At 3:34 PM on November 29th, 2023, I finished my RPG fiction series, The Book of Dungeons. Four years ago, almost to the day, I started my seven book journey, hoping to tell some good stories and improve upon the pulpy tendencies of the additive new genre called litRPG. I first envisioned the series after grinding through 120 Audible hours in one month (November 2019), listening to only litRPG titles. I drew a map, listed some characters, and outlined stories. After writing 770,000 words (the length of the King James Bible), I typed “The End.”
What a long, strange journey it’s been, but I feel like I landed the sucker better than Sully on the Hudson. Maybe all authors love with their work as much, but this feels like something special. As I reached the last page, my excitement prevented me from concentrating. After an incoherent first draft, I rewrote it the next day to clear up the ending. Regardless of the editing ahead, I’ve been floating on air. Not even shipping World of Warcraft affected me like this.
My covers received a little more love this week. The D on the left was too smooth and phony. After brightening the D, I applied a paper texture to it and gold frame, making it better close up. The change holds the elements together and relates better to The Book of Kells art style.
What’s Next?
After I dive into the first novel’s fourteenth edit, it’ll be ready for public beta reading. I’ll release chapters in January 2024 on Patreon and Royal Road, hoping to support myself financially, process reader feedback, and flush out errors and inconsistencies. I’m supporting the series with essays about my writing process, where the stories come from, and what I’ve learned in these past four years. There are writing myths I’d like to dispel, but until I prove my literary chops, my opinion counts for diddly squat. With hundreds and hopefully thousands of eyes on my novels, my readers and I will squash any bugs we find.
Look for it soon at bookofdungeons.com
Better Late than Never
Providence and crummy international shipping have drastically delayed The WoW Diary Reprint. The books are at the port (probably Long Beach marina), but there’s no way they’re making it into my backers’ hands by the holidays. When all the components arrive in Michigan, I’ll drive up there and sign them while they’re being manufactured and packaged for fulfillment.