A Tremendous Journey

The Ernest Demon project has come a long way.  The last four chapter's drafts are done and will go through the editing phase to become post drafts.  After the post drafts are up, over all editing and revision will occur as all the chapters are combed through for edits and shifts to ensure that the intended images, theme, and more are in alignment.

And when that's done?  Perhaps some of the other stuff I have planned for Volume 1 can be worked on.  Here's hoping.

Wow... it's been quite some time hasn't it?

2013.

I started thinking of this story in particular back in 2010. 

It's been a long 3 years... I was still in the middle of trying to finish a college degree, going through all kinds of situations in life... I sacrificed a lot... made friends... lived and escaped death plenty of times.  It's kind of hard to take in...  The journey isn't over yet, but looking back, it definitely has left it's mark on me. 

Soon it will be 2014. 

I'd like to thank anyone who has spent the time reading these posted drafts for the project.  And for anyone who might see this message in the future, thank you for spending your precious time with me. 

I intend to write at length about this project, maybe even do a video about the experience. 

But that is later.  For now, I will enjoy the view I see from the long trail I've crossed.  Mountains of challenges left behind, new ones yet to overcome. 

I've learned a lot.  I relearned things I thought I knew. 

And I hope to share all of that with you. 

For those reading now, please wait just a little bit longer.  The last bones will be fleshed into proper drafts and then posted up as soon as I can finish them. 

Thank you again for traveling with me.  I hope you'll enjoy the fruits to come at the end of this first of many journeys to come. 

Merry Christmas. 
Happy New Year.
Happy Solstice and Winter Cheer, may you have a great New Year!

A Heart of Clover

"I didn't know what to think when we made eye contact.  Both of us were wrapped up to fight the cold.  He asked me for my name and pulled out a clip board, 'Please sign here.' And so I did, curious.  He just dug into his satchel and handed me a worn envelope.  'You got mail' was all he said, before the light changed from red and we never saw each other again.  I remember then as my hands poked out of my sleeves, that envelop was still warm.  What was inside seemed less important than the exchange that just occurred. 

I didn't open that letter till I was miles away from that crosswalk, and did so with care.  Its worn surface was blank, without address and its stamp box was bare.  The letter was warm and filled with flowers preserved, the words told a story of friendship to occur.  Seeds sown on barren land with the hope of tomorrow as seasons pass. 

In a book on a shelf forgotten to time, I pulled out a dried plant of mine.  A clover with four leaves filled with memories of younger years with hopeful dreams...  I carefully put it with the others in the letter and closed its fragile seal.  Years would pass and that planted seed would grow till one winter I found myself again at a crossroads covered in snow.  Another person was there fighting off the cold. 

We made eye contact. 

I asked for a name, had it written down, and passed on the letter which had found, a new home. 

So is the story of the letter without a destination, passing on from one generation.  I don't know when the journey will end, but along its way I've made many new friends."

A process nearly completed.

Tests are done.  No more college.  It's all done.  Degree get.  That's a rather big deal since it means that there are many hours now available for me to pursue whatever it is I'm going to pursue.  The past few weeks have been spent indulging in various things that I had to put off until now.  I'll be hitting the iron keys soon enough to produce the last chapters for this first volume project.

Chapters 16 and 17 were something of a climax treat for anyone who read through the drafts until now.  The next chapter(s) will try to sustain some of that action high or at least replace it with suspense.  Core elements for the volume wrapping up will be written and then we'll see where to go from there...

I know I've been neglecting stream lining a lot of things, so I'll have to tackle that as well.

Overall I'm excited to have gotten this far in the marathon of life. 

Here's a metaphorical glass raised in cheer.

You know I'm good for it.

It's been a few energetic months since the last Ernest Demon chapter update... half a chapter was split off and just needed some editing right? 

It still does.  I rewrote a majority of that half and it still needs to be finished.

In the mean time I've been rather busy.  Lots of networking, lots of art discussion and so on and so forth.  I haven't gotten it all up, but if you want to see some of the progress you can head over to my tumblr account here:

http://talesofink.tumblr.com/

I've also been busy with studying and trying to get this whole higher-education thing finished. 

It's been busy, but it's been good busy.  It's the kind of thing I've always wanted to do and getting closer to seeing things completed - completes me. 

As a heads up notification to any reader who does find this message, when the Ernest Demon Project's first volume comes to a close, there will probably be a lot of shifting around.  The online drafts posted up might stay, but the finished product will be put in a desirable package separate from the blog's delivery system. 

We're not really sure yet where the home is going to be... but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.  Until then, I got studies to do and the chapter to finish editing. 

Till next post.

One chapter split into two

The latest in the Ernest Demon Project has become a rather massive chapter... The plan is to split it into two chapters which will likely be released at the same time after some minor edits and a title check. 

Looking back on this project I'm glad to have been able to put it up as a form of motivation.  Everything kind of back tracks to this.  It has been an insight into completing a story and seeing it not only to its end, but also putting it on the path of becoming something more.  Cheerful thoughts aside, there is a lot of work coming up. 

After these chapters the first volume will truly have reached a finishing point, and the over all arc of the project will enter its next phase.  If you've followed the series or are coming across this post, the first volume puts down a lot of base concepts which will be the foundation of what is to come.  Sounds simple, but it's all about the execution.  In order to keep everything consistent, a lot of the chapters (especially the earlier ones) will have to be rewritten.  Not only to clean up some paragraphs, but also to make the formatting consistent. 

This project has always been envisioned as being different in form to most of the other literature out there.  After going over some of the earlier sections I can guess that most readers will likely have differing views to what I intended for the setting...  To that end, there will likely be further additions to the earlier chapters to make the difference easier to deal with for readers. 

The first of many parts of the project is not yet over, in fact, it has only begun. 

Volume 1. 

I hope that you'll enjoy it once it's completed.

Back Door progress.

There's a lot that goes on when it comes to pumping out another chapter or more.  The reason why I post up these 'chapters' is not only motivation, but also to playtest the chapters which are technically still drafts.  There's always another edit to be checked and another area that could be re-written.  So much to balance and with a small team and never enough time, it can seem like the next chapter will take forever to put up.

Technology and timing can also lead to an undermining of updates... especially when team members are unable to communicate or when life gets in the way.

Still working on the next chapter and checking through parts that need to be edited.  I often say "Technically it's not done yet."  And I get frustrated when I say it, but it's true.  I put up drafts here for anyone to see for free.  One day the first volume will be wrapped up in a nice package and will be greater than these drafts ever were by themselves.

In order to achieve that goal, I have to do a lot of coordination... People to talk to, obstacles to overcome and direction given.  I would like for things to speed up.  I'd like to hammer out these chapters consistently.

I'm working on it.

-

Edit:
Latest chapter is up finally.  Hope to finish this sandbox arc soon. 

http://ernestdemon.blogspot.com/2013/02/ernest-demon-chapter-15-spring-cleaning.html#more

When you hear an author or other developer say, "I really didn't plan on this part taking so long."  I can finally say that I understand that.  I always thought of the sandbox arc to have been quite short... I never imagined when I first started that the amount of detail between point A and point B would be such a page consumer.

I figure that if it were animated or drawn out, it would possibly go by real fast.  After all in a picture you can put in a lot of details which takes half a page to describe.  In other cases though, getting the flow of a series of pictures or an animation right, can be just as troubling.

Well, we got about one more chapter left (I think) of the Sandbox arc.  I think.  I hope.  I want to get out of this desert.

By the way, if you have five hours for some epic music in the background:
http://youtu.be/lP0D5u3EMfA