Hello readers,
Back to back weekly blogs, look at me go. Last week’s blog got me thinking and I realized I didn’t write a New Year’s blog. That’s where I give my thoughts on what I produced last year, and what I hope to achieve this year. So, if you’ll allow me, here’s my not exactly New Year’s blog.
2025 was my first full year of writing, since I only started halfway through the previous one. I think there was a mixed bag of stories, some worked and others probably could have been stronger. I won’t go over each one, since that’s boring and who really has time for that, but I’ll highlight a couple stories I’m proud of and some that might have missed expectations, either mine or yours.
The Good
Snow Angel – I was really happy how this story came together. Each character had their own motivations and goals, which I thought blended nicely. There was a nice mix of story and sex, although some things could have been fleshed out a bit better. It was one of the few times I used a defined real place, and hunted for little details like geography, stores, and restaurant menus.
Science Clubseries (so far) – Kind of a cheat, since it is still active, but the first three episodes have done really well. A big swing in having 9 characters to balance along with a sort of goofy premise (a sex drug). By episode 3, I hope each character is interesting and you can be invested in each of their evolving stories. Still a long way to go with them, and I hope you are in for the ride. My one misstep here though would likely be releasing it as Episodes and not as one singular story. It was a gamble that likely didn't pay off; but I'm committed to finishing the next 3 planned Episodes.
The Bad
Trapped at a Sex Party – I don’t actually think this one is necessarily bad, but mistakes were made along the way. I didn’t give enough time to develop the mystery or build enough tension for Beth and Greg as characters. The title alone likely drew some scorn and turned people off, while others expected more sex and felt cheated. I think you rightly deserved better here. It should have been put under my other account, ‘ghostwritten after dark’. Still though, I liked the concept about an undercover reporter who’ll do anything for a story… Beth may return in future tales. If so, expect this one to move accounts.
Ashley’s Education – Good idea a year too late. I think the writing was good but the story was lacking plot and stakes. I don’t think any of that mattered though, since there wasn’t any appetite for more with this character, at least in the wider community of SOL. That being said, several readers have asked me to finish it… I still might. It’s my only story that I’ve abandoned and I hate that. We’ll see.
The Middling
Sheltered from the Storm – Generally fine, but people hated the ending. Not every story should have a happy ending but maybe I went too far negative with this one. They could have just separated and gone their separate ways, but I decided to dig the knife in a bit to Allison; probably too deep. Lesson learned.
Winter’s Bite: Whiteout – Hahaha, I don’t care how good or bad these do, I’m still going to write more. Currently, my only attempt at fan-fic which I generally avoid, as a rule. Marked improvement over The Hunted, the previous Winter’s Bite story, but maybe these would flow better without sex? Something to think about for the inevitable follow ups. Bonus points to anyone who knows what this nonsense is from.
2026 – The New Year’s Goals
Primary goal is to finish Jane Finds Herself. I didn’t place it in any of the above categories because, well, it isn’t finished. The story’s been fun and it’s done surprisingly well for something that didn’t start out that way, but it eats up a lot of writing bandwidth. Wrapping this thing up in a satisfactory way is my biggest hurdle for the year.
Post Jane – I think Saturdays will likely feature smaller scale tales (5-10 chapters) following the conclusion of Jane Finds Herself. This massive sized story writing stops me from exploring other smaller story ideas, and paired with Science Club left little room for changing things up, which can be refreshing while writing. There is the potential for another grand tale, but it might be elsewhere… see below.
More ‘after dark’ stories – I mentioned last week wanting to have at least 3 5-chapter stories over on the other account by the end of this year. That’s the big goal although there is the potential for just 1 big story too (probably not Jane big… hopefully... maybe?). That account is for harder or weirder stories. I have very different expectations over there than I do for stories on my main account, so I can play a little more with darker themes or content. Balancing timing and release schedules out will be a challenge, as well as managing burn-out possibilities.
That’s pretty much it for what I hope to do for this year. I have personal goals that I’d like to achieve over the course of my time writing here on SOL, but those aren’t year dependent. I do think I achieved one though, which I’ll mention. It was to write one story to people come back to every so often. I know it’s hard to quantify or confirm that fact, but Peeping Tammy has continued to do well long after it’s final chapter release, so I’m counting it.
Thank you to everyone who’s read one of my stories over the past year and a half of posting here. Thank you for the wonderful comments and messages I’ve received, giving support and encouragement… sometimes criticisms and corrections. Thank you to my editor Checkmark50, for fixing the broken mess word salad that I send you; and to Nemo for reviewing my rough drafts and keeping me on the plot.
Thank you all for reading this. Feel free to reach out and let me know your thoughts as always. To a better year!
-ghostwritten