Hello, readers.
I wanted to leave a proper notice regarding the novel before making a temporary change to its publication.
For some time now, I have been going back through the earlier chapters of The Covenant of Timeless Mysteries. I had originally intended to leave any major revision work until the completion of the first volume, but after spending more time with the opening chapters, I have decided that it would be better to address certain things now rather than continue building upon sections I already know I intend to refine.
The prologue will remain available, but most of the currently published chapters will temporarily return to drafts while I revise the opening portion of the story.
This is not a rewrite of the novel into something fundamentally different. The central events, characters, mysteries, and overall direction will remain. The revisions are primarily concerned with how the early story presents itself: pacing, continuity, transitions between scenes, and especially the order in which information is introduced.
When I first began writing TCOTM, I already had a great deal of its world and larger mysteries in mind. What I had considerably less experience with was deciding how much of that information a reader should receive at once. With time, practice, and a much better understanding of the kind of story I want to tell, I have become increasingly aware that some of the earlier chapters introduce several ideas in too close a succession.
The complexity itself is not something I intend to remove. Rather, I want to give those ideas more time to develop.
Some explanations will be reserved for later points where they are more relevant. Certain scenes may be expanded or rearranged to improve their progression, while details that no longer serve the story may be removed. The intention is to make the early mysteries easier to follow without making them simpler, and to allow the setting, characters, and information to unfold with greater purpose.
There may also be new material added between existing events where the story would benefit from more room to breathe. The general course of the volume will remain recognisable, but I want the journey between those events to better reflect the level of storytelling I now expect from the novel.
I have also been balancing current chapters, planning, university, work, and these revisions, which has contributed to the slower release schedule recently. Rather than dividing that time indefinitely between two different versions of the story, I would prefer to concentrate on bringing the opening to a point I am comfortable leaving in readers' hands.
Once the revised opening reaches a stable point, the chapters will return.
To those who have continued reading, commenting, and keeping up with the story, thank you. I am especially grateful for the patience you have shown while this novel has continued to grow alongside me as a writer.
I would much rather take the time to strengthen its foundation now than leave something I know I can tell better.
Hjkoiro
The Covenant of Timeless Mysteries will return soon!