State of the Author, September Edition · 5:12pm Sep 27th, 2020
I have finished the first draft of chapter 9 of The Seven Trials of Clover the Clever! I managed to get it in before the end of the month, which was my big goal. It came in at a hefty 19k words, just 500 words short of the longest chapter so far, and that puts the whole story now at 80k words.
And it's an excellent chapter, if I do say so myself. It continues the Star Swirl & Clover-tradition of being at the same time completely unlike anything you were expecting while also being exactly right. It has funny bits, drama, romance, and lots of heart. And it's a pretty major milestone for me.
Some time in the last couple of years I wrote a comprehensive plan for the whole story, including a plan for how many chapters there would be and what would happen in each. I took it for granted that the plan would eventually break, because my plans always do, and that I would end up writing far more chapters than originally intended. That may still happen but so far the plan has held up, the first nine chapters are actually working as scheduled. And according to that plan the whole story is 17 chapters long. Which means that according to that plan chapter 9 is the middle chapter and I am now past the halfway point 
So I did that. And otherwise I'm just very exhausted from doing that (and, you know, from everything), so there isn't that much else to report here. The state of the author is: exhausted. Also kinda cold.
Autumn always sneaks up on me. I saw the earliest signs of the trees changing color sometime in early August, which raised the specter of autumn - but then those tiny hints just stayed there unchanging for a very long time, long enough to convince you it was a false alarm. And then six weeks later all the trees change all the color seemingly overnight and you're left with your head spinning even though, as XKCD once said, the passage of time is literally the most predictable thing in the universe. So it's cold now.
Preview time! Here's a bit from chapter 3, and this is exciting, I do believe it's time to introduce one of the main characters:
“I still can’t believe you had the government spy on me,” Clover muttered as they walked. “You know you can just write me, Platty. We get mail. Believe me, I know, I’m the one who has to sort it.”
“Well of course I can write you letters,” Platinum said hurriedly. “It’s not like the palace censors would filter them or anything! No, this was just a spur of the moment thing, you know. It’s spontaneous! I can be spontaneous!”
“I guess I’d just feel a little better if the Professor were here,” Clover said. “Not that we’re going to be in any danger! No, this is going to be very boring and not at all adventurous! But I guess I figured your dad would prefer it that way.”
Platinum burst out laughing. “Oh, Clover… If anything the fact that it’s just us here makes it better! Daddy has no problems with you, Clover. It’s Star Swirl he doesn’t like.”
Clover pouted in protest. “The Professor is really a very nice pony once you get to know him.”
“Maybe. Daddy doesn’t think so though. I’ve heard him call your teacher ‘a great beast’.”
Clover snorted. “Well, that’s just completely unwarranted.”
“If you say so, Clover,” Platinum said with a smile. “You know him better than I do, after all. Although, of course, daddy has known him much longer than you have.”
Eeyup. She's back.
Stay safe out there everyone.
All these reassurances of the total absence of adventure has me wondering how many royal unicorn ninjas are lurking in the rafters, ready to whisk Platinum off to a safe room at the slightest whiff of Star Swirl's apprentice doing something her master might approve of.
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Having had the good fortune to be a pre-reader, I will confirm that Platty is an absolutely delightful character!
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I swear I am that bulging veins meme photo trying not to just spoil everything about this story...
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At this point in history Platty is, in fact, Best Princess