Pacing

Those of you who follow the blog are probably aware; “Layers” has been completed, and it’s on to the next bit of serial madness. I chose to do “Riptide,” though I couldn’t say why. It called to me. Blame it on my current moods.

There is a crucial difference between the two, though. The pacing of the work. Not the story itself, exactly, but the way it’s written. “Layers” was spewed out at a rapid pace, almost writing itself. It was based on a dream I’ve had for over thirty years, and thus all the elements were already in place; I merely had to transcribe them.

“Riptide” is a bit different. I know the broad strokes, and the story I want to tell. The ending is actually already written; in a rare moment of being scattershot, I actually wrote that before I even had the backstory. I’m now essentially writing the tale backwards, fast forwarding and rewinding between the ending I’ve written and the parts that show how Rachel gets there.

That means the work progresses a little slower. “Layers” may not have been the best project to start with in my forays into serialization; I worry I may have given unrealistic expectations on my output. But for those of you following, don’t be concerned. Just because you don’t see a new bit of “Riptide” every other day, it doesn’t mean it’s been abandoned. Just been worked on. I aim to release a new segment at least once and hopefully twice a week until the tale is told, but we’ll see how it goes.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the story. Be well.