First of all, I’d really like to thank you all for your patience, as I know many of you have been hanging out for an update. I also apologise, because I know it’s been a long time coming.

It’s update time…

As you know, I wanted to do the update when I had something tangible to report — beyond “still revising, not done yet”, that is. So I was as frustrated as any of you when getting to a stage where I could finally say “the milestone-in-progress is ‘definitely done’ ” took far longer than I ever envisaged.

To Recap
As you will know from earlier posts, when I embarked on what was the ‘next milestone’, I was coming out of what I call “the zig-zag”, which involved the resolution of multiple different narrative versions into one integrated whole. As also noted previously, “the zig-zag” comprised the bulk, but not all, of the first half of the WALL #4 manuscript.

So at that point, I was embarking on what I believed would be a small bridging section (ha! said the Muses) and revision of the final section of the first half of the manuscript.

Not so much this…

And Then…
The main reason it has taken so long, is that I quickly realized the “bridging section”, given preceding changes, was no longer fit for purpose and needed to be completely rewritten. This resulted in consequential, or flow-on, changes to both the preceding and following sections of the manuscript. Definitely an “Ack!” moment, with the resultant hiatus between concrete updates.

… as this

The Update
The good news is that all those tasks are definitely wrapped up now, so I do have something concrete to report — which is that the first half of the manuscript is done. Yes, really and truly done.

Yep, there were ‘days like this’

You may, quite rightly, point out that the second half remains outstanding. However, the structure of the WALL 4 manuscript is what in art would be called a diptych — and in literary terms, too, since the original meaning was a two-leaved hinged tablet folding together to protect the interior. So because the WALL #4 story falls into two distinct, but hinged, parts in the same way, that’s why I can say “Yep, done” to Part 1.

Roman style diptych table_Wikimedia Commons

What Follows Now
No time for slacking off, that’s what. Instead it’s straight on to Part 2. You may recall that I have already substantially revised the final section, and the overall manuscript has always been more intact than Part 1.

Knocking off those sections, one by one…

Accordingly, I do entertain hope that the revision will be more straightforward. Although in saying that, you will know the drill, which is that a weather eye must always be kept on Mt Parnassus, and libations poured to the Muses, that they may prove kind.

So please do feel free to pour many, and liberal, libations. 😀 Meanwhile, I shall—to use a Japanese term—continue to gambaru with Part 2.

Future Updates
Future updates will be on each section of Part 2 as I complete them. I’ll report on them here, under About My Books and About What I’m Doing, as that occurs. Onward!

I shall channel my inner Korra 😉