Fractal Peace: Part Two Complete

The first draft of part two of Fractal Peace is done. Well, that was something.

I set off to write a small, three-chapter part called Cooperation, where my main protagonist, Polk, participates in a mission with three other POV characters, happily working together under the direction of the fourth secondary POV character.

Hmm. Five chapters later, it's now called Collaboration. By its end, two of the characters on the mission are hinting they might like a relationship (but haven't told each other). They don't trust the other two, not that those two would notice. All they care about is killing each other.

As I say, hmm. Luckily, they were going separate ways in part three anyway. It will affect how part four pans out, but it's made a much more interesting story. With the extra details revealed in part two, part four can now be shorter, giving a better balance to the tale. I'm happy with how it panned out.

I ended up with these chapters in part two:

• Knowing the Unknown

• Seeking the Aevoir

• Encountering the Hawk

• Exceeding the Remit

• Sharing the Vision

The longer part also gave each POV character more chance to shine, most getting their own chapter, plus a bit extra for Polk. It finished with 18,300 words, making 81,500 words overall so far.

Part three is now called Contention. It still contains four chapters, although I have shuffled the order a bit – and will likely do so again. The last three chapters happen in parallel, setting up the grand finale in part four. I could tell them in any order, so will see how they feel once complete. This seems like the best sequence for now:

• Employing the Conflict

• Unlocking the Aevoir

• Accepting the Past

• Defending the Enemy

As promised, I've tweaked the text position on the cover. The title looks better, but in retrospect, I think the author's name is now too high. Sigh. I'll get there.

Right, on with part three, This should be fun.