119: Hope
3/4/2023
Well, this latest chapter turned out to be a lot harder to get going and get done than any of the others since I got back to work last month. This one, Chapter 52: Annan Banda, took two days just to get down a few paragraphs with Banda descending the tree from the jola’s fire circle. Finally got it wrapped up to where I thought it was done on 3/2/23, at 1,813 words and 6 pages long, finishing with Banda’s conversation with Wanyana.
I didn’t think it was a good idea to throw yet another ritual at the reader right on the heels of Guma’s ritual with Diallo. Nor did I want to fabricate another one so soon. But the more I thought about it, the more I saw that the next chapter when Luala visits Diallo in a dream needs a better setup. Simply implying that Banda would perform a spell for Wanyana was not enough. I needed to tie it directly to Diallo’s dream.
So, I went back and wrote a second scene for the chapter, which was about as long as the first, bringing the entire chapter to 3,540 words and 12 ¼ pages long.
I think I like it, but I won’t know for sure until I come back and reread it with fresh eyes. I’ll read the entire Ghost Frog part/story arc once I’m done. Another 5 chapters to go.
The only thing that worries me about this second scene is that there’s a lot of exposition in it detailing how magic works in the Batu world. In fact, I’m very conscious of the fact that all my recent new chapters have been loaded with exposition in a way I’ve always tried to avoid in the past. So much so that it may not even sound like the same writer. Part of the reason behind all this is because of the speed I’m trying to crank them out, but mostly I think it’s due to the way I prepared each chapter in advance by compiling details for each that might be needed. And when in a hurry it’s easier and safer to rely on my notes and simply reword research than to be creative and come up with material that’s completely new.
We’ll have to wait and see if it will suffice. For now, I’m moving on to the next chapter. I can always rewrite later. For now, I just want to get things down on paper as a foundation, if not as a finished work. Though I do hope it’s good as is.
We’ll see.
Present-Day Reflection
9/21/2026
Hope springs eternal.
10 days left until my launch date.
