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The Legacy of Androva Series

Writing Update: Story Evolution ✍

I'm making good progress with Engraved in Magic, the sequel to Matched in Magic, and it seems like a good time to reflect on how things are going with the story. I've mentioned before on this blog that I'm not a planner. Despite my best efforts to define plots in advance, I never succeed, and I figure out each book while I'm writing it.

That said, Engraved in Magic is a sequel. And sequels are a little different because I obviously have a fixed starting point and usually some ongoing plot lines to pursue as well. For today's post, I thought I'd compare the story I'm writing to the story I intended to write by way of a top ten plan v reality list ☺.


The Plan
The Reality



1
Art to take over as narrator.
Yes, Art tells the story. It’s been a challenge for me to get to know him because he’s lacking in self-confidence, but he has a kind of quiet determination that’s very appealing. One of my beta readers sums it up by saying that Art is much more of a Darius than a Jax!



2
An extended timeline for the story. Matched in Magic happened over just four days, and I expect Engraved in Magic to be longer.
No. I’m pretty sure Engraved in Magic is going to be around four days too. There seems to be a lot happening in Vayl since the sponsorship model was overthrown.



3
Galen, Serena’s brother, to get the chance to help the Ricard family.
Not exactly. The Ricards and mage-sickness are definitely a part of the story. But it’s not Galen who takes the lead.



4
A new villain.
Yes. I always try to introduce a new villain/threat with every book, although the identity of the villain is proving a little difficult to pin down this time. I’ve changed my mind once already.



5
Character development for Xavic Dantail.
A little. There is the potential for Xavic’s story to be part of a future book. He's popular with beta readers, so we'll see.



6
A meeting with Darix, Art’s brother.
Yes. In fact, Darix is a bigger part of this story than I expected.



7
Different/new magic either in the form of spells unique to Xytovia or something invented by Galen.
There is a lot of brand-new magic/history revealed in this book, but it has nothing to do with Galen. Sorry, Galen… but you did get Surviving Magic all to yourself!



8
No significant new characters except for the villain.
No. This didn’t work out as I thought it would because a new character turned up early in the story almost from nowhere, and he grabbed the limelight immediately. His name is Kellan.



9
Art to become more familiar with using magic.
And then some! Art discovers that he’s not an ordinary magician in a way that dramatically changes the course of the story.



10
Art’s and Serena’s relationship progresses.
Yes. They made a promise to stay together at the end of Matched in Magic, and I’m trying to make sure they keep it. This story is not about Art and Serena breaking up.

It looks like about half of what I planned is happening (kind of) the way I planned it. I don't think that's too bad. At least I know it's worth making a top ten next time!

Engraved in Magic is currently scheduled for a late July release date. I hope everyone is keeping safe and well, and thank you very much for visiting my blog today. Happy reading 💕.

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