Well, that’s not how I expected things to go.
Hello! If you’ve been reading Greysons of Grimoire in its web novel form, then you probably know that Arc V was originally announced as the “final” Arc of the series. Here all threads would coalesce, all would drive towards a final, conclusive climax and ending.
Yeah, uh… about that.
The story hasn’t changed. It’s just that this final stretch of the story is quite a bit longer than I thought it would be. Coming to 86 chapters, Arc V was getting big, and I was getting just a tad bit worried about how unwieldy it would be, even after some much-needed edits, when it comes time to publish this part of the story as a novel.
And then, serendipity. I accidentally arrived at what could serve as a pretty effective ending for one Arc, preparing us for the next — and actual — final Arc.
I actually didn’t see it that way. I wasn’t so sure about the chapter, and especially its ending, thinking it might be “too dramatic.” But like with all of my chapters, I ran it by my sister/editor, and she came back saying that it felt like the perfect ending for Arc V. We talked about it, and it just clicked.
So, there’s going to be an Arc VI. And that will be the end. I can say that with certainty, because again, the story hasn’t changed. It’s just longer than I thought it’d be. And so Arc V ends with Chapter 86: The End Draws Near. A bit of a cheeky title, I know, but it fits.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Arc V! I’m really quite pleased with a lot of how it’s gone, though there are definitely some hiccups in there, some failings and stumbles and meanderings, that I wish I’d avoided. And I hope you’re looking forward to Arc VI! I suppose I shouldn’t be too worried about the story’s length — there are plenty of epic fantasy series that run longer — but…
I like endings. A lot. As much as I enjoy long, dense series full of characters and stories and surprises… I love seeing a story come to that needed, and satisfying, conclusion. Endings are necessary, and often the very best part of the best stories.
And I’ve always wanted Greysons to be only as long as it needs to be. There’s so much more I could do and could have done in this story, a lot of threads and ideas that were completely cut or reworked, for the sake of a better story. It’s already an ensemble story as-is, with separate plot threads and journeys going in different directions yet connecting back on each other, so it was never going to be a super-short, tight, concise story overall. But I don’t want things to drag, I never want to see a story go beyond where it “should have” ended. I’ve seen plenty of other stories do that, in literature, TV, and video games, and I hope I’ve learned from all those examples.
So, I promise I’m not pushing this story to be longer for the sake of making it longer. From early on in starting Arc V, I’ve had the ending pretty crystal-clear in my mind. The journey to get to that finale has just proved longer than I thought it would be. I hope you’re still enjoying the ride.
And if you’re waiting for the published volumes, good news! Book II is coming very soon. I’ve had some hiccups with getting it completed — a few tiny things outside of my control, but mostly, it’s been my fault and I’ve just been really, really slow at working through it — but it’s nearing the end of edits and I’ll soon have physical copies in my hand to do a quality check. Only then will I announce a firm release date and make it available for pre-order. Publishing the first volume helped me learn a lot of things, the main one being that everything takes longer than I expect. I don’t want to announce a release date, only to change it later down the line (or, even worse, change it multiple times!).
But that’s part of what I’m using this break between Arc V and Arc VI to accomplish. I’ve always taken a two-week break between Arcs, but this time, I’m going to be taking a bit longer. How much longer? Well…
Arc VI will begin on Monday, August 10th.
A bit more than a month, and we’ll be back at it. In that time, I’ll be getting everything complete with Greysons of Grimoire: Solitude, so I can set a firm release date that I can commit to.
I’ll also be re-reading all of Greysons, especially Arcs IV and V, and working hard on getting everything in order, knowing this story much better than I already do, and giving the story, the characters, and all of you readers, the very best ending possible. I’ll be working ahead on Arc VI chapters as well. That’s something I’ve always tried to do and, aside from parts of Arc III and most of Arc IV, have managed to achieve, but often just barely. I want to be much farther ahead this time, so I have much more time to re-read and revise chapters before they go live.
And I’ll hopefully be able to finish up some work on non-Greysons projects, upcoming works that I hope to be able to officially announce before the year comes to a close. There are more stories to come, stories I hope I can share soon!
The break will also help me kind of… decompress? Reset? I’m not sure of the right word. I’m not burning out on Greysosns or writing in general, nothing like that, but… my brain’s a pretty wild mess right now, and I have some untangling and decluttering to do in my head space. It’s time to focus, reorganize, and also lean into the specific goals I outlined above, as well as other personal goals, projects, and responsibilities outside of writing.
Arc V has come to a close, and I hope it leaves you breathless for Arc VI. And if you’re only reading the published volumes, first of all, thank you! So much! And secondly, you won’t have long to wait for the next installment. Solitude is a big, wild ride after A World of Magic. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Thanks so much for reading. Stay tuned for updates, new chapters, and new books!