Last night, I was going to post up a story about The Narrow Road Between Desires as a “review” over on goodreads. But logging in, I discovered there were already 200+ reviews on there.
Nobody’s actually read the book yet, obviously. It won’t be published until the 14th. Most of them were 1-star hate-reviews from people pissed it wasn’t Doors of Stone, which means the current rating for the book is around 2.1 stars.
Not gonna lie, took the wind out of my sails a bit. Sucks to have 200+ 1 star reviews before your book even comes out. It almost guarantees that it will never even hit 4-stars.
Same thing happened to Slow Regard, now that I think of it.
(Though to be fair, it’s a weird little book. Not everyone’s cup of tea.)
So instead, I decided to share this story here instead. It’s probably a better place for it to live long-terms anyway…
What story is that, Pat? I hear you say.
Or rather, I imagine hearing you say it. Or rather, I imagine not-hearing you think it to yourself, because I’m guessing not many of you are reading this blog right now and asking questions out-loud. Probably. (If you are, that’s fine. I don’t judge.)
This is, simply said, the story of how The Narrow Road Between Desires came to be.
But Pat! How did this story of how it came to be, come to be? I hear you not ask. Because even if you’re a bit of a weirdie who reads a blog and talks to himself, you wouldn’t say a sentence like that. (Okay, I’m judging a little.)
Well, this might surprise some of you, but sometimes I have trouble writing a thing. And when it came time to send Narrow Road off to get published, I had a hell of a hard time writing the author’s note.
Or rather, I had an easy time writing things I *thought* were the author’s note. I wrote an odd bit about art and mystery and Robert Frost. A funny bit about trying to find a title. I wrote about making art with Nate. An essay on Embrils. (You don’t know what those are yet.) A historical bit about the origin of the Aturan penance piece….
(You don’t know about those either, but we made some.)
For the most part, they were fine little bits of writing, but they weren’t… um… good. Or rather, they weren’t good as author’s notes.
All told, I wrote about 8,000 – 10,000 words, and only used 1500 of them.
This is one of the bits that felt like it was worth keeping. A a story about how a story came to be. Not something most folks would be interested in. But if you’re here, I’m guessing there’s a chance you might be into that sort of thing….
* * *
Once, years and miles away, I started writing a story.
It was 2009, an almost incomprehensibly long time ago. I’d only been published a couple years and was an odd mixture of dewy-eyed newbie and professional writer who’s had a taste of success. I was getting fanmail, going to conventions, and the paperback edition of NOTW had just hit the New York Times Bestseller list.
I was new enough that when I got an invitation to write a story for an anthology, it was a stunning event. Keep in mind that I’d been trying, and failing, to get published for about a decade. Getting *invited* to write a story for publication was just baffling. The opposite of rejection.
What’s more, this anthology was a Big Deal. Edited by Martin and Dozois. It was full of fancy authors I admired. What’s more, the theme was a good fit, and I had an idea for a story about Devi. I was so excited to go play with the cool kids….
Unfortunately, at that point I was also struggling and failing to finish The Wise Man’s Fear. I’d missed deadlines. Then more deadlines. People were pissed at me, and I was more pissed at myself. The delays were making trouble for my publisher, and I was terrified that I was ruining my career.
After agonizing for a while, I politely declined the invitation. I was still new to being a professional writer, and thought if I trimmed everything out of my life except Writing The Book, it would get done, like, ten times faster. (That doesn’t work, just in case you were wondering. Turns out you just get ten times sadder.)
I regretted the decision for years. Still do, honestly. As I’ll never know what I might have learned about Devi’s character. But years later, when the editors reached out again, my regret spurred me to accept the invitation.
The new anthology was titled Rogues, and my plan was to write a story about Auri. I assumed most of the other stories would feature more standard thieves and rascals. Con men. Artful Dodgers. Auri would make a cool counterpoint to that. Not a burglar or a rake. She would be more playful, sort of a trickster….
I worked on Auri’s story for months, and it went in every direction except what I’d planned. It was too long. Too strange. There were no characters, no action. Eventually I started to wonder if it was even *was* a story.
But eventually, two things became clear: Auri wasn’t a rogue, and what I was writing wasn’t going to be appropriate for the anthology. So I grit my teeth and abandoned the story.
A third thing was becoming clear to me, too. I had no idea how to write a short story. It should be easy. Name of the Wind was a quarter million words long. Wise Man’s Fear was over 400,000. A short story is nothing compared to that. Typically 3-5 thousand words. A lot of authors could write one in a couple days, give it a quick edit, and turn it over for publication in less than a week.
Me? I was months into the project and didn’t even have an idea, let alone a draft.
Checking my meticulously crafted project timeline, I found I was now at step 6b. (Have an existential crysis about whether or not I’m a *real* writer.)
Closely following that was step 6c. (Panic about missing your deadline, embarrassing yourself, and delaying the entire anthology.)
Luckily, I’m very clever, so I managed to do both of these steps simultaneously while I frantically rummaged through my files. I found the first 50-60 thousand words of a novel I’d started about Laniel Young-Again. I yanked out a piece of that, tried to mash it into something story-shaped, and sent it to the folks managing the anthology with all of charming aplomb of a sweaty drunk trying to use an expired credit card three minutes before the bar closes.
Luckily, the editors did me a great kindness by not letting me get away with that bullshit. They very gently and professionally pointed out what I’d sent in wasn’t very Rogue-ish. Plus there wasn’t much of a through line. Or a plot. Or an ending.
And… well… it wasn’t really a story now, was it?
They were right, of course. I withdrew the story and I was back to square one, later than ever.
Finally inspiration struck. What about Bast? He was a fan-favorite, fun to write, and rogue-ish down to his bones. And since I was struggling to write something short, I could pull inspiration from old faerie stories and folk tales…
After that, it was almost easy. True, it didn’t really turn out to be much like a faerie story. And yeah, it didn’t end up being short either, clocking in at over 20,000 words. But it held together. There were funny bits. Sad bits. A beginning and an end, and I managed to get the middle in between them. Best of all, I got to explore a part of my world nobody (including me) had ever seen before.
I wrote the entire thing in a month, from first word to final draft. For me, that’s wildly fast. I normally struggle with titles, but even that was easy. It was obviously, “The Lightning Tree.”
