.

Until next time.