Letoria: Blog

First, I want to apologize to all of my readers for being MIA for a year. I am eternally grateful for your patience and loyalty. It means more to me than words can express. Thank you.

Unfortunately, Life threw me a series of unpleasant challenges which I had to overcome. Writing fell by the wayside for a time, but I always knew I would get back to work telling Karen and Laci's story at some point.

That point has arrived, and our heroines are back.

Writing may have slowed to a crawl during my hiatus, but I never stopped mentally keeping the story alive. After ruminating on it, I decided it was time to flesh out a few secondary characters, giving them more prominent roles. I also decided it was time to start weaving subplots into the story to keep it fresh and open up a cornucopia of new erotic potential.

This latest installment (Chapter 3-Volume 2) begins that process in earnest. Even though there is, of necessity, minimal sex in the new chapter, I did my best to keep it interesting and engaging. It's a bridge chapter of sorts, laying some of the groundwork for what's to come.

As I resumed writing, I ran into a bit of a brick wall, which was maddening as hell but hardly unusual for me. Luckily, I found the problem in relatively short order: what I originally envisioned as Chapter 3 needed to be Chapter 4. The serendipitous result is that Chapter 4 is already over halfway finished, and Chapter 5 is tentatively mapped out in my head.

That means there shouldn't be a long wait for the next two chapters. That of course is dependent on Life not throwing more unpleasantness at me. I've learned the hard way, as I suspect most you have, that nothing in life guaranteed.

Once again, I want to thank all of you for your patience, perseverance, and loyalty to the story. I hope what I'm offering up is worth the wait.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you and those you hold dear.

Letoria

Update 01-26-18

Happy New Year everyone. I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season. Mine was lovely. My wife and I decided it was time to stop exchanging more than token gifts so we could focus our efforts on spoiling our new grandchild. That's infinitely more satisfying than anything we'd get each other.

I managed to get Chapter 2 finished in time to post before 2018 arrived. The very idea of going an entire year without adding a new installment felt like an annoying pebble in my shoe. Even though I knew what was supposed to happen, leaving only the actual writing to be completed, that was easier to say than do.

The year 2017 is going into the books as one of great changes in my life, some good, some not so good. On the plus side of the ledger, my wife and I became grandparents this year. Am I really old enough to be a grandmother? Apparently so, because as recently as this afternoon I was wiping the bum of the living, pooping proof of it. This is a part of middle age I can enjoy.

On the debit side, unexpected health issues came up which had a much greater impact than I'd hoped. The New Year starts with some of those challenges extending their reach well into 2018. Upcoming surgery is going to make it very difficult for me to type, but I'm exploring alternatives, including voice-to-text, or even one handed typing if it gets to that.

In any event, dealing with the various changes and challenges took precedence over almost everything else in my life.

Changes or not, I'm determined to not let 2018 repeat 2017. I'm well into Chapter 3 as I write. I've come to the first major fork in the chapter's story arc. Do I want to continue the path I initially envisioned, or do I need to slow down and let the process of the new subplot develop more deliberately than originally expected? Option A isn't really an option unless you the reader is willing to plow through 100+ pages.

I'm going to try exploring the alternate paths available to see which, if any, are better options. This is not a unique situation. It happens with nearly all the chapters. Once I start writing, the flaws and weaknesses of my original plan begin to show up. It's hardly unusual for me to end up deleting 10 to 15 pages because I've discovered that I'm on the wrong path. The Muses eventually stop toying with me and let me find the right trail to follow, but it's never a straightforward process - which is half the fun for me.

I know how the story ends. The question remains, how do we get there, and how long does it take? I have only a vague, general idea of "how" to get to the end. I have no idea how long it's going to take. A year? Ten years? Maybe it will simply become an ongoing saga. There are too many variables involved for me to make a prediction. How about, "As long as Karen and Laci are alive in me and they still have something to say, that's how long."

Thank you for your patience and understanding. In return, I promise to do my part to the best of my ability.

About a week ago, a fan of Karen and Laci sent me a message wondering if everything was OK. It had been awhile since I'd posted anything, he pointed out. He hoped I was still writing it. That gentle nudge reminded me it's been nearly a year since I posted anything on SOL. Clearly, it's time to reconnect, even if it is nothing more than an interim blog entry.

I want all who are interested and loyal enough to stick around to know I am indeed still writing the story of Karen and Laci. Unfortunately, I've had some significant health issues play out over the last six months, which has thrown a proverbial monkey wrench into the works.

Even in the best of times, I'm not a fast writer. It's something I do in dribs and drabs when time becomes available. Then, as I write it almost always becomes apparent that the course I've initially laid out is not going to work. It's not at all unusual for me to write 5,000 words before I realize it's all wrong and I have to start over from scratch. Lather, rinse, repeat up to three times. I am never going to be a prolific writer. I truly admire those writers who can routinely put out a steady stream of high quality material. It doesn't come that easily to me.

I thought I was making (for me) decent progress writing Chapter 2 as summer arrived. Then things went haywire. Life threw a rotten tomato at me, just as it does to so many of us, and it's taken me nearly six months to get things subdued. There are sure to be bumps in the road ahead, but now I'm in control.

Even when I was feeling most overwhelmed, I managed to continue writing, even if only in brief spurts. It acted as an escape for me. Just visiting the World of Karen and Laci in my mind gave me a respite. I'd say I'm about two thirds of the way through the chapter now, and it looks like I should have a stretch of smooth(er) sailing ahead of me. I doubt I can finish it before the story goes inactive, but I promise I haven't forsaken our heroines.

