Category Archives: Site News

November 8, 2020

Your Update Links: A King’s Command – Part 10 & Shot in the Dark – Part 10

So I technically wrote A King’s Command yesterday afternoon, but didn’t get around to updating the main blog. I think it got sent as an email anyway because I put it in the Site News category by accident. (Emails only get sent when I update the main blog to minimize how much I annoy you.) I got the results of the poll and, uh, overwhelmingly, y’all wanted to pause the story I like the most, LOL.

So I decided I needed to reassess my priorities a little bit, heh. I’m not pausing any of my flash fictions, but I am taking them off the normal schedule for a few weeks. I’ll update when I can in 20 minute sprints and I’ll pick the story that’s interesting to me. I’ll try to keep the updates even and not favor any one story, but for the month of November, we’re just gonna have to roll with the flow. I know the 20 minute sprints aren’t really as a good as my 60 minute efforts, but I think all four stories are far enough along that I feel better doing smaller bits. Shot in the Dark ended up with 30 minutes because I had the time, and I wanted to get to a specific point.

In other news, I’m back to writing Fool Me Twice. Patreons at the $7 & $10 levels are getting weekly updates of those chapters, and I’ve given them the first 11 chapters already. I’m gonna work on Chapter 12 today. My brain just wasn’t in it this last week for a lot of reasons. The election didn’t help, but there’s also Covid issues — BOTH my nieces were exposed to Covid  and are quarantined for two weeks. They’ve only been back in school for three weeks. This is the district where I was teaching last year, so I’m worried about former students. In my new district, there’s more cases every day, and my county is having the worst spikes so far. It’s a lot to deal with, and normally writing distracts me. It got me through the first six months. But there are just days when you can’t push out reality, and last week was that week.

I’m hoping that I’ll get back on track fully this week and make up for the three lost days. I’m still on track to complete by November 30, I just have to shift around a few things. I know that the pressure to meet deadlines are created by me, and for the most part, this community has been incredibly understanding. I love you all and take care!

November 6, 2020

*waves* Hey guys! It’s been one of those weeks, huh? I’ve been struggling with my energy and focus since Election Day, but I’m getting back on track today now that we’re all feeling a bit better about the future. I’ve been thinking about my Flash Fiction schedule and honestly, I just don’t think I can manage Monday updates right now. Friday isn’t so bad since I teach remotely on that day, but Mondays are just a lot at the moment.

So I posted a poll on Twitter to see which story you’re okay with me postponing until December. Please take a vote and let me know what you think. I will be back tonight with King’s Command, though.

November 1, 2020

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark, – Part 9

ICYMI: Site & Story Status Update – November 2020

I hope everyone had a good Halloween! Sorry about not posting Flash Fiction last night. In my defense, had things gone as planned, I would have been home relaxing from trick or treating by 5 so I could write by 7. We had a good time — our family pod was all masked up, and the neighborhood set up tables and kept distances with their masks. It was fun — until my cousin tripped and sprained her ankle. She was worried she’d broken it, so I took her to urgent care (as the family member without children of her own and the patience for such things) but the urgent care didn’t have X-ray techs on duty, so we spent four hours in the ER. I got home at 9:30.

ANYWAY. I’ll try to make Signs of Life this week when I’m off, but I’m not making any promises. It’s the first week of NaNoWriMo and I want to get off to a strong start with my five straight days off and two days of more low-key remote teaching. I want to write a chapter a day so I can be at Chapter 14 on November 8 and be halfway through the story. This month, the Flash Fiction schedule might get wonky on the days when I work. We’ll switch to 20-30 minute sprints or skip altogether. The alpha draft being done on November 30 takes priority.

I’ll be back tomorrow!

 

So sorry about not updating last night! I was out trick or treating with the family — my mom, my sister and brother, my cousin, and the six nieces and nephews mixed between them — and just before we got home, my cousin tripped and fell. Since I didn’t have any kids to wrangle, I ended up in the ER with her until almost 9. I’ll try to make up Signs of Life sometime this week, but I also just might skip. We’ll see.

Also — this post isn’t as detailed as they normally are. I usually write the post, then use it as a script to make the video but, uh, not this month.

 

General Life Update

  • I got a job. It made it difficult to write as much as I had during the summer, but we knew that would happen.
  • I get into the weeds a bit about it in the video, but basically — want to write, lack energy some days.

Site & Channel Update

  • Facelift on hiatus until Christmas Break.
  • Planning some Nano videos for FMT and wrap-up for Mad World.

Individual Stories

Mad World

  • Book 3 now out. Assumed you guys liked it since no one complained, LOL.
  • Book 4 doesn’t have an official date since I’m trying to fit it in in the background, but if not done by March, it will go into the Damaged slot for September 2021 release.
  • Some more information in the video about how Book 4 is different — a bit lighter, maybe.

Fool Me Twice

  • I talk about my full NaNoWriMo plans — 25 chapters in 30 days. My upcoming teaching schedule works a bit in our favor, but only 2020 cooperates and thus far, the year has shown no plans to do that.
  • I wrote about six chapters for FMT in October — finished Chapter 7 on Halloween.
  • Enjoying it so far. Would be so much further if I hadn’t gone back to work.

