Hi everyone.
I've gone back and forth on whether or not to make an update post, but it really has been a long time since I've posted in here (sorry if you thought this post was Chapter 61) and I feel bad for making you all wait more or less in the dark for such a long time, save for the e-zine interview - but that was conducted over a month ago now.
So: the story has come a long way. Last time I posted here, I'd been doing notes and planning on the themes and characterisation; I'm still doing both of those, but I've recently moved on to getting the plot straightened out and some finer details sorted. It's been really rewarding to do and I get quite into it. I've never done anything near the amount of planning and preparing that I'm doing for this last book of LTL, so it's still a bit like unexplored terrain and I'm still discovering how to go about it. Thus, it's taking a while. However, I really have made a lot of progress over the last two and a half months.
The thing I'm really posting to inform you about is that I recently (a week or two ago) completed a Story Plan that I'm fairly sure is my good working copy. Details may change, a chapter added in here or there maybe, but the general plan is all down there on paper now. What's going to happen at the start of the book, the middle, the climax and the resolution - and then how it's all going to actually play out. Lisa and Gavin's characters are becoming increasingly more interesting, in my opinion - though that's a bit irrelevant for the moment. Quite a few plot details still have to be worked out, of course, but it's really starting to take shape now. I'd tentatively say I'm about halfway through the note-making/planning process, but don't quote me on that. I haven't started actually writing the chapters yet (despite a few attempts at Chapter 61) but I'm not bothered; I firmly believe that I'm going to need to really finalise the Story Plan before I get back to writing again. Chapter 61 and 62 are actually planned out scene-by-scene anyway, so they will hopefully flow easily when I resume writing.
So - that's that. To all readers (assuming you're still out there) - I'm sorry it's taking so long, but I really think it will be worth it. Thanks for being patient and stuff. Hopefully when I start posting chapters again, there won't be massive gaps like there have been over the last couple of years, because this time I'll know exactly where it's all going. I think it will read much more fluently as a result.
The next time I post an update here will probably be when I finish the planning stage and start writing again; so if I don't mention LTL for the next month or two or three, assume that no news is definitely good news.
Until then - cheers!
- Gavin.