I have some strange feelings lingering about next week. Linear Shift, Part 4 will release on Tuesday. Part 4 will be the conclusion to my attempt at a serialized novel, which I began on September 19th, 2013. It certainly has been an adventure, and I’m not sure I would do it quite the same way again.
When I first planned the Linear Shift project, I intended to write the first 13,000 word part, then follow up with three additional parts, spaced three to four months apart. Four parts in total. As I got close to the release of Part 1, my mother had taken ill. She was in and out of the hospital throughout August and September. I tried to be there for her, as well as meet my self imposed publishing deadline of September 21st. Unfortunately, my mom did not live to see the publication of my first book. She died in the early morning on the exact day I uploaded the final ebook file to Amazon. I wanted to please he so much by what I was able to accomplish. I longed to see the proud look upon her face when I showed her the published book. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. She died not even knowing that I succeeded.
One unfortunate part of that life event, besides my mother passing away, is that my drive to write seriously took a hit. The writing of Linear Shift was so tainted by the death of my mother that I found it hard to write the next part as quickly as I’d hoped. I spent the next three months writing part 2, and published it somewhat close to my planned date, on December 23rd. Linear Shift, Part 3 was not the same tale though. I tried to roll right into it at the beginning of 2014, but memories of my mom continued to flood my mind every time I opened up the manuscript. I battled on it for three months before I decided I needed to write something else.
In February, I wrote Borrowed Souls in just a few short weeks. After a few rounds of editing, and a quick book cover made, I published it on March 4th. I published another novella a few weeks later, called Silo Saga: Recoil. After those were out, I continued to write short stories, but I could not get back into Linear Shift. Finally, around August, I hunkered down and tried to push past the memories and write. I set a goal to wrap up the Linear Shift novel in one final part. I wanted it done. I needed to move on. I continued to work hard on the project, but deep down, I knew I was doing a great injustice to the story. I was trying to finish it faster than it deserved. I was also trying to cram ten pounds of story into a five pound book. As I approached the anniversary of the publication of Linear Shift, Part 1, and the day of my mothers death, I decided to re-evaluate my path once again. I decided to not wrap it up in that third part, and settled in on four. I also extended my own deadline for part 3 to mid October. I then postponed it again to late November. On November 25th, Linear Shift, Part 3 finally published. Almost an entire year had passed since part 2 published. Strangely, part 3 didn’t quite meet my expectations. I’ve been told that it was a different book compared to the first two parts – that it was a lot better. Unfortunately, I didn’t think I deserved the accolades.
Now, here it is – February 26th, and I’m on the verge of completing Linear Shift. I’ve greatly increased the length of the 4th and final part, shooting for 40,000 words, and ending up at a little over 51,000 words. This final part certainly wrote a LOT easier than the second and third parts did, and I think it shows. There is a lot more action and the story wraps up just about all the loose ends left hanging through the first three parts.
Regardless of the memories that I continue to associate with the Linear Shift project, the end is bitter sweet. On the one hand, I am thankful that I found the strength to push through and finish the story. On the other hand, I am so sad because the project is done and over with. Is it the end of Peter’s story? I don’t think so. But it is the end of Linear Shift. Because the planned nine month project ended up nearly twice as long, I feel like it has become such a part of my life. For that, I feel like I am losing something else. The flip side? I get to write something new! And for that, I am beyond excited.