The Blind Man: Blog

Sorry folks but I've been having issues with the next chapter. Mostly it's feel. I don't like the feel it has in context to the overall story. I've rewritten it twice so far and I've even sent it to my editor. Technically, it's ready to post but I'm thinking about rewritting it again. Hopefully, I can get it sorted out today. Until then...sorry and stay tuned.

A denizen of SOL asked me how many chapters were there to go in my story. It seems he prefers to read a completed tale, which I have to admit, I like doing as well. Unfortunately, I don't have a precise answer for the individual. While I have mapped out key points that I have to get through to move Adam along in his tale, the exact number of chapters needed to get to that point is undetermined. When I started writing the story I intended to move things along at a certain pace. As I received comments from readers, my writing has changed. I started with a lot of detail and some sex and I've moved on to some chapters with a lot of sex and little in plot development. I'm trying to balance that out.

What I can say is that I am past the halfway point in the story. I've got three major events that Adam will have to deal with before I get to a point where I can say this is the end. Depending on the how things evolve that could be anywhere between another twelve to thirty-five chapters.

I hope this helps the individual who asked the question and I do hope that when he does make time to read my tale that he enjoys it.

First off let me take the blame for any typo or misuse of a word in my story. While I am using Word spell and grammar checker and I am getting help from a volunteer editor, the story is mine and if people are finding errors they're mine to own up to.

That said, I'm beginning to understand the responses from other authors that I've commented to when I've spot something wrong with their story. Their response has been 'thank you for pointing that out but I'm not changing it'. Lately I've been spending more time responding to e-mails and correcting older chapters than I have been writing new stuff.

I appreciate all the feedback. Most has been positive and some helpful. Some has not. So for now I'm going to focus on writing and less on editing. I still want your feedback and I appreciate it. I'll be creating an e-mail folder and dropping you comments in it and when I get done with the story I'll go back and fix what I can.

Major edits won't be happening. I've had requests to go back and up the amount of sex in the earlier chapters and to make it 'steamier'. I've also had people pushing for Adam to become more assertive and domineering with the women. It's not happening. One because it wasn't how I visualized Adam's personality and two because I've also had comments suggesting that I tone down the sex and focus more on building the settlement. In fact, when I wrote Chapter 25 in response to demands for more sex, I got bombed by the SOL Trolls.

So to put this to rest, I appreciate feedback, good and bad, as it shows me that people are reading the story and they want to help out. For now I'm going back to writing. I hope it doesn't offend anyone but if I don't I might as well just pull the whole story and stop writing. It's gotten that bad.

Oh, and for clarity sake, I write in Canadian English. My apologies to anyone out there who thinks 'colour' should be 'color'.

Enough said, thanks again and have a good day.

A new reader to 'New Beginnings - Adam's Story' found that Jack's reaction to the thought of having to have sex didn't ring true so I wanted to discuss it here.

The first thing I want to say is that Jack isn't you and her isn't me. While many of use believe that given the same conditions and opportunities that we'd jump for it, I decided that Jack wouldn't. He'd been married to his High School sweetheart for twenty-plus years and hadn't strayed once. While he enjoyed ogling his young teenage nieces and his daughters, he'd never thought about anything other than looking.

The second thing is that when his mother and sisters make their advances at him, a period of maybe eight to ten hours had past since they'd been dropped onto the planet. It was too sudden for him and it overwhelmed him. I'm certain people have had that experience before, though probably in much didfferent circumstances. Whether at work when the boss hands you a dozen things that need to be completed by lunch or an all you can eat buffet filled with every kind of food you like, the sudden realization that it has to be done or you are free to do it if you want can be overwhelming.

Finally, Jack is a down to earth type of guy who has lived a simple life. When he planted a crop or sold off some stock he did things the way he'd been doing it for decades. The new life on the new planet overwhelmed him again. It was sudden and it was life changing and it certainly wasn't simple.

That's how I had pictured things for Jack. In time (a very short time) he was made to see and accept the reality of the situation. Still I felt that Jack's reaction was appropriate to the situation based on what I imagined his character to be. You, the readers, might feel different, but that's the way I wrote it.

Again, than's you for the feedback. It helps a lot to know what a reader thinks of what a writer has written whether it is positive, negative or just a smiley face.

Have a good New Year.

I've reposted Chapter Six. It's been revised and sent to the editor. The revisions included adding a little sex at the end of the chapter. People wanted sex. Hopefully, people will like the additions and the corrections. Enjoy.