Schedule Change - Possibly the last Admin Week (Patreon)

Hi all!

As I've been writing over the years, I've found my cadence has changed as my situation has changed in various ways. Over the past few months, I've fallen into a different cadence, and I'm finding myself needing to change the schedule to better match my writing pattern.

Short version: BTDEM is going to move to 2 chapters/week, with NO admin week during the month. It's what I'm currently doing these days anyway.

Long version: Between trying to stick the landing with BTDEM (Holy shit, finishing an epic is SUPER HARD! Starting a story is easy mode, sticking the landing is far, FAR harder than I ever imagined), and a mix of burnout with other mental stuff, I'm finding it super hard to get three chapters a week done. I keep writing two a week, and finding more pushed into my admin week. I don't think I've had a 0 chapter admin week in months - I've always been writing, trying to stay on top of it. Heck, I spent a lot of the Christmas vacation writing and working on stuff! It's clear I need to rethink my approach.

Starting in February I'm going to 2 chapters/week, Monday-Friday, but I'm cutting out admin week. I do most of my admin work every Monday as-is, and spend the rest of the week writing. January's admin week is going to be the week of the 13th... in which I fully expect to be writing the entire time anyway.

This does change the total number of chapters per month, but not by much. 2 chapters a week x 4 weeks = 8 chapters. 3 chapters a week x 3 weeks = 9 chapters. One only chapter difference on months where there are 4 effective posting weeks.

2/week x 5 weeks = 10 chapters

3/week x 4 weeks = 12 chapters

Two chapter difference on months where there are 5 effective posting weeks.

I've been deeply worried about the immediate cry - "This is just extending the end of BTDEM to milk more money out of Patreon!" - I can promise you that's not a factor. If I wanted to milk BTDEM forever, there are SO MANY ARCS I could just throw in for shits and giggles. I could write endless stories, and just keep the ball rolling. I'm not doing that. I've got a book and a half left, I've got all the plots laid out, I know I want to reach the end. I don't want to rush it. I don't want to leave hanging plotlines - except deliberately (CoughPASTOScough) - and I don't want it to be low quality. I also don't want to torture the end too long. I want people to look at BTDEM and say "Yes, it landed in a solid way". (Unlike, say, GOT....)

As much as I'd love to start writing the next project (I'm super excited for it), BTDEM comes FIRST. Which unfortunately means there might be a modest, to significant delay after BTDEM ends before the first chapter of 'Song of the Giftgiver' is posted. Or maybe an entirely different project. (I've got a fun magic school rattling around in my head...). I feel like sitting down and writing those projects though, when BTDEM isn't done and I'm not posting THE BEST on it, would be a betrayal of you all. To me, that's more important than being excited to write a new project. And I don't have the gas to write ALL THE THINGS, unlike some authors.

The last note! I really hope I don't need to go back to admin week, but it's entirely possible I will need to take the occasional week off for my mental health. I wish that wasn't the case. I wish I could sit down at my computer and write 20k words a day. Could you all imagine? We'd get so much story so fast! I just... can't, and it's upsetting. I love nothing more than sharing my world and story with all of you.

Thank you all, for being with me every step of the way.

Cheers!

Selkie