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I've gotten nothing done on the follow up story to Charley and Claire beyond thinking of some things that I'd like to see happen. Not one word has been written. The reason for this, is that I'm not much of a writer. (I can hear people in the background saying, "I could have told you that!")
What I mean, though, is that I lack discipline. As an example, I queued all of the chapters for Charley and Claire on October 15th. IIRC, the story I queued then was about 64,000 words. With two chapters left to post it's now over 80,000 words. By the time it's all posted it will have grown by roughly a third — after I'd originally decided it was complete. It's a better story now than it was then, I'm sure of that, but in some ways it's not the same story. I'm sure if my editors saw it now, they'd wonder what happened to the story they worked on.
All of that meant that I haven't had the time or focus to put toward the new story.
The obvious question is why I didn't just revise it up front. In fact, I did, multiple times before sending it off to my editors. But, for whatever reason, it wasn't until it started posting that I began to see it through different eyes and realize that the content needed some work. This wasn't the result of suggestions/complaints from readers, it was just reading it on my own. I don't understand why I seem to work that way, but it's been the case with both of my other longer stories, as well. I wonder if any other authors find themselves doing the same thing?
All of that to say that hopefully when it's all posted I can put it to bed in my mind and start on the sequel, though it may be some time before it's ready. I don't plan on working on anything else until it's done, but see above about discipline.
[Edit] Just before putting this blog up I updated the last two chapters that will post on Monday and Thursday. That's not to say they won't get updated again between now and the time they post, but if I drop dead tomorrow the story will be better than it would have been otherwise.
One of my sharp-eyed readers spotted a couple of flubs that had gotten through my editing. They were introduced after my editors last saw the story, so the fault is completely mine. They've been fixed now.
The same reader gave me a critique of the story so far - a very welcome critique. There might be some things I can improve with edits to the current story, but it will also help me in stories going forward.
Please, everyone, if you find something that bothers you about my stories, let me know. It might be intentional or it might be something that I wasn't communicating clearly enough. It's also possible it was a mistake. I'll never know, though, if you don't point it out to me. Oh, and you'll have more chance of your comment being considered if you do it respectfully.
Today's chapter starts a new, and important, story arc. In the next few chapters Claire is exposed to new ideas, and begins to better understand the direction she wants to take as she continues to blossom.
A comment from a reader got me thinking about the pronunciation of some of the place names I mention in this story. I'll admit to a bit of a blind spot there due to long association.
I've just added a brief guide to the forward to help people's inner narrator get the sounds right. If I missed something that you wonder about, please let me know and I'll add it.
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