Update #38

Bleah.

I’m going to have to put Sunglasses in the Rain on hiatus for a while.

There. I typed it. The band-aid is ripped off. Now I can explain.

The TL;DR version is that I've ground to a halt.

The loquacious version is that my progress has been too slow for too long, for multiple reasons. One was burn-out. Another was the narrow buffer between my raw prose and the Patreon updates. I thought solving those issues would fix things, but after taking a break and switching to a chapter every other week, my speed still hasn’t improved. 

So the really real answer is that I’m not up to the task. Not yet.

SitR launched several experiments for my writing. I experimented with longer chapters, a framing story, more literary elements, and the largest cast of characters I've yet attempted. It’s been rewarding. I’ve enjoyed using present tense in Mel’s chapters, writing about Drywell’s denizens, and even figuring out (once-and-for-all) that I work better with shorter chapters.

But this last stretch has been tough, filled with revising and re-revising to the point of frustration. I'm not satisfied. Worse, I know that if I keep pushing I’ll just create resentment and feelings of being trapped. I no longer feel fried (yay!), but if I stick it out any longer it’s going to endanger my output with other projects (and I’m still planning to start Jessica’s Loser this year).

It’s the right move…but it's still a f*cking bummer.

This Sunday I will release SiTR Chapter 18. It introduces the last members of Mel’s storm chasing…cousins…and provides a good place to rest. Then I will begin work on these delayed projects. I’ll keep posting chapters of Opposites Distract every week in the meantime. If nothing else, I’m thrilled to end the alternating chapters—they were crippling momentum!

To the many readers who love SitR, my sincere apologies. I love it too! But the back-half of this book goes to some wild places, and I have to be in the right headspace to do it justice. Mel and Cal deserve the best, and so do you. This is not the end of their story. This pause is to enable me to practice my craft and get some work done on projects I’m not hopelessly entangled in.

After Chapter 18 goes live, please feel free to leave comments and let me know if you’ve been enjoying the story so far; I’ll hold them close until it’s time for SitR’s eventual return and conclusion.

Your encouraging words (on this and other tales) mean more to me than you know.