Please Insert More Patience

Once again, plans have changed.

I have my manuscript for The Corridor back from the editing service. Overall, the person who did the editing enjoyed the story. The edit that I had done was only copy-edit, which means grammar, spelling, and punctuation. What that really means is that it could still be a poorly written story, but at least the basics are covered. The editor said that she would like to read more, which is good. The story isn’t horrible. However, as I grow as a writer, I notice more and more things that are done poorly in terms of style. There is room for improvement.

The second issue is my strategy for entering the book market. The plan was to release The Corridor for free in order to build a reader base and go from there. The problem with that plan is that the sequel to The Corridor, Citizen Angelica, hasn’t even been started yet. I know how the beginning and middle will go but not the end. Instead of working on Citizen Angelica, I’ve been working on a completely different story and genre in The Hanging of James Adder. Adder is a story that I am personally drawn to. I like writing it. I want to write it. But if I’m to release a sci-fi dystopian novella for free in the hopes of gaining fans, where does writing a historical fiction novel set in the 1870’s get me? No where. In short, my release plan is flawed.

So what does this all mean?

I’ve got to rearrange my work schedule. I’ve got to start working on Citizen Angelica now so that it’s ready at the right time. If people are interested in The Corridor, releasing James Adder is only going to cause confusion and likely drive people away. I need to pair the releases closely together so that readers can enjoy the whole story. Flipping genres back and forth won’t help anyone.

All this really boils down to is my lack of patience. I feel like I’ve been doing this for a long time with nothing to show for it. The reality is that very little time has gone by, and the only person who is really impacted by this “delay” is myself. On the whole, The Corridor will become a stronger story because of this pause. Citizen Angelica will be a better written story due to what I’ve learned over the last six months, which will influence The Corridor in a positive way. And the readers, the whole reason for publishing to begin with, will have a better experience in terms of continuity. Patience has never been my strong suit, but I’m far better off disappointing myself now over a minor schedule snag than disappointing actual readers later due to poor planning.

To those who have been waiting (I think there are eight of you), I thank you. Please enjoy the flash fictions as they come, and know that I’m doing my best to create something worthy of your time and money later.