How are you all enjoying volume 4 of the Hesitant Hero so far? There’s some characters in there that I’m quite pleased with. Looking back on my initial draft, there’s some stuff in there that I feel proud about. It gets a bit less good halfway through, but that’s why we write multiple versions. I also don’t have an ending yet, but I’m sure that won’t come to bite me in the ass eventually, right? Anyway, let me give you another quick update on how things are progressing.
I had to double check what I could mention in this post because for once I am ahead of schedule. I posted chapter 6 last Friday and I have already finished the next two chapters. They are both shorter chapters unfortunately, but I didn’t quite know how else to get through this part of the story. Perhaps in a final cut I’ll remove some scenes to make it fit better, but that’s a problem for later. Otus, who we met in the capital, is based very loosely on the D&D character one of my friends plays. In that campaign I’m the DM and the setting is this world, but obviously with some changes to make it more fun for D&D. Otus is a Paladin of Owlana who is just now getting into his role of Paladin. In the story of the Hesitant Hero he’s an old dwarf who’s been at the head of one of the largest temples in the region for quite a while. So my friend has something to work towards.
And how did you like the return of Thimar? He’s a character we don’t get to see all that much of, but I have big plans for him in the future. Perhaps not in the way you would expect, but all roads lead somewhere nice, and if they don’t, just keep walking down them until you do get there. Is that wisdom? I don’t know, it sounds like sleep deprivation to me. But Thimar has found himself a better home, studying under a good person. Layla is a character that I didn’t plan for at all. I had just read the Eragon books again, and Eragon coming across an eccentric shopkeeper was perhaps still in my mind. But unlike Angela from those books, Layla is just a normal retired soldier who does woodworking now that her eyesight has gone bad. I’ll be honest about her, she probably won’t play a major role in the future of this story, but seeing Cobal interact with kind people like that is always fun. Cobal’s a good guy and I’ve always intended him to be that way. He’s thoughtful and wants to do right by the people around him, but he doesn’t always get to the right conclusions on his own. A helping hand from others – friends or strangers – often gets him in the direction he needs to go.
Alright, that’s about it for volume 4, let’s talk about volume 1. I’ve rewritten the first 12 chapters. That brings us up to when the gang finally leaves Ravadier behind. It’s expanded a bit as I wanted to get a bit more of Cobal’s journey towards more understanding for mental health. Where Mana takes a mental health break in the early chapters, Cobal does the same, although he doesn’t quite see it the same way. Moreso detoxing from stressful life. Either way, the rewrite of those 12 chapters is done, and I took a small break at that point to start figuring out the next part. The journey from Ravadier to Milinia is probably the weakest part in my original draft. There are some good things there that I like and will keep, but there are also a few moments that I like conceptually, but when I read them back they’re just not super interesting to read. I hope I can fix this in a way. What I’m going to focus on in the next couple of days is the 9th and 10th chapters of Volume 4. Once those are done, I can put that on the backburner, having about 4 weeks to really focus on Volume 1 instead. I’m sure there are better ways to get about this, but my broken and bad system is the best I’ve got.
I think that’s most of my thoughts on paper now, so I’m going to leave it at this. As always I’m massively grateful that all of you indulge me in these rants about my process, I love writing about writing. I’ve had an exhausting Monday though, so I’ll leave you with this. In these times, take the joy you find in stories and your hobbies and share it with those around you. We all could use a little pick me up and spring seems to still be a little ways away. Thanks for reading!
Opal Kaharis 