Anniversary (Aravinda Loop Begins)


Exactly one year ago today, I wrote the first chapter of “The Truth Beyond the Sky”.

I didn’t go into it blind, though. I’d spent the previous 17 months cracking the plot through using an outline. Seventeen months! It was off and on, but still. And out of everything I did to complete the novel, that was probably the single smartest decision I made. By figuring out the plot arc ahead of time, I saved myself the inevitable trap that new authors fall into: running out of material after writing a couple chapters. Instead, I began my first draft with confidence and even excitement.

I was about to create not just one world, but an entire galaxy filled with grand adventure, bizarre and beautiful creatures, and ageless mystery. To be honest, I’d never written anything longer than a short story before, but something within me knew: I had to do it. There was simply no choice. Or rather, there was a choice (and always is), but I knew that, much like Zahn keeping his secret, I would feel miserable until I acted. Where this feeling came from, I have no idea, but I cannot express my gratitude for it enough.

For without that inner positive pressure, “The Truth Beyond the Sky” would not exist. Thankfully though, it does, and in the following months I’m going to share with you some of my journey in writing this sprawling, galactic adventure. Perhaps I’ll even share a free chapter or two. Exactly how this will manifest I cannot be sure. This is only the second site I’ve ever committed to maintaining, and I know from creating Byteful Travel that I can never quite predict where things will go.

But maybe that’s the point. Maybe the common thread in all grand adventure is a level of healthy uncertainty. After all, what’s the point of setting out if you know exactly how it’s going to end? I certainly don’t, but I hope you’ll do me the honor of coming along with me in the coming months and years. Atrus was right, you know.

The Ending has not yet been written, no matter where you are in this vast galaxy, and I am so thankful for that.