I submitted it, and breathed a sigh of relief, and hurried off to put out the other fires in my life that had sprung up in the meantime. Half a year later, the Anthology came out, and there I was, in print with the other cool kids, next to Neil Gaiman and Gillian Flynn.
Some folks liked my story. Some folks didn’t. Most didn’t seem to care one way or the other. But while there wasn’t any fanfaire, there was also a marked lack of hue and cry: nobody was declaiming me as a fraud and impostor. I’d hoped to feel a sense of accomplishment, but I mostly felt relief. In keeping with the theme of the anthology, I felt like I’d pulled off an elaborate con of my own. I’d fooled people into thinking I knew how to write a short story, when what I’d *really* done is bluff my way through with a novella-length vinette.
But, like any good con-man, I made my getaway quickly and quietly. Slipping into the night having learned my lesson, that short-story writing wasn’t for me…
* * *
…except I didn’t.
Auri’s strange story story kept tickling at me, so I finished it to get it out of my head. I it was unpublishable, but much to my surprise, my editor liked it. We got the fabulous Nate Taylor to illustrate it, and, feeling like I was performing some sort of strange experiment, we published it as The Slow Regard of Silent Things.
(The whole thing would have been worth it just for a one of Nate’s Illustrations.)
To my surprise, turns out there were people who *did* want to read a weird story where nobody talks and nothing happens. Some folks told me it was their favorite book I’d written.
Fast forward to a couple years ago. I was livestreaming when someone mentioned that Slow Regard was their favorite book *ever.* When I asked if they’d ever read “The Lightning Tree” they said they’d never even heard of it. Didn’t have the first clue it existed.
My wheels began to spin, and I bounced the idea off my publisher: What if I brushed up the text of The Lightning Tree, did some art with Nate, and we put out a book along the lines of Slow Regard for people who didn’t even know it existed?
Should be easy. I’d work with Nate on 8-12 illustrations, give the text a little spit-and-polish, fix some typos, maybe add a flourish or two. Easy peasy. Done in a month. Right?
Right?
I was wrong. Coming back to the story after almost 10 years, I saw a *lot* of missed opportunities. All in all, I re-wrote about half of the original story, then added about 15,000 words on top of that. I shifted and re-organized, added scenes, and spent *way* too much time fiddling with the words so things sounded just right.
It was the textual equivalent of starting to put up new wallpaper in a closet, only to have the project snowball until you’re putting in a skylight and have torn apart the walls to bring the wiring up to code.
As always, working with Nate Taylor was a delight. By which I mean he never choked me even once, even though the original plan for 10-12 pieces of art turned into over 45 illustrations…
As for the art itself? Well that, as they say, is another story….
* * *
See what I did there? I set things up for tomorrow’s blog, where I’ll be sharing ANOTHER attempt at an Author’s note which was an interview between Nate and I where we talk about our artistic process.
I’ll post that one up tomorrow (Monday) night. And then on Tuesday…
(This.)
104 Comments
Thank you for taking the time to share this story of how the story came to me, and all the personal blog stuff that comes with it. I enjoy reading this sort of blog post, and I am looking forward to reading the book when it comes out. You have also made me curious to see if I can find the first version, to compare the two, because, after all, if you finish the wallpaper in the the closet, along with all the re-wiring and everything, someone ought to look at the before and after pictures to appreciate just what was accomplished in the process.
I’ll admit I’ve had the thought of publishing both the old version and the new one in a single volume, so people who are interested could compare the two…
This is marvelous. I wish for you to randomly pursue whatever the hell interests you. You owe nothing to anyone (other than taking care of your boys – you have a deep obligation to them until they start taking care of you).
I look forward to reading this expanded version of the Lightning Tree.
I’m still curious about Laniel Young-Again, especially now that I am well past menopause. I heard you mention her in Waunakee I think 15 years ago. At the library. After I had crashed my trike trying to get there too fast.
I still have the trike.
Yeah. That must have been way back when I was still thinking of her as part of the mythology… I’m looking forward to getting back to her story…
This is amazing and I’m so excited to read another of your pieces whenever I’m able to.
As someone who loves your stories and your writing, we want you to do it because it’s enjoyable for you too. There’s no point in you writing a book that’s making you miserable in the process. Write at your own pace, the stories you want, and we’ll be here to read them when you’re ready 🩷
Pat, you are loved. We love you.
Hello Pat this was wonderful to read. Such a refreshing insight into your process. I cant wait for the book to be published in (S)pain. I always read your books in both languages (I was 11 y/o when Wise Man’s came out and given i couldnt wait to deep dive into the world of Temerant again, i decided to “borrow” my dads card in order to order the book in English. Allí this is to say your books have probable taught me how to con myself into making people believe im bilingual!
Cant wait to read your upcoming books. Scratch that. Ive learnt to wait, and Ill comfortably do so.
Honestly I love your style of writing. I’d rather wait for you to finesse the story of Kvothe before publishing something rather than slapping something together. People are awful. I get waiting 10+year is long but I just listen to the audiobooks again. Such great books!! I’m almost done with The Narrow Toad Between Desires and o absolutely love it!! I’ll have the read Auri’s story. I’d love a book about Devi too!
Hey pat idk if u could answer me but I always wondered ¿where bast and kvothe meet?
Looking forward to a delightful read Pat. In the mood for some ‘fine quality wordsmith’s’ about now.
Appreciate the tale of the tale too.
JKW
Just live your life, stay safe and keep working on you. I love you, and your books, Pat. Looking forward to get the new-old history of Bast!
I love this! I’m so excited to read a Bast story :D it’s always annoyed me how goodreads allow reviews for a book that’s not even published, it’s part of the reason I don’t tend to read Goodreads reviews
Yeah. It’s a shame. Goodreads used to be my go-to for book info, not so much any more…
All your books are fantastic can’t wait to read it on Tuesday and you do what you want to do with your life some fans need perspective.
I just wanted to share that I purchased The Narrow Road Between Desires from my local book store today (I pre-ordered, and they obviously got it in early!) and I completed it in the span of a few hours. I’m already planning a re-read.
As someone who had not read The Lightning Tree, thank you. Thank you for creating such a wonderful world, and thank you for letting me fall right on in to it. Bast is one of my favourites, and reading this novella brought me SO much happiness.
Thanks again Pat. From one of your fans in Australia.
Danm that’s so incredibly Lucky I’m sitting on my hand here waiting for My copy to come in
I bought a copy of rogues to read the lightning tree, it was a great insight into Bast’s life. Very excited to read how its been expanded in the new book. I’ll have to drop a review to help counter act those idiots.
