Back again but not sure for how long.

[OldDog_NewTricks]

Hello again everyone.

For those that remember, I wanted to thank you all again for the well wishes on my last thread. Unfortunately, I'm finding that life is currently taking all my time and energy. Any form of writing or even trying to flesh out the storylines of my "series" has gone by the wayside. I still hoping that I'll be able to get back to it, but for the time being, it's just not in the cards.

My hope was that I could publish the first installment when I finished the second one and continue that process until they were all finished. I wanted to group them together in the way I see some posted so readers could click one heading and see all the chapters listed in order. That way if one was ambitious enough, they could read the whole story in one sitting without having to search out each chapter.

I spent quite a bit of time writing and re-writing the first chapter and am very happy with how it turned out and introduces the main character and supporting characters. But going back and reading my second chapter, it definitely doesn't live up to the first, and I'm not nearly as happy with it. Is it a result of life at the moment or just a fact that I spent so much time re-writing the first, I'm not sure.

Should I just publish the first and hope to finish the second? Include an intro explaining it is beginning of a larger story? Or, just leave it sit and try and follow the original plan of publishing when the second chapter is finished, knowing that it may not be finished for a long time or even at all?

I'm not giving up, but rather trying to clear some things off my plate (and mind) to make room for "life".

 

[AG31]

Whether or not you return to writing, I hope you stay around for the great conversations.

 

[OldDog_NewTricks]

I'll try and keep an eye on the AH. I stop by every now and again but don't always log in. AH is IMHO one of the best forums here.

 

[SimonDoom]

Many of these feelings are familiar to me. I hope you sort it all out and are satisfied with whatever choice you make concerning writing more stories.

I find that two things have slowed down my pace of writing. One is that the novelty is gone. I've published over 60 stories, and I don't want to just rehash what I've done before. It gets harder to do something different.

The other draft on my productivity is my higher expectations. I'm tougher on myself than I used to be, so it's harder for me to please myself.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I'll try and keep an eye on the AH. I stop by every now and again but don't always log in. AH is IMHO one of the best forums here.

An honor on a par with being proclaimed the world’s tallest midget.

 

[OldDog_NewTricks]

lol @MelissaBaby. That's me. Nice to meet you.

I'm all of 5'3" (160cm).

 

[OldDog_NewTricks]

I understand the "rehashing" concept @SimonDoom . It was one of my fears when I decided to try writing for "publication" rather than just verbally telling stories.

I have always wondered how authors here are able to write about "the act" in such novel ways. I'm so far behind the learning curve that I know I can't be very original, but I don't want to be just following a rote pattern. Even though Making love, Having sex, and just plain Fucking each have different levels of intensity, trying to convey that without falling into a verbal playbook trap is difficult.

 

[iwatchus]

The other draft on my productivity is my higher expectations. I'm tougher on myself than I used to be, so it's harder for me to please myself.

From what I have read, you have maintained your quality

 

[SimonDoom]

From what I have read, you have maintained your quality

That's kind of you, and appreciated. Thanks.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I mean this with all due respect, and I know that many other will disagree, but your dilemma is exactly why I always encourage writers to finish their story in its entirety before posting any part of it.

Life is unpredictable. I get that. However, I believe that writers do a disservice to readers and disrespect their own work when they are too impatient to produce a complete piece of writing. It may not be their intention, but it is too often the reality on this site.

As things sit with your story right now, the second chapter "doesn't live up to the first". Is that truly the case, or are you now constrained by what you have already published and not able to easily modify? Could things in the first chapter be changed to make subsequent chapters fit better with the entire story that you want to tell? Only you can answer these question.

Good luck.