INtrinSicliValud: Blog

With the latest steamy autobiographical piece complete, I’ve herded the muses back into their closet. Granted, they didn’t have to generate much creativity. Instead, those delightful imps simply provided better words than those scratched into old diaries. Because, duh, it’s me, I’ll still run it through the full editing process. Who knows? One day after I’m gone, it may be uncovered by archaeologists. Hope they’re not prudes. Giggle.

Once more, I’ve wheeled to focus on editing. Timewise, technical editing chapter-by-chapter is easier to manage. If all goes well, this novel will go on sale in November. Its free chapters have SOL slots starting in May 2026. Yep, that’s how far ahead this little wird-skribblin’ venture has lurched.

Bonus, I squeezed in some time to play with a Cyberpunk-like sandcastle program. More details over on Discord, along with a treat. A screenshot of the cityscape I created. It features billboards not only of my current releases, but those currently in The Yards.

Hugs and, of course, my profound gratitude for the kind words, critical feedback, and support.

Ivey

As those on Discord already know, I’m enjoying time between novel-editing. Instead, I’ve been doing some free-writing. No complex plots. No “official” three-act, character arc structure stuff. Nope, after delving through old journals and dusting off memories, I’ve got one more steamy autobiographical account. Like the others, it will most likely never see the light of day. But it lets the muses dash madly about in the sunlight before I corral them for the next batch of editing.

Enjoy your holiday weekend. Again, warm hugs and thanks for the kind words, helpful comments and support of this site and me through purchases. You all rock.

Ivey

At long last, one of my earliest stories has been updated. As of last week, this second edition replaces the older one on SOL and Bookapy. Since its wirdz were first skribbled way back when I embarked on this writer’s journey, it’s remained dear to me.

Both Laura, a middle-aged woman so full of secrets, and Dave, her adoring husband, are prototype characters. Complexity, depth of emotion, the intriguing twists between sex, intimacy and love—they’re all there. While she’s coming into her own sexually, he’s trying his best to adjust. Sometimes, they teeter on the edge of dissolution, other times, he’s struggling to corral her. All the while, she’s riding the very sharpest edge of her own sanity.

It was a fun write and very much influenced by my experiences with non-American thoughts on such subjects. As a global traveler, sometimes the impact of puritanism here at home is brought into relief. Yes, I’m well aware some may not enjoy such worldly explorations of human sexuality. See last week’s blog about scoring. Meh, I’m off to write other things. Hehe, probably even more annoyingly kinky as I smear all kinds of neat little niches together. That’s what I do. It’s such delicious fun.

What was I fixing? Not only was the novel written before I had developed solid editing processes, the writing was less impactful. As such, it took almost a month to update, but it’s done. Although the number of chapters has increased, the content remains the same. Way back then, I possessed little understanding of when/where/how to place breaks.

Why did I bother? Personal pride. The internet is forever. If a potential new reader finds my older work, I wish for them to have an enjoyable experience. Simply put, far too many errors struck me as I was reviewing it.

Now, on to future works. The Yards remain packed with goodies for all of you. Yes, even you, in the back. You little devil.

As always, my warmest hugs and gratitude for all your feedback, comments, and support.

Ivey

After posting last week about adding your scores to increase visibility, I received a few comments. Most were along the lines of “why do you care?”

Here’s a secret: I don’t. Shocking, right? But wait, bear with me for a second.

From my perspective, scores, stars or any other simplistic feedback are of little value. Instead, they’re for other readers. Why? The stories you see on SOL, or the books purchased on Bookapy have been completed for several months. No score will affect their completion, nor that of a half-dozen similar tales already moving through The Yards.

It’s one reason I chuckle at the brigade of 1-score trolls who downvote instantly based on content they’d be far better off avoiding. Their misplaced efforts make no difference to me. Unfortunately, the people they do impact are those readers who enjoy such content. Lower scores mean stories aren’t as visible. Hence, my request to do your fellow readers a favor and vote for those stories you enjoy. Not just mine, but from any author kind enough to share their work on this or any site.

On the flip side, reviews and critical feedback are of great value. If they are provided upon conclusion of the story. Beforehand, see above; the story’s already written. No, I’m not changing anything, unless it’s an obvious mistake. In which case, I correct it before shooting the editor and promoting the assistant editor.

As authors, we’ve done our part by sharing, so do yours and provide legitimate feedback to help your fellow readers find our works. That’s what scoring systems accomplish. At least for me.

Hugs and a hearty “thank you” to all those who continue to support my efforts. You make this all worthwhile.

Ivey

Only a quick update this week. After letting the muses off their leashes to scribble a short-story contest entry for another site, it’s been back to editing. All thirty-eight chapters of “The Immortal, Volume 2” are complete, as are the various submission formats.

Red pencil in the air, I’m already plowing on to the next project. Because of an upcoming deadline, that’s a return to the older story’s updates. Expect to see the new version posted by the end of the month, both here and on Bookapy.

Likewise, I’m taking a hard look at another of my earlier stories. Its sequel, a novel-sized story with much better prose, is in the editing cue. Which means I need to find time to update the original tale.

Another round of thanks to my supporters. Your kind words, purchases, and feedback all fuel The Yards. If you’re not scoring and reviewing, please consider doing so. It helps bring my work to the attention of others.

Hugs.

Ivey