I’m really curious what people who have read both will end up thinking…
I have enjoyed the fleshing out of these two important characters in these little books. I especially have an expanded sense of who and what Auri might be. I can’t wait to see the part she will play in the 3rd book.
I wish we were neighbors. I would enjoy hanging with you while roasting cobs of corn on a Saturday afternoon, talking Patanjali, and naming and how consciousness plays into the understanding of the oneness of all things. OR, you know, the importance of The Simpsons in our culture. Who Knows where it could go?
Thanks for the words and remember, a wizard is never late.
Kind regards young padawan.
Manuel from Argentina.
Speaking as someone who fancies himself as a decent writer of fantasy but who has never finished anything for reasons of distraction and self-doubt and a myriad of other things, it’s actually rather powerful to have someone like you, who has completed novels and does an exquisite job, talk about many of the same challenges.
Being willing to talk about our struggles is a simple sort of bravery. But it’s no less powerful for all of that.
For what it’s worth, you are excellent and what you do. And thanks.
I’m one of those that never got the chance to read The Lightning Tree, I put it off for so long since I wanted to read the whole anthology and not skip any authors. Now that it’s finally coming out as its own story I can’t wait to pick it up and finally get to know Bast a little more.
I started reading The Name of The Wind when I was 12 and by then I barely could understand English, The Wise Man’s Fear had just come out and while browsing bookshops I came by it and instantly took it home. It was my first book in another language than my native one (excluding mandatory reads from school) and I was so captivated by Kvothe’s story that I needed to keep reading. I finished it in three days with the help of a dictionary (or rather I finished both the the dictionary and the book) and just had grasped the main plot. A while later when it came out in Spanish I read it again. It just kept getting better the more I understood.
Now I’m 27, I have re-read the books multiple times and each time I am able to learn something new from them. I can assure your books rooted my love for fantasy and the English language, and for that I will forever be grateful. Can’t wait to jump back into the world of Temerant and it’s fae once more!
Thank you Pat.
I read Lightning Tree every year when spring arrives and the story helps me believe that life can be good because every winter I forget that. It also helps me realise that a small life can still be magical and that makes me feel better about my own. So yeah, this story is incredibly precious to me and I can’t wait for tomorrow to read the Narrow Road.
I’m so grateful that The Slow Regard of Silent Things exists. I picked it up randomly in early 2016, read it in a couple of sittings, and I still remember very vividly the feeling of warmth and sadness (sad warmth? warm sadness?) it left in my heart, like nothing I had ever felt before or felt since. I think it’s the first (and only) time a story made me feel something for what I had no reference in the real world. I think it broke me a little, but in a good way, felt like personal growth. Life feels better just by knowing this story is out there.
I can’t wait to read the new one, and I hope it’s at least a little bit like The Slow Regard of Silent Things, strange, and like nothing I’ve ever read before. 😄
The Lightning Tree is amazing, I listen to it at least once every few months and know it almost by heart! I am super excited that you have come to bring it a life of its very own!
I do wonder if the release is worldwide or in US time (the 14th for me is less than 2 hrs away!) So I guess I’ll find out in the morning if I have a new book in my audible!
It’s sad that people misuse book reviews in this way.
Nevertheless, there’s a little bunch of your fans that know that if the book is taking too long is because it has to.
Maybe these (amazing) short stories in-between Wise Men’s Fear and Doors of Stone are necessary to have a Masterpiece of a book as the first two books have been.
Also, although we all crave for the third book being published (I’m sure you and your editor too), The Slow Regard of Silent Things has been probably one of the most original and touching books I’ve read, and it’d be impossible for me to describe why, but I know in the bottom of my heart that it was a necessary step to
comprehendbond with Auri before being able to read The Doors of Stone.I am sure The Narrow Road Between Desires will have the same effect (at least on me), and I do have hope it will get to >4-stars.
Best of luck, and thanks for all these amazing reading moments you’ve gifted us with.
Lovely story. I’m glad to see you writing again, man, even though the 1-star review torrential rain is a little, uh, depressing. Still. Excited to read the book. I need a calming read, with everything happening around me.
I hope it’s not…rude to say that a loud minority is still loud, but also still a minority? I get there’s a “100 lovely people said hi, but 1 person kicked my shins and that’s what I’m gonna think about” thing happening here, but as my old teacher used to always say, “Grace.” As in take grace? Anyway, I hope that’s OK to say. Rootin’ for ya. Excited for the book when it eventually makes its way to my part of the world!
Also, and just because I’ve been part of your fandom for a long(gg) time, since you mentioned Laniel: Is she the person who “creates gods” you offhandedly referenced lately? I couldn’t tell if you were writing two stories in Modeg or one.
(Hope that’s OK to ask!)
Nate Taylor is amazing.
I am so glad to know there will be a new post today and even another one on Thursday! Greetings and lots of love from Spain, Patrick.
Both my mum and I loved the Slow Regard of Silent Things and respectfully disagree with the “nothing happens” description. Lots of things happen, both inside and outside Auri’s mind ❤
As regards to the short story The Lighting Tree, it took us a really long time to get our hands on a copy of Rogues. It was kinda difficult to boy it un oye country and, to be honest, translation was not doing justice to the anthology, but we enjoyed it nontheless. We bought it just for you story and loved each line of Bast’s tale. It was everything I was hoping for and more.
So, thank you for taking the time to write both books. Side quests like these are nothing to be ashamed of and are never, by any means, a waste of time as some say. They add a lot to the main quest and open new possibilities, giving us more complex stories and making possible more complex and better outcomes for the Main Quest (or, in this case, The Book) .
So thank you so much for making 2023, which has been quite a horrible year for me, a lot better by giving us The Narrow Space Between Desires. It makes me want to be around for having it in my hands and reading it, which is something very few things make me feel lately.
Thanks, Patrick. Thanks a lot. For your writing, for Worldbuilders, for being an awesome human being and for being open and honest about mental health. You owe us nothing, so everything you give us is something to be grateful about. I am looking forward the Doors of Stone, do not get me wrong, as you are my favourite author of all times, but I think it is important you know that for me, and many, many others, it is way more important that you take care of yourself and your loved ones.
