February Progress Report and Author Update:
After pushing hard to wrap up chapter four earlier this month, I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out and needing a break. One of the things I promised myself when I started writing this project was that I would take breaks as needed, making health and family my priorities, so I’m doing my best to stay true to that. This is another reason I chose Hosted Games for this story, so I can write what I want to write when I want to write it, and not have the stress of deadlines.
I have not yet started in on chapter five, which is actually ch_5a and ch_5b because the split in the story means two different adventures the MC can take during that time period. One of the challenges with writing Interactive Fiction is the mind-boggling overwhelm that can feel like an insurmountable wall when you think about the labyrinthine branches that must be written.
Is it the anticipation of those many branches and two separate chapter fives that’s making me want to take a break from writing? No doubt that’s a contributing factor, but I’ve climbed that mountain before. The truth is, there’s an ebb and flow to my creative process.
Sometimes time spent away from my computer is exactly what I need in order to figure out new twists or to recharge my energy so I can dive back in.
Sometimes I need to move my body and change my perspective in order for the pieces of the story to fall into place. Walks with my dog and puttering around the yard while my kids slide down a snowy embankment are just the thing to get my brain unstuck.
Cleaning the house and baking cookies are good for the soul.
Progress Report:
Since I released the first 40k demo of The Eternal Library on Dec. 23, 2024, I’ve written over 55,000 words for the game and many thousands more in POV scenes that aren’t yet incorporated or might never be part of the main body of the IF novel. I’ve created the art, integrated feedback, playtested, edited, maintained Patreon and Tumblr accounts, and responded to comments here on the CoG forum. That’s a lot for two months!
I’m really liking the integration of POV scenes to fill in elements of intrigue that happen “off page” in the game. This is something I didn’t do in my last two IF novels, and it’s wonderfully revealing to get into other characters’ heads.
I love the many layers coming into play and the massive amount of story that is chapter four, which is currently available in the Patreon demo and will be released publicly toward the middle of next month.
While I’m taking a short break this week to recharge, I’ll start to chip away on one of the chapter fives soon. Perhaps I’ll do a Patreon poll to see which one people want me to write first!
Thanks so much for following along as I write The Eternal Library! 
I hope you have a wonderful week! 
amazingly well done.
All the rest of the stat tests are purely for flavor text so the story reflects your character’s choices. There are definitely IF novels where stats are important to the MC’s success in the game, but this is not one of them. 
I’d rather just tell the story than make players stress about stat levels.
I hope you get a cool breeze and some relief from the heat. Thanks for taking time to play and for leaving such a lovely comment!