2026 Is For Stories

On Focus, Fiction, and What’s Changing

Hello friends, and welcome to a new year here at Falden’s Forge.

This post is both a personal reset and a practical update. As 2026 begins, I want to be clear about what this newsletter is for, what I’m prioritizing, and what’s going to change as a result.

For my Forgemasters in particular: consider this post as January’s usual Lorework. Rather than a behind-the-scenes look at a single story, I want to step back and talk to you directly about the larger project that you are generously supporting, and where I intend to take it next.

We’ll still have this month’s story-hook poll down below, where paid subscribers can vote for an upcoming story…

… but first, a little heart-to-heart.

At various times throughout my “writing journey,” I’ve found myself getting… impatient.

This is one of those times.

I’ve learned that I need to pay attention when that impatience shows up. It’s usually not a sign that I’ve been lazy or that I’m falling behind (though it feels that way). In the past, it’s always meant that I’ve been putting off something of value, and it’s time for me to take the next important step.

That impatience has led to good things.

I started this newsletter in a fit of pique (if I’m serious about this writing thing then I’d better try to find an audience, dangnabbit), and later I launched The Samyuzot because I wanted something longer form than just short stories. There are plenty of other examples where my attitude towards myself and my writing has changed for the better because of a relentless thought:

“Are you serious with this? Does it actually matter to you? Do you actually want to write?!”

For a while now, I’ve been telling myself that I haven’t been writing because I’ve been busy. And that’s true, up to a point. I’ve been busy doing some damn important and necessary things.

(As I typed those exact words Mrs. Falden told me that Junior has a fever and would I please go get a bowl in case he vomits? Us Falden men always vomit whenever we spike a fever. Isn’t that such a fun and quirky familial trait?! Oh, and did I mention we were all sick just after Christmas? Sneezing’s Greetings and Happy Spew Year to us!)

So this isn’t an apology, and it isn’t self-pity.

Instead, I’m trying to say that my impatience tends to cut through my fog. It’s an internal signal that tells me to move. It forces me to look in the mirror and make decisions.

I’m having one of those impatient moments right now.

For a long time (for as long as I’ve wanted to write, in fact), I’ve had a handful of large, epic-scale stories in my mind. Specific people (like Haelend of Eithelion) that I want to write about.

I haven’t really written these stories, however, because I’ve been scared. I’m scared that I’m not a good enough writer yet. I’m scared that they won’t be as good as what’s in my head. I’m scared that my audience will evaporate if I write too much fiction on this platform.

But I’ve been getting more and more impatient to tell those stories.

As 2025 fades into the rearview, my impatience is starting to win out against my fears.

I want more fiction here at the Forge. I want to make more serials. I want you to meet all the peoples (and peoples) of Cethanwald, and I want you to join me as the Fourth Age of that world collapses and expands into its Fifth.

Also: I want as much of my fiction as possible going to print this year.

I want to break out of the ‘someday’ mentality for my bigger stories and start building them. Here. Now.

And so…

My plan for 2026 is to focus directly on creating fiction, and writing precisely the kinds of stories I want to write.

I didn’t come here to chat about genre, though I love doing that. I came here to tell you stories. So that’s what I’ll be doing.

I will send you these stories as often as I can. I don’t know exactly how often that will be.

If that’s not your cup of tea, I understand. No hard feelings. You can hop off this train right here.

It’s likely that I will continue writing bits here and there about history and fantasy, but I’m going to shift away from that as a goal. Instead, I’ll write that non-fiction stuff only when (if) particular topics set my brain a’buzzing.

In the absence of a particular bolt of inspiration for a rapid-fire non-fiction piece, I’ll be writing stories. Stories of kings and vagabonds, warriors and wizards, and all the ordinary folk who make a world worth knowing.

But for those of you who do want to stick around, I am honored to have you.

I have ideas for no less than four new serials. Not all of them will see the light of day, but gosh-darn-it I want to take a swing at every single one of them. And that’s not including the long, long list of short story ideas I have—ideas that aren’t just options, but ideas where I’ll be mad at myself if I don’t write them.

Which means I’m going to keep being mad at myself (i.e. “impatient”) until you guys get a whole lot of narrative goodness.

So, what’s the Forge gonna look like these days?

I’ll get back to the Forgemasters Posts (like this Lorework), and I’ll still have exclusive stories for you paid subs, but to be completely honest, I don’t know if I’ll continue the paywalled stuff beyond Summer 2026 (when most of my paid subscribers are set to renew). If there are going to be changes, I will communicate that to all of you way ahead of time.

Speaking of: I have some catching up to do.

• Next week, I’ll be releasing Gautin’s Errand, from November’s Lorework Poll.

• The week after, I’ll be releasing The Siege of Salbat, from September’s.

• The week after that, I’ll be releasing whatever story you all choose down below.

• So as not to lock everything behind a paywall, I plan to make at least some of those stories free for everyone.

Will the stories be weekly after that? Likely not. I’ll continue my once-monthly Forgemaster story (paywalled, after January), and try to write at least one more free story each month. The free, non-fiction posts (history, reviews, fantasy analysis, etc) will be sporadic.

The fact is, I’ve often stopped writing stories because I know I’m not going to be able to finish in time for a Tuesday post, so I pivot on Friday or Saturday to write a non-fiction post (which are generally easier). But the middle of the week is my most stressful time, so I can’t always return to the half-done story until Friday, at which point I feel like I may not finish in time… and the cycle continues.

If I’m going to write half of what I want to write between now and when I die, then I have to be okay with occasionally sending nothing out on a given Tuesday. The hamster-wheel production has to give way to the long-term goals.

I’ll send out stories when I have them. Which should be a whole lot more often in 2026.

Now, with all that out of the way, let’s get to the normal paid-post Lorework poll.

Vote For What’s Next

Every month, Forgemasters get to vote on an upcoming story.

Here’s how it works: I share three story hooks. You vote for your favorite. I write the winner. The other hooks stay in rotation until they lose three times, in which case I’ll retire them. Polls stay open until I start writing (at least 1 week).

Note: I believe you have to be logged in on the app or on the web to vote.

Want to suggest a story prompt? Have something else from Cethanwald you want to see? Leave a comment, reply to this email, or send me a direct message in the app.

Here are this month’s Story Hooks:

1. A fisherman gets an unexpected haul [Last Chance]

2. Aftermath of a battle on a frozen lake

3. A hunter finds his name carved in a tree [New]

Thanks for voting!

Thanks again for your ongoing support of my work here at Falden’s Forge. You can support me even further by liking, commenting, or sharing this post.