If you cannot give us the third day, it is okay. We’ve had two amazing days and they are more than enough. If you can give us day three but it is at a high personal cost, do not pay that price. We can wait until you can give it to us, and we can go on without it if you end up not being able to finish that book, no matter how in love we are with Kvothe, Bast, Auri and the world itself. You are more important.
So. Congratulations and thank you for this amazing new book!
Sending you lots of love and best wishes (in a totally not creepy way, I promise),
Álex
Congratulations on Narrow Road, Pat. November is a very big month this year for book lovers, especially in fantasy, and I’m so excited that your work is among those books I get to savour. Looking forward to learning more about one of my favourite characters, ever.
Thank you, Pat!
To all blog readers I wholeheartedly recommend checking this blog entry from 2013 – not only it also talks about The Lightning Tree creation, it is, honestly, quite an uplifting read: https://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2013/03/concerning-games-torment-and-a-sense-of-play/
A number of years ago, when I was sporting bright orange hair, I bought Slow Regard from you at Pax East. No one had been at your booth at the time, so we chatted for a bit about how the con was going. Then people started lining up, so I said thanks and went to go, but I turned back and said, “By the way, no pressure on your other works.” I’ll never forget how relieved (and perhaps a little grateful) you looked that I hadn’t said something else. It kind of breaks my heart when I think about it, and the memory has floated back to me quite a few times since then.
I wish I had added that you’ll write Doors of Stone when you’re ready to. When it’s right for you to finish it, you will. That it’s okay if that is a long time from now. Anything to bolster you against the way some people have let their love of your work to make them impatient to the point of being unkind and to speak without empathy. I’m sure you *know* all this because you seem like a clever dude, but I firmly believe that having someone else, even a stranger, reaffirm your own knowledge can help. Art is gonna happen on its own timeline.
I haven’t read The Slow Regard of Silent Things yet because I’m weird about reading from the perspective of someone who isn’t the protagonist before I’ve seen the whole story from the protagonist’s eyes, but maybe it’s time I stop being silly and get to enjoy the damn book. I’m definitely wishlisting The Narrow Road Between Desires, and I’m excited to read anything else you decide to publish, whoever’s stories they might be.
Sorry about that Goodreads experience, many people don’t hesitate to be real shitty to others on the internet, and it’s a sad fact. I’ve enjoyed everything you’ve ever written, even (especially) the little blog posts about parenting or writing struggles. Thanks for everything you do, in whatever time you choose to do it!
Dear Patrick,
Regardless of what you do in the future, the world is a better place because of what you have already done. Don’t hear the voices of an angry minority, there is always unkind people out there. I hope you enjoy writing!!
Greetings from Spain,
Carlos
I’m extremely fortunate to have gotten an early copy of the book. I was excited to drop my early review to let readers know what they had to look forward to. I was similarly disheartened to see the review bombing on Goodreads. I hope things can balance out as more genuine reviews come in.
I thought I’d leave this comment here to say thank you and congratulations on a great book. I loved the writing and above all the relationship between Bast and Rike. There are more than a few sentences and descriptions that will stay with me. The illustrations are also stunning (Thanks, Nate!).
Hello Pat!
Greetings from Chile. When I began to delve into the world you built, I didn’t know I would fall in love with its characters, its environment, their lives, and Temerant. How exciting to return to this wonderful place and read about Bast once again.
I am glad and filled with excitement to know that you are publishing again. Your blog also makes a lot of sense to me, and I empathize with your feelings regarding your work. I hope to continue reading what you think. A hug, hoping you read this somewhat nonsensical message, hahaha!
“…spent *way* too much time fiddling with the words so things sounded just right.”
But what is the amount of time needed to be sure words sound just right? You just have to keep working on it until it IS “just right”.
You are way too heard on yourself. We love you. Remember that. GO, hug the family. Be well. And when you get the words right, we’ll be here. :) I can barely wait ’til tomorrow! Thank You!!!
You may never read this but I want you to know from fan that still tries to involve themselves with your work on a weekly basis- wether it’s rereading my favorite/most-interesting-to-me parts, theory crafting with the smart people, or enjoying the amazing art that’s around (shoutout to Nate, Julia, and those guys at Brotherwise Games especially)- those upset with you are just the ones who will outrage about anything that inconveniences them.
The VAST majority of us who enjoy your work already enjoy what’s out there, and are VERY excited for a new story in Temerant. Like by the end of the day tomorrow I hope to have read it all once and to be half way through Nick’s voice acted version. The sort of rereadabilityTM and just the amount of mystery surrounding your books is so unique to you, and I want you to know that- if this message finds you.
Take your time. We believe in you. You have a lot more unconditional (within reason) fans like myself out here who just want to see you happy. We want more books from you, but I mean that in only the best ways- we enjoy them so much that you couldn’t put enough out to satiate us. We get that we don’t get this quality without the time you need.
Keep your head up big guy, we love you.
If it tells you anything, I paused and read your entire blog post because you seem to always tell a good story (even if it’s just a blog post)
I discovered Patrick Rothfuss from a stint on Critical Role, and fell 100% in love with NOTW and especially Auri’s fascinating existence. Besides the library (which I dream of in my dreams), the tunnels represent a strange darkness that is enthralling.
I have a signed copy on the way and I plan to write a review to “offset a 1” as I call it.
Thank you for your stories Mr. Rothfuss. I’m looking forward to more Bast in my life.
If you are ever in Texas and signing, after this blog post, I’m gonna have to have you sign my hardcover copy of Rogues.
Thank you Pat! I’m so crazy excited to read this! Also slow regard is my favourite book of all time, as I told you through tears when I met you at a book signing in Vancouver all those years ago. Can’t wait to read more of you’re incredible writing.
It breaks my heart a little to hear how deflated you are after seeing all of the 1 star reviews of Narrow Road. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t (more than) eagerly anticipating DOS, and if I said I hadn’t found myself a tad frustrated every few months for the past, well, few years since finishing TWMF. But I would never publish a false review, with the intent to tear down an author’s reputation and spirit. How could a fan of your work think that anything positive could possibly come from that? We are all eagerly awaiting a finale to KKC, but rest assured knowing most of us are happy to read anything you put out. A short story, a novella, a half-a-million-page novel, or even a simple blog post.
