I never used to think that far ahead. Thinking about the next year was hard enough, let alone 3, 5, or 10 years ahead. A few months was all I could manage.

For most of us, finishing a novel takes that long. Some people may claim they can write a book in a single month (or faster), but they conveniently omit how long editing takes or how long plotting out the whole thing takes. They omit that their books are 60,000 words instead of 80,000, or that they’ve been writing for 20 years already. 

Finishing a book takes time. It takes stamina. Most of us have to work our way up to that. We start with short stories or novellas. 

I started A Battleaxe and a Metal Arm because of that. 

When I wrote the first episode, I really didn’t know where it was going. It was very much an exercise in “pantsing” or “writing into the dark”. I knew the premise, had a list of questions that I would use to guide the reveals, but that was about it. I figured out Helesys and Taunauk’s backstory as I went. Same thing with the true nature of the dungeon and even parts of the larger world of Battleaxe and Tales from Another World. 

I tell you this, because episodes 11-15 finally get to the big reveals about Helesys, Taunauk, and Shawn—reveals that I’ve been dissecting and hinting at for the last year. I’m excited, and I hope you guys are too. 

But that’s not why I’m writing this post. I’m writing this post because I have all the answers now. I know exactly where the series is heading. I’m writing this to tell you that you don’t need to have all the answers to start writing. 

I started A Battleaxe and a Metal Arm because I wanted to write something—something long form and epic. Up until that point, all I had written was short stories and novellas. I had to start somewhere, and I’m glad I did. Now I’m half-way up the mountain, looking down, and the view is pretty amazing. Now that’s all out there…

The first Series Box set releases today! It contains episodes 1-5, and clocks in around 80,000 words—right around that sweet, sweet novel-length. I was able to set some big reveals at the end of every five episodes, that way they would work well as a novel when all was said and done. For now, it’s only available as an Ebook, but eventually I will come out with a print version and audiobook version.

If you haven’t checked out the series yet, or if individual episodes are a pain to keep track of, rest easy—every 5 episodes will be bundled together.