Xalir: Blog

I just posted chapter 32 to be posted. We're all hoping it's the chapter 32 for Book 2, but that certainly made yesterday exciting. This chapter cements a lot of details for the cheer team and marks a turning point in Matt's relationship.

As always, thanks to everyone who's been emailing me with comments and correction suggestions for the chapters. They're all appreciated.

Okay. I accidently posted chapter 31 of Book 3. I've submitted the correct chapter (I hope). It should be up shortly.

I just put chapter 31 up for posting. I've managed to take some downtime for me, do some work and get a little closer to back to normal. Right now that's the goal.

It's been suggested that I take it easy with Book 3 and ease back to a posting schedule of every second or even every third day. I'm considering that as it gives me much more time to finish off book 4 without feeling like I'm under the gun.

I want to thank everyone for the support I got over the past few days as I focused elsewhere. I'm glad to be back though.

Hi guys. I know I told you I'd resume posting on Wednesday and I promise I will, but I just ran into something here on SOL and it pissed me off, so I wanted to rant about it like the angry bastard I am.

Even when I'm not writing, I'm reading. Lately, my SOL readings have led me to stories well outside my comfort zone. Yesterday, I found one that I won't name, but settled in to read it, thinking that reading something profoundly different might help me unwind after a long day. So I read. I disliked a lot of the story elements, but enjoyed others. The story was 25 chapters long and I thought that's a comfortable length, it's listed as completed and I'm in the mood to scratch strange parts of my imagination, so let's do this. I was having a great time and then the narrative stopped with the declaration that "Sorry, unfortunately we'll never know what happened after this."

WHAT THE BALL-FLAPPING FUCK WAS THAT!??! I read 25 chapters that needed me to Rosetta Stone what the author was trying to tell me in places, the grammar and spelling were that spotty and when I get to the end THAT is the last line in the story? Is the author dead? Because that's an acceptable reason that it's not going to update. Otherwise a note to the reader, letting them know that the story was abandoned SHOULD have been at the top of Chapter 1, right? At the very least, mark the story Incomplete and Inactive. That's just fucking shitty to do to readers.

So here's the promise: NEVER! NEVER, EVER! If I can't find it in myself to finish a serial and the muse has completely abandoned me, I'll find a way to get that story to a place where you, the reader, can read the words "The End" at the bottom and get a sense of satisfaction. You will never look at one of my stories and feel that disappointment until someone posts on here that I'm damn good and dead and I'll have chapters waiting for you when you get to the reading room in the sky.

Sorry to dump that out there in a cloud of rage, but I feel like those stories should be removed from SOL. Seriously, what do we need a 14k story that's been Incomplete and Inactive since 2003 for? If you took a break from that story to have a kid, that kid is now a teenager and is probably wandering this site with a mouse in one hand and a penis in the other and hoping his parents don't catch him. Imagine his disappointment when he sees that Daddy didn't finish that story he started way back when. Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?!!?

I just put chapter 30 in line to be posted, so it should be up soon and it completes Matt's Monday including the meeting with the principal for cheer. It's an interesting day for a few reasons.

On another note, it's been suggested to me by a few readers after last night's late post that I take a few days and focus on what's going on here. The reason that I was late yesterday was that between all the tasks that I have here to clean up and the inconvenience of some tasks like laundry after the flood destroyed my machines, I've been running 16 hour days and then siting down to write and chat by mail in between tasks. Yesterday, it caught up to me and I slept the day away. So I am going to take a day or two off and try to focus on getting things taken care of here. I'll post chapter 31 sometime on Wednesday, but until then, I need to rest up, get back to keeping regular hours and get my head clear so I can write effectively again. Sorry for those of you who look forward to posting every day, but I kind of need the time away from the Net right now.

I'll still try to answer as many emails as I can over the next few days, but any time I spend at the keys will probably be to tinker with Book 4 or Throttle right now. Keep messaging me and I promise I'll get back to you, but it might be a couple of days. Thanks for your patience everyone.