-Amy
Thank you for sharing. I’m so pleased to see successful people brave enough to share their vulnerabilities. I’m struggling with doubt and low self esteem on the writing path, (and professional, working with very precarious people) and it is of great confort to read about -well in your words I would say “cool kids”-, anyway people I admire so much facing the same struggles as I do. For me, you are one of the greatest, just next to Robin Hobb, you’re writing is everything I would dream of writing myself, so it is difficult -but still conforting- to imagine the doubts you struggle with. (Sorry for my english, not my motherlanguage so it is difficult enough to find my words, let alone synonyms…). I am waiting for the french translation to read this one, as I feel I couldnt appreciate auri story as much as it deserved because I read it in English and it asked for so much concentration.
Reading about a story being made is of great interests for aspiring writers. I find confort during this particular months on the pep talks from NanoWriMo (thanks for yours). Keep on being who you are. We all disappoint people because we are not perfects. The fact is that you are important for so many people that it is mathematically a fact that you will disappoint more people than those who are not importants for so many. But there will also be the others, who will still be so grateful for what you bring to the world. Those are the ones who matters.
Best regards,
Ysaline
The Slow regard of silent things IS probably my second favorite book ever. The first one is, of course, The Name of the wind. I found it through a particularly rough time in my life, when I had stopped reading and smiling and feeling anything other than grief. Kvothe guided me back to myself, and I will forever be thankful for the glimpse to his world that I got, no matter if it’s a thousand pages long or 150. I am, of course, beyond excited to read The narrow road between desires. I would probably frame the name itself, even before reading the story. It’s one of the most powerful, beautiful phrases I will ever find. I guess what I’m trying to say Is something along the lines of: thank you for sharing Kvothe and his world with the rest of us. You don’t owe the world anything, especially those 1-star-reviewers.
It’s a shame that there are not “certified purchase” requirements to post a review. Review-bombers are terrible people, especially when they act prior to actual release date. Is there no way to get those reviews scrubbed?
The Slow Regard of Silent Things was an absolute delight to read. It was charming and flitting, just as Auri is, which I think was the whole draw of the story (for me, anyway). It felt like Auri. If The Narrow Road Between Desires oozes a Bast aura, then that, too, will be a delight!
Dear Pat,
I discovered The Name of the Wind at a very low point in my mental well-being. Your writing made me feel less alone and I could see your world and the characters so clearly in my head. That’s what you do for me, you capture these characters spirits in a way that I can feel them and connect to them and care about them. I am happy at the time it takes for these stories to emerge, each story is allowed time to breathe and reflect at a pace that suits them, something we don’t allow enough time for in todays life. Thank you for the gift of this pace. I have pre-ordered my copy of “The Narrow Road between Desire” and am looking forward to absorbing another piece of the world you have patiently created into the fabric of my soul, keep being lovely you x x
The Slow Regard of Silent Things is one of my favourite books. I can’t tell you how many times I have read it, but if digital audiobooks showed the same wear & tear as physical books then suffice it to say the spine would be broken in at least two places, corners worn down and pages dogearred, maybe even a few pages come loose from the glue. But few if any of my friends have given it a read. “Oh, I need to reread NOTW & WMF first but eventually…” And I know how someone insisting you partake in a piece of media can make you avoid it (hello Pathological Demand Avoidance) so I mostly quit prodding. But I am low-key devastated so few people gave it a chance.
Suffice it to say, I cannot tell you how excited I am for the new book. I adore Bast, and getting to know him better is so delightful! Waiting for it to come out has been such sweet misery. Always worth the wait, but waiting is not always easy.
Thank you for pulling back the curtain on your process and your anxieties. For a VERY slow writer, trying very hard to shape her first manuscript into something worthy of pitching to publishers, it helps to read about someone whose work you greatly admire experiencing similar struggles. For the record, I LOVED The Slow Regard of Silent Things and cannot wait to read more about Bast. Thank you for continuing to write.
I’m one of the people that regard “silent things” as their favorite book ever. I’ve never cried so many times or so much while reading. I’m so excited to read about Bast, with no expectations, just the joy of reading. The authors notes you post in your blogs and the note at the end of Silent things, have helped me grapple with my own goals, failures, and existential questions. Thank you! Your voice has been really nice for me and I’m sure thousands of other quieter people.
Hey Pat!
I’m a huuuge Fan of NOTW. And obviously im waiting for Doors of Stone and want to know if there is any news. Makes sense, if you really love a story that much and just have a huge desire to know every little detail that world has to offer, right? And yes, waiting is hard. Any waiting progress is hard.
But it’s no reason to personally attack you or even write a bad review on a book that isnt even published yet. That’s just sad and not fair. You’re giving us a new insight into your created world. A new detail of it. Calling it a detail isn’t fair it. You’re giving us a story that befalls into that world, that i love so much.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for it and i’m very much looking forward to holding the book in my arms tomorrow and just sink into the story of bast.
Congratulations on publishing a new book! Pat yourself on your back, because that’s huge!
(Excuse that silly joke)
Much love!
Matze
I’m so excited for this! And i also have to chime in and say that as eager as i am for Doors of Stone, you don’t owe us anything, and certainly not in a specific amount of time. As someone who also tends to agonize over word choice and comma placement (though i obviously am not doing so in this comment 😆😖🤷🏻♀️), i cannot imagine how difficult it is in writing a long novel and so beautifully. I’m happy to wait as long as it takes, and if it never happens, that’s fine, too. All the best to you and yours. 💜
I am a huge fan and I particularly love Bast, Auri, and Felurian. I was fortunate enough to see you in Seattle with the release of Slow Regard and voraciously read through The Lightening Tree. Generally I enjoy reading whatever you put out there into the world for us to devour.
Slow Regard continues to be a favorite of mine, one that I have fallen asleep listening to dozens of times. It has brought me comfort when I felt alone and overwhelmed by the world. I love your short stories and tangent quests in word format. I’m so sorry people can be so awful. I wish they’d just leave your fandom rather than sabotaging it for not getting what they want. It’s like literary incel behavior and you deserve better. Thank you for continuing to write what brings you joy and sharing it with us.
Hey Pat!
Just wanted to drop in and let you know that there are so many of us who support you and understand that life is peaks and valleys.
You’ve provided us with a world that has enthralled us and occupied our minds for 15+ years! My brother and I still love to discuss NotW and WMF and share new theories from our recent re-reads.
You have a wonderful gift, and we can’t wait to see where you take us next. Can’t wait to read The Narrow Road Between Desires!
I preordered a signed copy for my husbands birthday (Let’s be real, it’ll be a split custody arrangement)
and I’m just so excited to get my hands on more of your work, in any vein!
