Backlog Restoration Achieved (Chapter 46 of Long Haul is out!)

Howdy again, Everypony! It's Friday again, so that means it's time for another chapter upload! Along with that, I've got good news! While this summer might have been a low point for productivity due to the heat, we have quite quickly switched gears here in Washington State. Two weeks ago, it was high to mid sixties pretty much every day, but as of last week, it's been mid to upper thirties (it was in the high twenties for a day last week as well!) as we were hit by an arctic cold front sweeping down from Canada. Though, I don't have to tell you this if you live in the midwest or northeastern US! The point is, with the cooler temperatures, I'm back in my element, and I've managed to become quite productive again! Because of this, my backlog has been restored, and I can finally justify getting back onto not forcing myself to get something down.

This burst in activity has also helped me to plan things out and get things set up for the immediate future in Long Haul as well. Mind you, where I am now in terms of the implementation of these ideas is still months away from anything you'll end up seeing due to the backlog of course. Though I did want to mention it, as now with TheFurryRailFan's break he's been taking after the end of his story Empty Quiver, (Which I shouldn't have to tell you again to go and read!) I've been able to exchange quite a few ideas with him fairly quickly. Mind you, most of these ideas are just ways to firm up the long shared connections between our two stories, but his input has made it so much easier to world build up in the frozen north.

Lastly, on the current development of the story, generally I don't care to cut things up into chunks and label them, but I've been asked more and more often how long is Long Haul going to end up being. The thing is, I don't exactly plan things out super strictly on a chapter by chapter basis. As most have noticed, I like to leave wiggle room to add in new ideas, or be able to cut lengthy and unnecessary diversions. For example, Merchants of Hope was something I estimated at the start to be a fifteen chapter story, and Better Days was supposed to be about thirty.

So when I say that Long Haul was supposed to be a seventy five chapter story, with the major turning point of it being around chapter forty five, you can probably guess it's not going to be so short. For example, the original 'major turning point' I'd planned for the story will actually take place in chapter fifty one and fifty two. How do I know this? Because I'm already halfway through writing chapter fifty at the moment. (I told you that productivity had returned again!) And while fifty one and two isn't that far off from chapter forty five, it does show you that sometimes writing can run on a bit longer than normal. So with that in mind, I'm going to say something that sounds a bit daunting: this is now estimated to be a one hundred chapter story.

Then again, this probably isn't news to any of you who've been following me since Merchants of Hope. And on that, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me all this way! But even for those just following me now, I hope you understand that I wasn't kidding about the title of this story. You knew it was going to be a Long Haul from the start.

Anyway, with all that rambling out of the way, that's pretty much it for this week's update! I hope you all enjoy the somewhat relaxed chapter I've got for you all, and be sure to keep leaving me comments on what you think! But even though I've been super productive so far, that's no excuse not to keep at it, so I'mma get back to work! See you all again right here in two weeks for yet another chapter of Long Haul. Thank you all for being the best readers I could ever ask for, and for now, do take care!