We've reached the beginning of another month, which means it's time for an accountability post. Overall, May was a tight month because of professional requirements but still had some productivity. I felt I got some good stories in but I see some struggle approaching as I head into June.

The month of May covered consecutive weeks 254 through 259 of my longer-term goal.

Professional

The project in my day job has quarterly releases with June being the second one of the year. Sometimes it's a good release, this was not one of them. I don't usually talk about specifics about my job, mainly because I like a separation between the two but it has impacted my writing.

Fedran Website

I've been very happy with my update for fedran.com though it continues to require bits of effort as I try to get it to the parity of what I had before.

This month was mostly focused on the timelines. While I had the main timeline implemented, I wasn't happy with its organization. There were a number of nodes that only had 1-2 entries but still required going a few levels deep to see it. The new version don't nest entries unless there are three or more of them. That way, the early and late centuries are much flatter because of my stories are focused in the 1800s TSC.

I also got the timelines on the individual pages, such as Tsubàyo's. There are a couple nifty features here, mostly building on the flattening of early and later years. The new code automatically includes entries from the chapter metadata which means I don't have to remember anything to get it involved.

This also means that organizations and locations, such as Shimusògo clan entry automatically has every event or reference to the clan gathered together.

Individuals also have their birthday entries added before any significant event. This means it is easier to see how old someone is for a story. It gets more important since I really need to acknowledge that characters are having birthdays in the middle of a story but I forget to tell anyone. Also, because I like seeing the passage of time as someone's live changes over the decade.

Allegro

My biggest project is still Allegro. I posted the following chapters:

• Chapter 20: New Brunhil: Linsan finally reaches a New Brunil, a town large enough to have mechanics. All she has to do is go through a list of possible mechanics and find one that may have serviced the murderer's cars.
• Chapter 21: Separate Ways: Linsan hoped to keep up with Brook, if anything for the company of someone she knew. Brook, on the other hand, had other opinions.
• Chapter 22: Disappointment: Unable to find Brook or signs of the killers, Linsan returns to Maril's wagon and loses herself in dejected feelings.
• Chapter 23: A Mapped Route: Linsan is uncomfortable traveling in a vehicle compared to the wagon. Brook's tension isn't helping.

I started submitting Allegro to the writing group and they have given me a lot of push-back on the story, mainly with the idea of the “unplayed instrument” and Brook's attitude. Those two parts has been frustrating.

The latter I've tried to explain more than once, but I can't seem to communicate it in person much less on word.

The former? Well, I've had chapter 3-5 open on my computer for two weeks and I'm still mired in self-doubt and struggle. So, I'm going to put Allegro on pause for a week or two while I try to figure it out.

Things Are Different Here

I finished writing Things Are Different Here and set them up on the alternative posting days. There are going to be six chapters and four have been posted, so my pause on Allegro won't impact my consecutive weekly goal with those two being posted this week and next.

• Chapter 1: Bullies: Still getting used to his new clan, Tsubàyo struggles with the bullying from many of the warriors. No one seems to be willing to stand up for him and he quickly reaches his limits.
• Chapter 2: Getting Event: Alone with his thoughts, Tsubàyo can't help but see the similarities between his early years with Shimusògo and his current time with the Pabinkúe. Seeing very little difference, he prepares to deal with Ukagòi in the same manner: by ambushing him and a drawn-out fight.
• Chapter 3: Sweeping In: His rage interrupted by Fimúchi, Tsubàyo finds himself preparing a meal with the young woman. He can't help but wonder if she is going to spend more time with him but she had other plans in mind for that morning.
• Chapter 4: Surprise Guests: Tsubàyo realizes that Fimúchi's plans were more than just a random visitor when her mother shows up at the door. Surprised and startled, he lets her in and quickly finds himself losing even more control over the meal.

This is about the relationship between Tsubàyo and Fimúchi. This is a “slow burn” romance in that it takes many months as they get closer together. We've seen their relationship from other novels, but I love how they grow together over many years.

Two Boats Together

I also ended up writing another short story. This is a gay romance about one of the smaller tribes that hung around the northern and western seas of my world.

• Chapter 1: Bad News: Astol and his family are doing their inspections and chores to make sure their boat remains safe to travel across the ocean. However, he finds signs of wood-boring beetles and they realize they need to find someone to get rid of them.
• Chapter 2: Good News: A few days later, Astol watches as his crush comes board the ship to deal with the wood bores. Brui only makes it worse by teasing him in Lain's presence.

Monthly Goals

For June, my plans are:

• Get the Miwāfu pages back into the Fedran website along with grammar and dictionary.
• Build up a buffer of Allegro.
• Write at least two short stories.

Thank You!

As usual, let me know if you like any stories or want to see new topics or themes. I'm deeply thankful for my subscribers through Patreon and other places. Your help has been wonderful in encouraging me.

Thank you.