Not the hand veins, because ouch, but the stor- well, y’know.
You, your worldbuilding, your effort… it’s all so appreciated.
Authors like you, especially you, give us glimmers in oftentimes dreary existences.
Thank you.
I love everything you write, am grateful for everything you give us. Slow Regard is my all time favorite book. I can’t get enough of Auri. I am so excited about Narrow Road. Pre-ordered it as soon as it was available. Tomorrow is going to be the best day.
Just here to say, the haters may be the loudest, but that is only because misery loves company. All of us fans love you and your work and will be here for whatever wonderful words you share with us. Happy to see you updating your blog again hopefully finding joy in writing again.
No matter what good reads reviews do in the long run, know that there will be good reviews too and even if the hate reviews hurt. Try to read the real ones, the nice ones, and take that to heart. I admin a Facebook fan group of yours and people are overwhelmingly behind you Pat even if they aren’t as loud.
There will be warm days ahead. Your fans love you and wish you nothing but the best.
I’m not the type to 1-star review bomb anything, that’s petty and seriously uncool, but I wonder if it could be considered reasonable for people who’ve been waiting for a book (that the author said they already knew the story of) for TWELVE YEARS to not be fans of said author of said book any more.
I look forward to the charming little blog post about “how the third book in the Kingkiller Chronicles came to be”. I wonder who’s going to write that blog post, and in which decade.
I bought Rogues just for your story, just so you know. It was my favorite one in there.
I loved following Auri around in her universe.
I love that your stories contain stories within stories, that you care about the sounds of the words, that everything is the way it is. Nobody else writes this way, and it’s a tragedy. But only you get to be you, and just like you shouldn’t try to write like not-you — shorter or faster or whatever — other writers get to be themselves, too. But I’m glad you’re writing the way you do because it’s so great on so many levels. Readable, re-readable, thoughtful, magical, lyrical.
Follow the rabbit trails. Bounce around. Inspiration springs from the weirdest of places and the messiness of experimentation. There is no great achievement without a lot of mistakes and fumbles along the way, so dive into the judgment-free play zone and get messy, and use mistakes as fuel on the next try. Ever, onward, upward. There’s no such thing as failing, only stopping too soon. The path you take is your own, and no one can tell you it’s the wrong one because they don’t know. You know.
(I confess I’ve paraphrased a bunch from The Rise by Sarah Lewis. She gets me through my creative fear when I get stuck.)
Anyway, thanks for sharing these outtakes! It’s fun to read them.
Well this post has just completely turned around what had started off as a very shitty week
I can’t wait to read tomorrow’s story and I can’t wait to read the next book and actually give it an honest review on GR.
Pat, my wife needed a few more dollars for some free shipping at B&N so I had her add the pre-order Narrow Road. I’m looking forward to it; it saddens me that there is already a deliberate attempt to dovetail this work. When your work was first introduced to me, I was immediately captivated by Kvothe and Baste and, well, everyone…even Ambrose. I do hope that eventually Door will be released, but until then, keep playing your beautiful game Mr. Rothfuss. I’ll enjoy watching (or reading as the case may be) each move you make.
Dear P.R.
(This text is written in Spanish and translated into your language, English, by the free Google translator, I hope it turns out well, I hope it sounds good).
Thank you for this story, the new one that is about to come out, but also for the world of Temerant and all the characters in it. Thank you for creating it, you are the Creator of a world! You talk about 3,000, 4,000, 20,000 words as if they were handfuls of grains of sand that you have put in bags and distributed. As if it were very easy.
I imagine you selecting one by one, choosing, rearranging, trying to get each little grain exactly where it needs to be. How difficult! I know that they are not grains of sand, they are words, that form phrases, paragraphs, chapters, stories, lives, worlds. I honestly believe that knowing the overall Goodreads rating of a book has the same value as knowing its weight in Kg. Don’t suffer from all those 1-star ratings from people who haven’t read the story.
There are many of us who love and buy your book and we don’t go around weighing books on a scale. Good luck with the sales, please keep filling bags with sand (or stones hahahahaha)
So looking forward to this. Thank you for the openness you grant and for persevering through the many vocal people who misunderstand your process and your struggles. It’s mind-boggling to me that people miss how much you care about the work you put out–how the benefit of that caring is the incomparable brilliance of your published writings, and how the cost of that caring is sometimes a debilitating paralysis and spiral of anxiety/perfectionism.
Keep on keepin’ on, we’re all cheering for you, and we’re not in the arena anyway so our opinions don’t matter much. Love ya.
I’m looking forward to my copy from Worldbuilders! Excited!
Noice. Fuck the haters
I’m not a hardcore fan, but your books always seem to inspire me whenever I feel at my lowest.
Thanks.
Just got 1 question…
WHY you “discredit” TSRoST so hard?!
IT IS BEATIFUL! ! !
Thank you for your story, Pat.
I read The Lightning Tree in my local library years and years ago, and am so excited to see the changes you have made. I’m excitedly awaiting my pre-ordered copy so I can jump in right away.
Also this blog is brilliant! I wasn’t asking and reading out loud but I did laugh out loud. Especially “with all of charming aplomb of a sweaty drunk trying to use an expired credit card three minutes before the bar closes”.
I hope your writing brings you the same joy I have when reading it.
Mr. Rothfuss,
I pre-ordered my copy, and Amazon has informed me that it is on the way. I am so excited to read this book! I’ve read The Two so many times now because of the feeling of magic that the books give you. Your prose has also inspired me to write my own novel, something I’ve found to be a bit of a challenge despite having it planned out in its entirety. Appreciate the blog posts! Huge fan!
This was the best reminder to pre-order your book! Do you still have a story for Devi to tell? There isn’t some other short story that I am somehow completely unaware of, is there?
Thank you for this blog post! I discovered your books just recently and now they are right next to my other favorite books and I’m looking forward to reading The Lightning Tree.
I wish you all the best!
Ayyyyy Pat!! Appreciate you, brother!
Love your writing and will always check for more. None of us are here long so stop beating yourself up over dumb shit. Easier said then done, I know.
Also, If someone’s life is so miserable going on goodreads to give a one star review to an author WHO WROTE SOMETHING THEY LIKED then Jesus Christ lol…I pray to never be that guy. Anyway good luck and happy holidays dude, hope life is good for ya!
