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I just realized the latest chapter I posted for "High School Massacre" on SOL ends with a cliffhanger.

Cliffhangers are discussed sometimes in the SOL Forum. Some people like them, others hate them. One author on the forum (who of course is also a reader) actually said he would not read any work by an author who leaves him hanging with a cliffhanger. Rather extreme, but that's what he said (although I doubt he really meant it).

As with my previous comments on chapter length, I don't write a novel with posting chapters on SOL in mind. I write the novel with the expectation the reader can simply "turn the page" to start the next chapter. So if the chapter is short, all they have to do is start the next chapter. If a chapter ends with a cliffhanger, all they have to do is start the next chapter. However, when posting a chapter at a time on SOL, the next chapter might not be available yet.

At least it's not as bad as a TV show when the season ending episode ends with a cliffhanger and you have to wait the entire summer to find out what happens. I post chapters on a regular basis.

Cliffhangers, like every other technique in literary fiction, can be abused, but there's a place for cliffhangers.

Or so I thought. For a week now, I've had body aches, headaches, congestion, cough (a cough like you wouldn't believe - my ribcage and abdominal area hurts when I cough), sore throat, etc. And I hadn't slept in days other than passing out wherever I was sitting throughout the day. I've been fully vaccinated for Covid, but they say you can still get it although not as severe.

Yesterday I went to an urgent care center to be tested. Covid = negative. Flu = negative. So it's a bacterial infection which is great. It can be treated so I'm on Z-Pak (antibiotic) and cough medicine.

So why am I telling you all this?

I was a day or two late posting the latest chapter of "High School Massacre" (Chapter 32). I haven't heard from anyone so I assume the posting went well even though my brain is working like it's underwater, meaning it's not working at 100%. Chapter 33 will be posted around Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll be better.

It's also affecting my work-in-progress novel (current working title is "War Widows"). I haven't been able to write anything on that novel even though it's an exciting time for my hero as he moves into a new chapter in his life. (Yikes! Using a literary metaphor for a literary piece just doesn't sound right.)

Anyway, these are the most words I've written in a week and it drained me enough that I need to go lie down.

Based on the way the voting plummeted after posting this last chapter (Chapter 16), it's obvious that many people didn't like the chapter. All I can say is, it was required. Why? Because the bad people in the story are very bad people and their evilness needs to be shown. And it ain't over yet. There's more to come.

The bad things shown in the story have other purposes as well. For example, it shows the strength of the victim's character. Their sacrifices. How it affects their relationships. And more reasons that I can't talk about without giving away the story. And if I got you to empathize with a character that was put through hell, felt her pain and humiliation, well, that means I did my job as an author.

But like all of my Lincoln Steele novels, Steele gets justice in the end. So hang in there.

I was going to post the next two chapters of "High School Massacre" on Monday. They aren't very long, not that they're some of my really short chapters. But I thought I would spread them out - one today and one Monday - to attract more readers. So once the Admins do their thing it will be posted.

Chapter 12 of "High School Massacre" is waiting to be posted. I guess Sunday isn't the best day to post. It's been sitting in the queue for some time. Anyway, this is a heads-up since I wasn't scheduled to post it until Tuesday. Watch out for it.