Writerly Things, Entry 22
"We're Doing A Sequel!"
Ten Second Takeaway
IDW 2026 - Updates on POLARIS - Important Update On Leaving Reviews - Updates on MOSAIC
“The Sun Is Shining, The Tank Is Clean”
Hello, everyone! We’re back.
Weather-wise, this has been the strangest spring that I can remember. It’s normal for winter to stick around longer than it’s welcome, but I swear living through this spring season has felt like being a flea on a rope being tugged between two dogs. Back and forth, dropped on the ground, picked back up, and run all over the place.
One day it’s 70 and sunny, the next night I’m dragging in the plants from the porch because it’s a low of 34. Then, in the middle of the week, tornadoes all over the damn place, because why the hell not.
Still, I do get the sense that the summer is at last approaching. The days grow brighter, the kids grow healthier, birds are singing from the trees. Maybe I’m starting to get “older”—no, not “old,” not yet, but “old-er”—and winter now holds less allure.
I’m not quite to the place yet where I’m going to pick up birdwatching … but I’d be lying to you all if I said I wasn’t starting to understand the appeal. I’ve started saying hello to the birds, at any rate, and started scolding my cats if they look at them for too long with the wrong kind of smiles. Is that how it starts? Is middle age nigh upon me?
Title Reference:
“The Sun Is Shining, The Tank Is Clean!" from Finding Nemo
Indy Design Week 2026
It’s been an eventful couple of months for me on the writing front, and I want to let everyone know how things are going, and what’s approaching over the horizon.
I recently had the privilege of speaking at Indy Design Week 2026 (thanks again to Poppe and Tori for bringing me aboard!) about the process of writing Polaris.
The idea of these talks was to bring in designers from around Indianapolis to talk about the process of designing something, rather than focusing on the output.
For my portion of the evening, I talked about how I leveraged design thinking frameworks/techniques to write Polaris. Look for photos from that event—and possibly a video, depending on how much I can clean it up—in the next few posts.
Updates on POLARIS
Polaris continues to reach more readers out in the wild, and has settled into its “post-launch” cadence. A massive thank you to everyone who bought a copy (or several copies, in some instances) and helped Polaris have a successful launch - every cent of the proceeds goes straight back into paying for the production of the book/production of the next book.
I’ve also been hearing from several folks as they finish Polaris, and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge again how much that means to me. Writing a book is a long, lonely experience. Polaris, for example, was developed in near-isolation for over three years before I released it to the public.
Money is great, but the real reward for writing a book is hearing what people think about it. Nothing brings me greater joy than hearing about your favorite scenes, characters, and whether you’re now afraid to look through your front door peephole.
A Note On Reviews
As more readers start to finish Polaris, I’d like to take a moment to renew my request for reviews on Amazon/Goodreads. Please, please, please: if you read Polaris (or any other book, for that matter) and you liked it, the absolute best way to support the book is to leave a star rating plus a written review on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews on other platforms (blog, YouTube, your own social media) are a welcome bonus.
Now. Let’s talk about “reviews”.
It’s come to my attention that people may have the wrong idea about what I mean when I use that word (review). For clarity: an Amazon/Goodreads review is not an essay, or a formal review like the kind Siskel and Ebert wrote back in the 90s.
An Amazon/Goodreads review is brief and to the point; writing one can (and frankly should) take as little as five minutes of your time. To write a review, simply select a star rating out of 5, then write three to five sentences about the book. Copy-paste what you wrote to both Amazon and Goodreads—and voila, you’re all done!
Honestly, the funny part is that whenever people text me their thoughts about Polaris, they usually write more over text than they’d need to write for a review.
For anyone reading this who wants to write a review but is unsure of where to start, an easy pattern to follow is to answer some of these questions in a sentence or two:
What did you think of the book?
Who do you think the book was for?
What was your favorite part or character (without spoilers)?
Do you plan to read the sequel?
Any closing thoughts you’d want someone to know?
That’s honestly it. 3-10 sentences, 5-10 minutes, and you’re done. The truth? A good review is even more powerful for a book’s success than a purchase. (Yes, really.)
Here’s why: if Polaris hits 20-40 reviews, sites like Amazon will start to show the book to other explorers under its ‘Readers Also Bought’ banner based on who reviewed the book and their reading patterns.
This is an excellent way to extend the book’s reach—but you can’t get there without reviews. Expect to hear me sounding the clarion call over the next few Writerly Things; if we can get Polaris to that 20-40 review range over the coming months, it will help set up both Polaris and Mosaic for even greater success.
Remember: every review helps, no matter how small!
Updates on MOSAIC
Speaking of Mosaic; good news!
I have officially printed out the so-called Discovery Draft of Mosaic and am working on my “Assembly” period now.
The Assembly process will take about the next two months. During that time, I will revisit every page I’ve written, so that I can edit, cut, add, and … well.
“Assemble” the book.
This is the most exhausting and exciting stage for any new book. An author starts with a drawer of parts and a vision; on the far side of Assembly, they have Draft 1.0 of their new book. Provided I can stay on schedule (and I will, by God, if it kills me), that means I should have Mosaic V1.0 complete by the end of June, or July at the latest.
This means that I will deliver Mosaic V1.0 to my Alpha Readers in July or August. That thought is at once triumphant and paralyzing; yes, it’s really happening. The second book has started to emerge from the mists. It’s wild to be back at the beginning, while also at the end.
To quote the Muppets; “We’re doing a sequel!”
Like with Polaris, there will be opportunities to be an Early Reader for Mosaic for those interested.
Keep an eye on the Anecdotal for information on how to apply when the time comes. (I know I said I’d talk about it in this post, but let’s save it for next time so we can get you on your way.)
Alright. I think that’s it for now. For those who are new here: welcome! For the old ranch hands: thanks for sticking around.
Expect things to heat up as we roll forward into the development cycle for Mosaic.
Until next time,
Ries
Kids. Job. Writing. Eating. Sleeping. Wife. House. Do you have 48 hour days?
So excited for Mosaic to be in assembly! You got this! I’ll see if I can create a local only agent to read the whole thing to me. 😂