I’m sorry that people suck Patrick. They don’t realize the pressures that come with writing a book while balancing having a healthy life. I hope those websites that allow early reviews have a policy for deleting bad faith reviews like that. I’m insanely excited to read your new story. I loved Auri’s and enjoyed the small one about Bast in Rogues. I will wait however long you need to get the story perfect for the next installment of Kvothe’s epic story.
Dear Pat,
Hope you are doing well. It’s a pitty that people didn’t know about Bast’s previous story, with a quickly research on Google you can find information about your writings (and if I ‘ve found it, that I’m from Spain and as far as I know, TLT was not translated, everybody can find it…)
Btw, I think we have already heard about the Aturan penance pieces before… Kvothe found one in his pocket once, right?
Maybe you don’t need to hear this but, those who are just complaining about TDOS don’t understand how enormous your books are, and all the subtle things you hide on them… So, I want you to know that, as a musician, your books were melodies to my soul and they had accompany me for a long time, making me laugh and cry at the same time… You really do magic with your words, don’t forget that!
Waiting to read TLT asap and find the secrets you hide for us.
Take care and a hug in three parta.
Pat, you could write a grocery list and I will read and re-read it with zealous ardor. You are amazing, your work is amazing, and has ruined me for other books. After tasting the full-flavored buttery, gravy, icing-frosted delight of Temerant, all other worlds taste of Vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, joy-free blandness to my brain. I should be irritated by it, but I’m not. I’m grateful you exist and do the things you do. All of them, even ones that are just for you and your kids. “You are more than can do for others.” Thank you. Thank you for the enrichment you’ve brought to my soul and so many others.
Just remember, like your friend from the Slow Regard said. Everyday people get stories for them all the time. And if the whiny Ambrose’s of the world want to kick and scream and sulk and try and ruin someone else’s joy because they didn’t get the story THEY wanted, fuck em. I’m absolutely delighted to read more about Bast. Auri and the Slow Regard are one of my favorite stories, ever. It’s a comfort read of the highest degree. Keep shouting down your demons of doubt, and keep up the good work(s)!
My local bookstore made a bit of a mistake and… I finished the novella yesterday.
It was awesome.
Excited to read another one of your stories! I’m using it as an excuse not to write (I hit a block at 25,000 words) and this feels easier to justify than just re-reading your other books!
I love The Slow Regard of Silent Things and I enjoyed The Lightening Tree. I am so excited to be getting The Narrow Road Between Desires and pissed off at all the hate of people (world so full of hate it makes me cry). I rarely leave reviews as I generally find it hard to adequately express my feelings about a book. I will make sure to do so for The Narrow Road Between Desires once I have read it and I hope this post spurs many others too as well. Hopefully we can start to offset the haters. Thanks for sharing the story, and all your stories that you share. You are a perfectionist and that makes any job hard but especially one where you are in the public eye. Be kind to yourself and take care.
Pre-Orderd book weeks ago and 5 starred The Doors of Stone on Goodreads today…may or may not be talking smack to haters in the comments of my review.
I got your back.
Loved Slow Regard, would read anything you published, and while I look forward to Doors, I would be perfectly fine if you decided to leave him in a tavern in the middle of nowhere having lived an amazing adventure! (Just tell us what’s in the chest and how to open it! Lol) This community holds a lot of love for you, don’t forget that.
Arrived on my Kindle this morning. Have read the first few chapters – I like it. 5* from me!
I‘m sorry for you, it‘s not fair to give any bad reviews for a book nobody has read.
Keep your head up, I‘ll enjoy every single word of the new novel and lots of people around the world as well!
Thank you for your dedication to the most beautiful Fantasy World that has ever been built!
yours Jonas
Pat, I support you. What I feel is that you just need to be totally honest, like this post. I’m eager to have this new book with me, and this story of how things turned out, totally sums a TON. Thanks for keeping writing for us.
I like your blogs. I like your particular form of word-smithery wherever it happens. Reading more of your words is wonderful anywhere- the way you turn a phrase, they types of metaphors you come up with are kind of like the moment you cut open an avocado when it’s just right. Uniquely satisfying. The Slow Regard of Silent Things means more than I can put into words by the way, and I love hearing where it came from. Also, I saw what happened on GoodReads and (though I know it can’t take off the sting when your brain works a certain way) I hope you also saw the people giving 5 star reviews to counteract the review bombing. Lots of people love your words and are happy for whenever and however they appear <3
This whole blog post made me happy.
They usually do but this one in particular.
The very first line of the blog post made me cry.
Why? I have no idea. Lol
I have always truly enjoyed the sentences that you write and the first time I realized from one of your interviews or blog posts that you also seem to enjoy crafting really amazing sentences made me enjoy reading them even more. as a lifelong lover of Books, a collector of books, a librarian, I am always happy to see new books published, but… I am continually some of the quality of what gets published. Lol whether it is your books, your novella, your blogs, or your tweets my soul is always made happy to know that there are people out there who still put such craftsmanship in the small things like sentences because Lord do they make a beautiful book of work !!!
Amie Gallette
PS you may have said this at one point somewhere that I missed but I believe we are of similar age and so I’m wondering if the growing collective cognitive awareness among millennials of ADHD that has sort of sprung from TikTok has reached you? or you were already there before because as somebody who has recently been aware, that’s so much of who I am and what I struggle with stems from having ADHD in particular PDA (pathological demand, avoidance for those not on TikTok lol) I wondered if this plays for you loving the response to the first book and then feeling the immense pressure to produce anything? If so, as a pda’r myself…lol I send ALL the peaceful vibes your way because I can barely deal with the pressure of societal expectation to shower or license my car much less a world of people clammering for my art!!!
* continually side eyeing
It was suppose to say!
This was so much fun to read and I’m beyond happy that you’re writing for pleasure, not in response to the bullies. Can’t wait for my preorder to arrive!
“(That doesn’t work, just in case you were wondering. Turns out you just get ten times sadder.)”
Someone needs to craft a pithy life-advice quotation about how having more time just leads to having more time wasted.
I stood up on a stage at an assembly prior to auditions for our musical this year and told kids I was going to be candid with them. In 24 years of teaching and advising, when a student tells me they’re going to drop an activity they enjoy (and I don’t mean club #12 on their list, I’m talking their main extracurricular) to “focus on academics”, it has literally never, ever worked. They just end up with more unstructured time that gets filled with idle distraction, whereas the structure of the dropped activity had forced their productive time (and even their valuable and necessary downtime) into available pockets.
