I didn’t formally sign up for Camp NaNo this time, but I’m doing it all the same. I just didn’t want the deadline stress hanging over me while I was juggling everything that needs to get done AND editing.
That said I’m editing a scene a day, which is my goal. Captured Pawn is at 41,000 words, with 75,000 as the goal.
I made the mistake of reading some of my reviews which… I know they’re for the reader, not the author, but so many people unintentionally put helpful information in their reviews. Like a lot of reviewers are interested in the war that I initially envisioned as just a backdrop for the book, so I’m working on how to make that part of the story. Stuff like that.
But even with the best, nicest reviews, it makes you doubt yourself, you know? TOTALLY IRRATIONAL. Still happens.
Most of the time I ask my PA to pull helpful information from them for me, because if I read them I struggle to write for the next couple days, second guessing myself.
Which is not to say don’t leave reviews… I absolutely LOVE it when you leave reviews. Right now my reviews are warning readers that this book is single POV, High School, and the characters act like, well, teenagers. That’s GOOD for the reader to know. If you don’t like these things, Orphan Lost is not going to be a good fit for you.
They tell me that I’ve focused pretty hard on High School stories, and I might do well to expand into college age or older protagonists because that’s what I prefer reading so why aren’t I writing it? I also really enjoy reading Omegaverse, but the number of sex scenes… y’all, I blush until I nearly pass out trying to write those. Probably not a good niche for me. But I love reading them! Jillian West and Devyn Sinclair are my current favorite Omegaverse authors.
So leave reviews. I love them, other authors like them. They’re helpful for readers. They help the author see things that they might not have realized – you insight is absolutely valuable. Be honest, I just ask that you aren’t personally attacking the author and that you don’t lie in them. (Yes, I have seen this, though not in my own reviews. Reviews that say THE DOG/BABY DIES when there IS no dog or baby in the book, stuff like that. Why is this a thing? I don’t get it.)
I’m rambling. I’m exhausted, flailing while I try to keep up with everything, and still trying to get daily editing in. My husband is improving. He googled his break finally and was shocked to find out that usually they take the leg off, and I’m like I KNOW THAT’S WHY WE WERE ALL SO STRESSED OUT. But during it he decided it was best if he didn’t look at the X-rays or research it for his own peace of mind and just focus on getting through it, which I totally get.
But you’d better believe I was frantically researching and losing my absolute mind over this. I did not tell him how bad it looked per his request, and THANK EVERY DEITY KNOWN TO MAN we got a doctor who was like CHALLENGE ACCEPTED and put my husband’s leg back together fantastically well. I am SO grateful, you have no idea. It really looked like he’d lose it.
I sent thank you cards to all the people that helped during this ordeal, including one just for the doctor, directly to his office.
So… this is what has been up in my life. I’m working on one blog post a week rather than the three a week I maintained for almost five years because that’s more reasonable with what’s on my plate right now.
Happy reading, y’all.
Photo Credit: Deposit Photos macniak – https://depositphotos.com/portfolio-1029233.html?content=photo
