Hello readers! Max here with a quick update on what’s going on! Which is … a lot actually!
So, there’s really only one big question on the mind of most swinging by the site right now: “When is Starforge coming out?”
Well, it’s still going to be a bit. I work hard and fast, but getting Starforge out in anything under a few months would take a literal miracle. There are only so many hours in a day, after all!
But the news is good. I’m currently partway through part two of the book on the Pre-Alpha, making changes, tweaks, and little fixes. Once again, I’m glad I let myself have a break between writing and editing this thing, as some of the chapters I was most worried about I find I’m not nearly so critical of on the reread now that I’ve had a bit of time to “disconnect.”
That isn’t to say that there aren’t issues I’ve been finding and fixing, nor that there aren’t a few chapters that I won’t be paying close attention to the Alpha Reader response when the Alpha happens. There are a few I’ve written down where I want to see what the audience response is before I make a final call, and they may indeed see heavy or maybe even complete rewrites.
Good news is, though, that the Pre-Alpha is progressing at speed. Currently I’m pressing through about 30,000-40,000 words a day in the editing process (that’s about 100-130 pages in print, roughly, at standard sizes).
Those of you that are new are probably thinking “Oh nice, so this’ll be done in a few days, maybe a week at that rate, right?”
Ah, no. Not quite. Starforge is … large. Larger than Jungle by a decent margin. Granted, if you’ve read Colony and Jungle, you know why. There’s a lot of ground to cover in this one. And it does so!
Anyway, enough about Starforge. It’s getting closer, work is being done, and hey, you might even see a teaser soon.
Next up, LTUE is getting closer! That’s Life, The Universe, and Everything for those of you who’ve not heard of it before. The writing con of writing cons. We’re just barely a month out!
This isn’t your ordinary con, just in case you’re not clear on that. LTUE is a writers and writing con. That means that the panelist are all authors, editors, and agents. Mostly the former for most panels. The panels themselves? They’re on writing topics, from mashing genres together, to what to expect as a first-time editor, to weaving one’s worldbuilding into their story, to the basics of writing romantic fantasy.
It’s a fantastic time. Hundreds of panels full of advice from skilled authors whose books you’ve definitely heard of if you’re a reader, and in many instances likely read a few.
Oh, even better. Students, IE someone in public school or college? $5. That’s right. It’s five bucks to attend. Now if you’re from out of town you might still need to consider housing, but compared to a lot of cons, LTUE is phenomenally thrifty for what it offers. Even non-students pay a pretty low amount compared to many other cons. This is in part because LTUE is an educational experience, and so takes strides to keep costs low, such as selling short story collections that fund the con to keep ticket prices low.
If you’re a writer, or aspire to be one, whether that be of fanfiction or published work, LTUE is quite simply the most important con you should be attending. Take a look at their video archive of prior panels from previous years. Realize what this year’s could mean for you. Then head on over to their site and take a look.
One last thing to say before I get back to work. As far as I’m aware, the con will be having an online access this year. The 2021 convention was entirely online, with all panels being streamed, and while there were hiccups, one thing this allowed the con to do was reach a wider audience, and as far as I am aware, they’ve stated an interest in allowing that online audience to return this year even if you can’t make it to the con in person.
It’s a month out, so you’ve got time to figure things out if needed. But as an author myself, LTUE is one con that as a writer you do not want to miss.
With that, I’ve got work to do! To Starforge!
Unusual Things 