(Also, I got 1 guy to join the musical after having considered my words. And in musical theater, 1 guy is the equivalent of 10 guys in the real world)
Pat,
I just wanted to say, Auri’s story is my favourite. Have read it in Estonian (great translation), also in English. Looking forward to any book you will write :D
I leave this comment, hoping to blow wind into your sails.
Thank you for sharing your world with us. My kids are middle-school, high-school age, and I’m reading them several chapters of Name of the Wind around the dinner table each night. As a father, there’s a special feeling of cracking open the 10th anniversary tome and reading to them. Phones and tablets are set aside in place of drawing pads, attentive eyes, and patient ears. Even if only for a brief moment, our family is stilled from the chaos of the world as I read what it was like to ride in Ben’s wagon.
The work you do matters Patrick!
The kids noticed this morning as they were getting ready for school that I was reading this new novella. They were excited to see something new, their little dragon hearts ready to collect it for their hoard. They know little about Bast, but they like him already. My kids already have an ember of fondness about Bast that has the same shape as their love for our cats, which amuses me. Needless to say, I will enjoy reading this to them too!
Thank you for caring about your world and your characters. If it wasn’t for this level of care and the time it takes to make such things truly good, you and I wouldn’t know this commentary at all. I could say so much more, but I’ll save my defensive ranting (about Good Reads) for myself. What is important is what is happening around my dinner table as I read your first book to five young teenagers and my lovely lady counterpart each night.
Thanks!
I’m so sorry people are shits. I can’t believe how cruel people can be once they’re hidden behind a computer screen. You are not a factory churning out ideas on an assembly line, and people need to understand that.
I know it’s hard to let the positive reviews shine brighter than the vitriol, but I bought Rogues b/c you were in it, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading The Narrow Road Between Desires. I love your writing and the world you’ve created with it. Your books stand proudly on my “favorites” bookshelf.
Hi pat!
English is not my first language, but I learned it primarily to read books in their original language. I loved your books in Spanish and read them again in English a year ago. When I first read the text in Spanish, I was extremely impressed. However, after reading the original text, I realized it was on a completely different level. Reading The Narrow Road Between Desires excites me as I’ll be able to read your work as you intended it.
And it’s perfect
Pat,
Sorry I did not buy the book yesterday but being on vacation is perhaps a good excuses. Today the vacation ends, but the story goes on with my copy coming in the evening. Looking forward to reading it and I can not understand why people give you one star for a book before reading it just because they want something else? People are weird but that’s a fact we all can agree on. And loving your writing style, whatever book comes out next, Im buying it.
Pat,
I have always adored reading various books. There is no greater adventure than reading. Since books offer experiences beyond everyday life. Patrick Rothfuss, your work is deeply appreciated. I’m thankful for the stories you’ve created. Eager for more tales you might write. Your writing is beautiful and endlessly engaging. Even if a third book never emerges. Even if Kvothes third day remains silent. It remains a treasured, partially given gift. Since even partial gifts enrich the ungifted. Its publication has impacted my life greatly. Kvothe’s story brings cherished comfort to me. Each rereads like revisiting an old friend. Wonderful discoveries await in each subsequent reading. Delight comes from unraveling hidden narrative details. This message expresses my most sincere gratitude. A response is not expected at all. My only hopes that you’ll read this. And that it brings you a smile. Which is the point of my message. Joy is not something I am accustomed. I understand that it eludes you also. So, I have a lesson to share. One that I sincerely hope is universal. True happiness is achieved in two ways. Firstly, from peaceful moments lived now. Secondly, from genuinely given gratitude, without condition.
Always hoping to find the right words,
Phillip R E Fisher Jr
Hi Pat! Your review on GoodReads broke my heart a bit and I just want to add my voice to those who have already commented here. You are my favorite author, not just because of your wonderful books, but also because of how much you care. I greatly admire how you’ve used your platform here to be transparent about your struggles while still working to improve the world around you. Thank you for being you! You’ve got quite a crowd in your corner!
Am late to this post, but I must tell you that it was ‘The Lightning Tree’ in Rogues that originially brought me to your magnificent, beguiling corpus. I bought Rogues as something lightly distracting to pass the time during many frequent and required medical visits. (Pace Yeats, I am old and grey and full of disease).
Anyway, I came to your story last and was ensorcelled by your narrative voice in a way I haven’t experienced since my teens. (I did say I was old, didn’t I?)
You opened worlds in y head merely with the prose you had set singing on the page—no small feat to someone ancient and jaded and withering by the second.
When I learned of the new books release I pre-ordered instantly.
What to say? You are truly gifted. I have experienced very few voices as powerfully evocative as yours. Please keep writing as much as the painful stabs of doubt allow.
It is hard to create expectations of something that doesn’t exist. I will continually tell anyone who will listen that , “You get what you wait for” If you want a good book, it’s gonna take a while. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I’m prepared to be amazed by The Narrow Road Between Desires. Actually, I’m sure I am unprepared, isn’t that the joy? Simply, Thank you Pat for sharing this world you have created. Mine is better for it. Harmony.
It’s always going to be helpful to hear that even one’s best-selling, wildly successful, endorsed-by-Lin-Manuel heroes continues to feel imposter syndrome. Yet one more reminder that, as Po/Jack Black put it in Kung Fu Panda, “there is no secret ingredient.” At the end of the day, it’s just you, and you are enough. I think this idea threads through everything you write (with beautiful turn of phrase), and it makes people feel seen.
I bought Rogues in hardback especially for your story, and then never got around to reading it. So have now ordered The Narrow Road through a local book store with confidence I will read it as soon as it arrives (for some reason I am just bad at reading anything I get in collections).
The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a book that can still make me cry even after I have read it many times. The way it gets past my emotional calluses is like witchcraft.
I just finished The Narrow Road Between Desires yesterday evening. I loved it. Calm and soothing. I’d say it makes a good read for readers of your other work and folks that are new to it alike. A similar “short” story about Devi sounds like a very interesting read as well. I hope you might still pursue that idea further in the future. In the mean time I’ll patiently be waiting for the Doors of Stone. I’ll enjoy it for the amazing book I’m sure it will be once it comes out to your liking. No hard feelings about it taking a bit longer than expected. Good luck with finishing it in your own time.