Getting to this early again. I seem to finally be settling into a rhythm even if my actual routine keeps changing from week to week(and sometimes day to day). Even with an interruption to that routine on Monday(annual check-ups for the kids, all good), this week has been going really well. I may have even settled on a routine that will work even better when the kids go back to school and I have a whole day of the house all to myself(well except for the dogs and cat).
Well… That was the start of last week’s update. And I was just about ready to send it out on Friday, but when I went to grab the story for the week, the site I write them up on was down for maintenance. I kept checking, but it ended up being down for most of the weekend. So, I decided to just combine both weeks into one.
Writing
Last This week, I focused on 5 projects. From those, I picked 3 to work on each day. This is about the limits of my “focus”.
For this week, I decided to focus on 1 project each from: plotting, writing, editing, and publishing. For writing, editing, & publishing I’m spending one hour each day on each project. For plotting(and marketing), I’m spending half an hour a day. Haha. Yeah, time goeals just do not work. I can do blocks of time(like between 8-11 is writing time), but actually doing amounts of time where I have to keep track doesn’t really work. I ended up doing sets of tasks, 1 writing then 4 other tasks with a break before I went back to writing. Next week, since the kids are going back to school, I’m going to try to go back to those scheduled blocks and see if I can stick to that(I will also have lists of scenes/next steps, so I know what I need to be working on).
Heart to Heart
I’ve written the next several messages for this. I’m about to the halfway point of the main storyline.
Prove Me Wrong
I got Chapter 3 written this last week, and started Chapter 4. This week, I wrote the rest of Chapter 4 and 3/4 of Chapter 5.
Queer Cruise
I finished rewriting Chapter 10 and most of Chapter 11. I actually got into Chapter 13, but the more I thought about it, the more I want to rework the whole thing. So, I’m going to re-plot and then see what I can save from the original version.
Changeling
I thought I was ready to write Chapter 12, but turns out I still had a good bit of Chapter 11 to write. I got through that last Wednesday, and wrote Chapter 12 on Thursday.
Cam & Gabi
I finished writing the Inkling beat and moved into the Deepening Desire beat. I have struggled a bit with this, but I’m finally starting to see it come together.
Rounding for Home
I got the feedback from my final beta reader for this, and I started reading through the comments. Got through 19/50 chapters.
Reading
In the Case of Heartbreak
I’m so glad I saw that this book had released and that one of the libraries connected to mine had a copy available to put on hold. It came in last week, and I started it once I finished the book I had been reading. It was so good. I loved just about every minute of it. Courtney Kae may be a new auto-buy/borrow author for me.
Crafting
Pansexual and Proud
Asexual Pride Whale
Story
Another episode from Mermaid’s Jewel this week. This kind of continues from the last one I shared from this series, just with different character’s perspectives.
"Rand," Arden yelled, sticking his head out from the galley, "I need that supply list. I'm leaving in five minutes. Whatever's not on it, we won't be getting."
He waited for the young cabin mate to come to him, but after several minutes that still hadn't happened. Well, that wasn't like her at all. Rand was always right on top of what needed done. And Rand's prime responsibility was making sure everything was in order for a supply run. She never let them down on that.
So just what was going on?
Arden headed out of the galley and to the main deck, looking around for the cabin mate. The deck was still empty, though. Concern started to seep through his irritation. Rand had been with the crew for nearly a year and had never had an issue, especially when the ship was anchored in port. But, you never knew when something might happen.
Then, he heard voices coming from near the gang plank. One was high-pitched, the other lower. Not exactly deep, but one that was often pitched in that low tone. Rand may not have asked any of them to call her anything else, but sometimes Arden thought she wanted to. But, until Rand asked for that, it wouldn't happen.
It was one of the captain's few rules for the crew. They took everyone at their word for who they were. And it didn't change anything about their role on the ship.
Arden headed toward the gang plank. This would make things easier anyway. He'd just grab the list from Rand then head off the ship. There wouldn't be anything between those two actions that could possibly distract him. That could always come when he was at the market, but there was less chance of it if he actually got off the ship.
Especially if Caddis did not come out of his cabin in the meantime.
Arden did not remember what had caused their last row. He had thought things were going so well, too, and then something had set Caddis off again. Something always did.
And Arden had found himself shut out of the doctor's life once again.
Not for long. He was sure of that. Something always made Caddis open up once again. For now, Arden would just have to wait him out.
And in the meantime, see exactly what had held up Rand from doing her duty.
He certainly hadn't expected to see her holding onto the arm of an even scrawnier brat than Rand had ever been. "What, pray tell, is going on out here?"
Rand looked at him, the most frustrated Arden could ever remembering seeing her, even when she'd first been learning the ropes on the ship. "Will you please tell Selby that we mean them no harm? The captain left them in my care, but I cannot do as asked, if they will not even allow me to make sure we have clothing for them, or if I should need to add it to the supply list, which I very nearly have ready for you. If only our newest acquisition would cooperate."
Arden's lips twitched at that last. "Maybe referring to them as an acquisition might not be the best course for achieving your aims, Rand. It is nice to have a new member of the family, though."
Said new member curled back a lip in a snarl. "I'm not your family. And I won't be anything else to you, either. I don't care what anyone says. I didn't leave one gang that only wanted to use me to join another. I don't care what you do to me. I'd rather drown then give everything to you."
Arden glanced at Rand again. "See what it is I've been dealing with since the captain left them with me? I have tried explaining, but they refuse to believe me."
Rand moved slightly, not in an aggressive move, Arden was sure of that, but Selby may have taken it that way, as they twisted away from her. And they couldn't hide the wince of pain that crossed that face. Rand saw it as well, apparently, as she shook her head. "I've not touched them."
Arden nodded but didn't take his gaze from Selby. "Go finish that list, Rand. I'll take things from here."
"You're not going to touch me, old man," Selby said. "Ive gotten away from quicker men than you."
"I won't," Arden said. "Rand, before you finish that list, get Caddis. I believe he's in his cabin."
"I'm not afraid of there being two of you." Except the shake of their voice belied that. "I'll still get away."
"You don't have to go anywhere. Caddis is the ship's doctor. And I can tell you he won't have any desire to touch you. Not more than it takes to heal what's ailing you."
"There's nothing. I'm fine." Except they took another step back, right into the railing, and let out a sharp cry of pain.
"Right. Who hurt you, Selby?" They kept their mouth shut. "That gang you belonged to? What happened? They sent you out to steal and you didn't bring back what they wanted?" Still, their lips stayed sealed shut. No matter. He could see the truth in their eyes.
"Nothing like that will happen to you here. Everything we do is done together, as a crew. And it is distributed much the same. As long as you pull your weight, you'll have a place here. The captain will make sure of it."
"Except she's not here right now, is she? She just left me with you lot then waltzed away. How do I know any of that's true?"
"You don't," Caddis said, coming up behind Arden and putting a hand low at his back. "You'll have to take it on faith. Like we all did. Unless you have someplace better to return to."
Selby glanced back toward shore, then just seemed to deflate. "Well, then," Caddis said, "Rand said you seemed to be in some pain. Let's just take a look."