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Thank you again for the messages of support over the last week. I've put a ton of pressure on myself to keep the story going at a steady pace, but it's been very helpful to have so many of you let me know that I should focus on my health first.
My doctor started me on a new course of antibiotics the other day, and I've been able to get a lot of rest the past few days.
I made some good progress on Chapter 20 today, and I hope to have it finished tomorrow night and submitted at some point on Sunday. My apologies for the delays, but taking this week to rest and focus on getting better really has been a huge help.
I am still sick. Going on two weeks now. It's nothing too terrible, but it has been extremely inconvenient.
I don't think I've had a good night's sleep in weeks now, and my sinuses have been giving me headaches that make it difficult to sit down and write for extended periods of time.
As I've mentioned, the past few weeks of being sick, on top of the travel, have totally wiped out my chapter buffer. I'm looking at some possible ways to change my update schedule to maybe allow me to build one up again.
I know that the preference is that I put out as many (quality) chapters as frequently as possible, but if any of you have thoughts about me changing my schedule, I'm open to hearing them.
All of this is a long way of saying that I'm not confident about getting Chapter 20 out tomorrow (today, since I'm writing this at nearly 2am.)
However, as an apology/tease, here's the opening of the next chapter for you to get excited about.
Claire "Cece" Cleary
Friday, August 9th, 2013
Cece awoke to the sound of metal crashing to the floor. She was out of bed in a flash, rushing out of her room and into her dad's one door over. He was on the floor next to his bed, his walker tipped over next to him.
Chapter 19 will be published this morning/early afternoon. It marks the start of the school year for Ryan and Spellman Elementary. I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about my experience writing and publishing this story so far.
When I started writing this story I certainly didn't plan for it to take 19 chapters over 100k words to get to this point. I had the idea for the characters, and I knew a lot about what I wanted to happen, but as I continued to write and started setting up characters and situations, things just continued to demand more words.
With the start of the school year, I expect that the timeline will move a bit faster. The routine of Ryan's work week will allow me to hurry past more of the "boring parts."
I don't know how to properly judge actual readership numbers, but I do know that over 800 people have rated my story and that we have over 200 comments worth of discussion here on SOL. That's incredible to me. Thank you so much for your time and attention.
I've always wanted to write, but it's been a struggle for a long time. About ten years ago I had completed a novel and submitted a query and sample chapters to an editor. Much to my surprise, he liked what he read and requested the full manuscript.
Unfortunately, my mental health was not in a great place at the time. His request led not to excitement but to panic. In the end, rather than submit my manuscript, I deleted the whole thing. I hardly wrote again for years.
Now I'm in a much better place. After finally getting the help I needed, I started taking some medication about eighteen months ago that has allowed me to start writing again. Spellman is the longest story I have written in over a decade, with much more still to come.
This story has allowed me to shake off the rust I had allowed to accumulate on my skills. While I am focused on telling a good story, I am also using this opportunity to practice, stretch my wings a bit, and try new things. I'll continue to experiment with different techniques like flashbacks, alternate POVs, and maybe some unusual structures.
Thanks for coming on this journey with me, and for your support so far. Spellman's positive reception here has meant more to me than you could know. I hope that the story continues to entertain you as the school year begins.
Thank you to everyone who sent messages of support in response to my last blog. I feel terrible every time I am late releasing a chapter. We're usually our own toughest critic. It was very nice to see so many readers be so understanding and encourage me to prioritize my health.
Chapter 18 has been submitted, and will hopefully be posted soon.
With no more travel on the horizon and (fingers crossed) my health improving, things should be back on schedule for 19 on Saturday. My goal is to slowly start building back my chapter buffer so that if something like this happens again it won't result in delays for the readers.
Despite my best efforts (and lots of cold medicine) I am still sick. Tried to finish 18 last night but only got about halfway there.
I am going to sleep for a while and then try again. Hopefully will get the chapter up later this evening.
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