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I've been posting the chapters for "High School Massacre" on Tuesdays (sometimes Monday or Wednesday when I was busy on Tuesday). But I got impatient and posted the final chapter of this novel last Friday.

For those who were expecting the posting today and didn't notice it on SOL or aren't a member in my group where I announce postings, I thought I should mention it here.

Today is the scheduled date for Chapter 38 for "High School Massacre" to be posted.

I submitted it around 2 hours ago, but it's still waiting in the queue. All I can do is wait.

Does anyone speak Italian and is willing to review something I wrote to see if it's correct.

Thanks

I just realized the latest chapter I posted for "High School Massacre" on SOL ends with a cliffhanger.

Cliffhangers are discussed sometimes in the SOL Forum. Some people like them, others hate them. One author on the forum (who of course is also a reader) actually said he would not read any work by an author who leaves him hanging with a cliffhanger. Rather extreme, but that's what he said (although I doubt he really meant it).

As with my previous comments on chapter length, I don't write a novel with posting chapters on SOL in mind. I write the novel with the expectation the reader can simply "turn the page" to start the next chapter. So if the chapter is short, all they have to do is start the next chapter. If a chapter ends with a cliffhanger, all they have to do is start the next chapter. However, when posting a chapter at a time on SOL, the next chapter might not be available yet.

At least it's not as bad as a TV show when the season ending episode ends with a cliffhanger and you have to wait the entire summer to find out what happens. I post chapters on a regular basis.

Cliffhangers, like every other technique in literary fiction, can be abused, but there's a place for cliffhangers.

Or so I thought. For a week now, I've had body aches, headaches, congestion, cough (a cough like you wouldn't believe - my ribcage and abdominal area hurts when I cough), sore throat, etc. And I hadn't slept in days other than passing out wherever I was sitting throughout the day. I've been fully vaccinated for Covid, but they say you can still get it although not as severe.

Yesterday I went to an urgent care center to be tested. Covid = negative. Flu = negative. So it's a bacterial infection which is great. It can be treated so I'm on Z-Pak (antibiotic) and cough medicine.

So why am I telling you all this?

I was a day or two late posting the latest chapter of "High School Massacre" (Chapter 32). I haven't heard from anyone so I assume the posting went well even though my brain is working like it's underwater, meaning it's not working at 100%. Chapter 33 will be posted around Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll be better.

It's also affecting my work-in-progress novel (current working title is "War Widows"). I haven't been able to write anything on that novel even though it's an exciting time for my hero as he moves into a new chapter in his life. (Yikes! Using a literary metaphor for a literary piece just doesn't sound right.)

Anyway, these are the most words I've written in a week and it drained me enough that I need to go lie down.