Flash Fiction

  • Uh, it exists. This month, the schedule might be a bit uneven with Nanowrimo, but we’ll see.

And that’s it!

October 30, 2020

Your Update Link: A King’s Command – Part 8

I made through another week! Next week, I have two remote teaching days (I report to school, the students stay at home), and then three days off. Well, one of those days is an inservice day where I’ll have stuff to do, but still — so excited to be close to November. I’ve got a Status video going up on Sunday, and I’m going to have more NaNoWriMo kick off information soon so stay tuned this weekend!

October 26, 2020

Your Update Link: Not Knowing When – Part 8

I’m happy to say that today almost went perfectly — except when I heated up the mushroom penne I was avoiding last week and it turns out I still really hate creamy pasta, LOL. So I had to ditch that and heat up leftover pizza instead. I got a bit of a late start on Flash Fiction, but it all worked out. And this was the first weekend since I went back to work that I completed my entire week on schedule, so yay!

I’m looking forward to this week since it’s just refining content that already exists, so I feel so much more relaxed and in control. Next week will be a bit more dodgy — we’re spending two days on remote, then five off, and I still have to finish my Africa material. But making great strides forward and I’m really enjoying my students this cycle.

October 25, 2020

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 8

Oof, I managed to get just about everything done today, but I am so tired, LOL. This is the worst part of adulting — everything gets shoved to the weekend when you’re supposed to be able to relax, and next weekend is Halloween, so probably not relaxing then. Anyway — wrote a chapter of Fool Me Twice today but didn’t manage one yesterday for reasons that even I don’t understand, LOL. Feeling a bit less stressed going into this week so that’s good. We’ll see how that works out once I’m in work.

October 24, 2020

Your Update Link: Signs of Life – Part 5

Trying something different today with updating flash fiction first, then grabbing dinner, and writing FMT afterwards. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it works. I know I have to update the Recent Updates page. It’s on the list 🙂

The ending might be a bit wonky. My dad LITERALLY called me as I was writing the final kiss and broke my concentration, then I was out of time and can’t fix anything, so I didn’t reread it yet, LOL.

October 23, 2020

Your Update Link: A King’s Command – Part 8

I warned you guys, LOL, that this was going to be the most insane week.

I basically start my entire class over once a month, and my first time coincided with getting the flu shot, not sleeping, and SGOs being due (administrative bullshit). Oh, and also, there’s this election happening, and one of my students was exposed and put into quarantine but I didn’t find out until Thursday, so you know, that’s how it’s going. BUT, the last time I saw this student was three weeks ago and I’m fine and she hasn’t tested positive yet, so I’m just not going to think about it. I wear a mask and rarely leave the house unless I have to.

Also, I got the lump sum of unemployment funds from my state this morning (which I did not know was happening) and I’m so relieved. I paid my property taxes on time and I can fix my car a month earlier than I thought I could. The check engine line has been on and I have a decent commute to work, so I’ve been nervous. It’s getting fixed tomorrow, so that’s a huge weight off my mind.

All of that anxiety explains that Tuesday’s Flash Fiction was the only writing I did all week. I’m mostly okay with that. I made a lot of progress last weekend, and I knew this last week was going to be insane so I just let go of the idea I was going to work on FMT at all. I do think next week will be better because I’ve already written most of the content I’m teaching, and now I’m just refining the delivery to the students. That’s so much easier than what I’ve been doing this last month. Thanks so much for your patience and understanding. I love my new job, but it’s a huge task to walk into a course that doesn’t even have a textbook or a program set in place for resources. I’ve had to create it completely from scratch (which I say all the time, I know, LOL).

Hopefully next week I’ll be able to write an hour or so each night, particularly Tues-Thursday. I’ll keep you guys in the loop!

October 20, 2020

Your Update Link: Not Knowing When – Part 7

Hey! Sorry about the postponing yesterday. Things got away from me a bit and this is kind of a crazy week. I think I mentioned that I teach in 15 day cycles, and this is the first time I’m turning over and getting a brand new class. This means I have to create new Google Classrooms, invite all the students, and wrap up the old class. Plus, I misread my calendar and thought I had another week so I wasn’t quite ready with everything I’d need for tomorrow.  I also had to get a TB test for my employment and ended up being talked into a flu shot — it was just an ugh of a day. I could have managed 20 minutes, but I honestly wanted to spend more time on it than that.

I am excited to start over my 15 day cycle because I have a much better handle on what I’m teaching — I’m doing a 15 day crash course of French speaking countries around the world — so the kids are learning about the history and people in Canada, Haiti, Algeria, Madagascar, Tahiti, Cambodia — just like everywhere I could find that has French speakers. It’s kind of crazy, lol, because I’ve been creating an interactive digital textbook at the same time, and I have grades 6-8.  I’m about halfway through the amount of content I need to create to really say the course is “done” but after this week, I’ll be so much more relaxed.

This is your last update until Friday, so I’ll see you guys then!