#progress diary

[hallowgracie]

Started working on The Book of Shades and drafting it. Starting with 1/67 chapters completed (tentative, no doubt that will change over time), and at a humble 1,151 words.

We're going for more, shorter chapters this time compared to Starfall Sleuth. And I look forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

[swirlmup]

Welcome to week 18! Finished storyboarding ep.9 and sketching ep.5. So much to draw and yet so little time, you may have noticed that this month I've been trying to push myself more, but it's tough with school to keep up with as well. Oh well, I'll manage somehow. And these weekly updates will have to hold out since I won't be able to post ep.5 right away, even when it's done.

[krakenshaped]

Brush test! Gonna add colour to this one because like. My colour needs WORK.

[hufflepuffjjay]

Weight loss diary!

So this year I have lost over 4 stone. I started January 2017 at 25.7 st (Size 28-30) and am ending it at 20.4 st, (Size 18-20).  I have learned so much this year, particularly about my body and I feel it’s important to list them so that I can look back this time next year and remember all of the advances and improvements I have endured and it will remind me to keep going forward. So with that in mind, I have learned:

- I have an under-active thyroid and a slow metabolism because of this.

- I am an Endomorph body type and thus should focus more on cardio than weight training, as the slow metabolism of Endomorphs means that I need to train long and hard in order to start seeing progress.

- that it’s important to make healthy changes instead of low fat or low sugar, I’ve been choosing natural.

- that things that I class as obstacles now, I can overcome. For example, I’ve recently started working out outside but due to the awful weather I’ve let it put a stop to my homeworkouts. So from January I’m joining the local gym! I’m a little nervous because I’ve not been inside a gym since 2015. But I think this will help me a lot and that this will be a really good thing!

- that I will never have time for working out or being the healthiest, best version of me. I will make the time! Because I want to. Because I need to. And because working on me is one of the most incredible things I can work on, so I really need to stay excited about this (Yes, even after Zumba or Pilates classes). 

- that I will not always be excited, motivated or  pumped for working out. I will never, always eat healthily or be able to do something as well as someone else. And that is honestly okay, I’m doing my best and it’s okay. Because i’m not aiming to be perfect, I’m aiming for progress! And even though progress comes with consistency, as long as i’m doing the best I can, I should be proud of myself. 

No, I AM proud of myself, and that will not change in the next year. I will continue to grow and blossom into the person I want to be, that I am inside. 

Stronger, more confident and happier.

Fit. Fierce. Fabulous.

[hallowgracie]

New thread because the old one was getting unwieldy, continuing the drafting diary for The Book of Shades:

19/65 chapters complete (added one back, let's go)

31,543 words

[hallowgracie]

Starting off the day with a writing sprint and 64,123 words, with 35/52 chapters completed (only 17 chapters left)

[hallowgracie]

Okay, so I ended up reducing the projected chapter count for Starfall Sleuth after having some plot points move around and having a better idea of my pacing for this particular story. This always happens--some authors always extend their chapter counts, while I always end up cutting some once I'm deeper into the WIP.

So 14/58 chapters done, that leaves 44 chapters to go.

Current word count is 33,739

[hallowgracie]

Starfall Sleuth Updates (1/17/26)

In other words--I finally did it!

Clocking in at 80,606 words and 48 chapters, I now have a completed draft of Starfall Sleuth.

So what happens now?

I'm taking a week off from this project and next weekend I will resume by doing a read-through for continuity, spelling and grammar, and any major characterization'/plothole issues, fixing as I go.

And then it will be time to embark on my greatest quest yet--querying for publication.

To @annlillyjose and @despoinacoco and everyone who has been following Starfall Sleuth--thank you. Without your interest and faith in me, I never would have been motivated to continue working on it to this extent. I would never have kept reshaping the story and reinventing it.

So thank you. This story would not have happened without you.

To celebrate this milestone, let me know if there's anything you'd like to know about the story of Starfall Sleuth as it currently stands. I can't wait to hear from you!