I should mention I had a wonderful reminder that for every rotten tomato life flings at you with one hand, it often hands you a bowl of juicy strawberries with the other. I knew everything was going to be OK when I finally became a grandmother for the first time. Am I really old enough to be a grandmother? I guess I am, and it makes me very happy.

Note: What follows is an expansion of a reply from me to a condolence email from "Ed P". Rather than reinvent the wheel, it expresses what I want to say well enough to make up the larger part of what I want to say. Thank you, Ed P, for your indulgence.




It came as personally devastating news. My longtime friend, mentor, and supporter had passed away. It came with very little warning. Even with all of my experience in end-of-life nursing, it slipped by me unexpectedly. I strongly I suspected he was heading down the path toward the end, but not so soon! Please God, not so soon!


Chris, aka Invid Fan, was a precious friend. I've developed several cyber-friendships, some quite close, since I started writing, but none nearly as close as the one I forged with Chris. We never met in person because we lived so far apart. Sadly I never had the chance to hug him and give him a kiss. However, that did not lessen the strength of our friendship or my love for him.


When I started writing, I very quickly discovered I had a burning passion for it, but I had no real idea what I was doing. He took me by the hand and slowly, patiently taught me the art of good writing. He could be quite as stern as he could be gently encouraging when he commented on my writing. Stern or gentle, I like to think I always took his lessons to heart.


We had completely different styles of writing. His was terse and Hemingway-esque; mine leans toward Faulknerian detail with a good bit of steam-of-consciousness. When reviewing my writing, he always respected my style, and tried to teach me within the framework I found (find) most comfortable.


Still, his comments could cut like a knife when he thought I was being lazy and abusing the privileges granted by my style. Earlier on in my "Karen and Laci" novel, I had the bad habit of "heading-hopping", that is moving from one character's point-of-view to another's without a clear break. Head-hopping, he said, was, "Well - childish." Yikes! That bit hard. I learned my lesson though, and I don't think I've done it since Chapter12.


One thing in particular saddens me. We started a writing project together. It was a story from the point of view of two characters, his male and mine a female. We took turns playing our characters off the actions of the other, the result being a story seen from two entirely different perspectives. We had to put it on hold when he took sick, and my own health condition flared up. Now we won't be able to finish it, and that breaks my heart. Still, it comforts me to know that he thought highly enough of my writing to ask me to do the project with him. I could ask for no higher honor.


My favorite story of his is "Where Friendship Leads," followed closely by the "Nowny Poland" series, both novels he had published as old fashion, printed books. The hard copy cover of a "Nowny" volume had the image of a bluebird on it, a copy of a painting done by his beloved niece. I fell in love with that bird. The bird's face looks alive, as if it will cock its head and turn its glare right on you. His niece clearly has talent, and his pride in her beamed through his emails like a lighthouse's beacon. That he used her painting as cover art for one of his books says more than any words can say about how much he thought of her skill.


Earlier, after he took sick, he really shocked me when he asked if I wanted the original painting. At first, I hesitated. It belonged to his niece and I'd feel uncomfortable taking it from her. Well, he said, how about if I bought it from her. Artists expected to sell their works.


It was clear he wanted me to have that painting, so I finally agreed. He acted as her "agent", we decided on a price, and in short order I got a package in the mail from him with the original painting. However, it also contained two of his books, the "Nowny" with the bluebird cover art, and a copy of "Where Friendship Leads."


When I opened "Where Friendship Leads," there on the dedication page, in big 24 point type, it reads, "For Letoria". My breath caught, my hands trembled, and tears welled up and burned my eyes. He'd given me the ultimate compliment. "You are my friend," he said.


How could I not love someone who thought that much of me? I've known for a long time that love has nothing at all to do with one's sexual orientation. We love the person, not the gender. Being a lesbian cannot and never will have a bearing on whether or not I love someone, and I loved him as a treasured friend. He was a kind and generous man, and a skilled and patient teacher. I'm honored beyond measure knowing he thought so highly of me.


Now especially, the book and painting are among my most prized possessions, both occupying places of high honor within my home. I could do no less.


Chris gave to me infinitely more than I gave back. All I could give was my love and devotion. I wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye to him, but life doesn't always work that way, so all I can do is honor him by always following his most important bit of advice: "Always be true to your story, and never cheat it by giving it less than the very best you are capable of giving." That's a lesson I will carry in my heart, and I will never cheat him by cheating the story. I hope I can continue to do him proud.


If you've read this far, let me thank you for your indulgence. I need to say these things so I can begin healing. Who better to share them with than his admiring readers? Thank all of you who've written with your condolences, which I will pass on to his sister. Thank all of you who offered up warm thoughts. Thank all of you again for your indulgence as I ruminated out loud.


Finally, thank you Chris for being my friend and mentor, and for enriching my life beyond measure. I won't let you down.


I love you…

Lee

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sent well-wishes for Invid Fan. Frankly, I was astonished at the sheer volume of responses. Even more, I was moved by the heartfelt messages each contained. I was personally touched by how devoted and caring all of you are. I wish I could thank all of you personally, but there are so many it's not practical. So I'll say it here once again. Thank all of you for your support for Invid Fan. I'll ensure he gets every last one of your messages.

He continues to make steady progress, but naturally he tires easily. Several of you wrote with methods of bypassing a facility's Nanny filters. Again, once he's up to it, I'll make sure he gets those suggestions.

I'll continue to post updates as appropriate. Thank you all once again.