I did little bits and pieces all over the place, but I suppose the main thing I did was pretty well finish up Chapter 24 of Tico3.

Reader: What about Chapter 23?

I’m sorry. What?

Reader: Chapter 23. You’re supposed to be working on Chapter 23?

Are you sure?

Reader: It’s been nearly two months. Where’s Chapter 23?

Oh, that. Haven’t touched it. ^_^;

Reader: >_>

Honestly, I made more progress writing on the epilogue.  I probably shouldn’t be sequence-breaking as much as I do. Well, I do have a vague idea of what I’m wanting to do with Chapter 23, so hopefully I can put it into action in the next day or two. Stay tuned.

What progress I made Saturday was mostly done in the peripheral materials. I actually spent quite a bit of time just reading my stuff. I don’t mean this to be self-congratulatory or anything, but I do enjoy reading my own work and since I write for myself first, I guess that’s a good sign.

Yesterday, I wrote a few scenes from the Earth Arc thriller Ladybug, Ladybug. The scenes were kinda stuck in my head, so I decided to get them down on the page. Perhaps the next time I get some time off, I should devote myself to just writing down all the scenes from all the different stories that are floating around in the ol’ cabeza and then worry about grafting them into cohesive narratives later. I don’t know. It’s an idea.

I didn’t get around to finishing Ionathas’ Chapter 2, but I think I’ll try devoting what little writing time I can manage during the week to restarting Tico3. I need to punch things up a bit because my current plan for the chapter is rather bland. We’ll see what I can come up with. Stay tuned.

More progress on the prologue of TSoM1. While there may be a short in the future that depicts Ally’s father in the Space Arc canon, TSoM1 is his only appearance until then. He’s spoken about somewhat obliquely in “The Case of the Striped Leopard”, but that’s another If Arc story. That being said, the If Arc stories are as true to the characters’ canonical depictions as the setting and plot allow. There wouldn’t be much point in a What If story if the characters were totally unrecognizable, after all.

Anyway, back to Ally’s father, he kinda got away from me being an immensely unlikable person. There’s some justification for his hostility in the prologue as he’s opposed to Ally attending SOMA, but there’s this very oppressive atmosphere in the house that certainly gives you the feeling that his ill temper is a regular thing.

Dr. Steven O’Connor, Sr. is a real piece of work.  Married four times. Each time the wife got younger and younger. He may or may not have been having dalliances with future Wife #4 while still married to Wife #3.  (For that matter, he may have been having dalliances with Wife #3 while Wife #2 was still alive.)  Womanizing, ill-tempered and a drinker though he was, his domestic tyranny was mostly non-violent. I imagine Wife #3 had a little more fire in her belly, which is probably what drew him to Wife #4, who had a more submissive personality. Probably explains a lot about Ally’s timidness.

However, Steven Senior was killed along with Wife #4 and his eldest daughter in a traffic accident, leaving it to eldest son Steven Junior to head up the household. Steven Junior is remarkably unlike his father, an all-around nice guy (though he does resemble his father with his soft spot for the ladies). He was just starting out his own career as a doctor when their parents were killed, which resulted in a 15-year-old Ally having to take up domestic responsibilities for her youngest siblings. Then, of course, she was drafted into the Army and things went downhill for her from there.

With the TSoM series, though, because it starts with Ally at age 10, we actually get a glimpse into the O’Connor household back when it was still intact. They’re not exactly the same O’Connors from the Space Arc cannon, but you do get a better idea of what it was like.

Well, this has turned more into a commentary post than a WIP update, but there you have it. We’ll see what I get accomplished over the weekend. Stay tuned.

On a whim, I started filling out the narrative in the prologue of TSoM1. Sometimes it’s nice to just write where fancy takes me and not obsess too much over release dates. Don’t get me wrong. No small part of the reason I’m serializing my work is to help ensure I’m making steady progress on my writing, but it’s good to write where the inclination takes you from time to time. It’s a tricky balance to strike between professional structure and flowing with the more capricious currents of inspiration. I’ll probably finish this chapter and then get back to TTWC1. Stay tuned.

More progress on Ionathas’ Chapter 2, though not quite as much as I would’ve liked. I’m still hoping to finish it in the next couple days. Stay tuned.

Still moving along with Ionathas’ Chapter 2. I only have two or three sequences to wrap up, so that should be done soon. Still at a bit of a loss when it comes to Tico3, but I need to power through it somehow. Stay tuned.

A little more progress was made on Ionathas’ Chapter 2. It’s going to turn out a bit longer than I initially planned, but hopefully I can get it knocked out in the next day or so.

On a side note, I find it interesting that it’s one of the few chapters in Ionathas’ section to really highlight his relationship with Corona, even though it’s a significant part of his story. Well, I suppose the reader’s questions will carry them on to her section of the book, which happens to be at the end. That’s how you plan it, folks. ^o^

Although I didn’t post yesterday, having devoted my morning hours to squaring away my financials for the month, I have been continuing my progress on Ionathas’ Chapter 2. Hopefully I can find the time to wrap it up and move on to the oft-delayed Chapter 23 of Tico3. Stay tuned.