April 2025 Writing Update

Hmm. Looks like I was indeed correct about the difficulty of coalescing all beta reader feedback. Ah well, more and more munitions to use for the next draft. Lots of good ideas have come of the responses I have gotten, and I’m optimistic about my ability to incorporate them into subsequent versions of the story. It’s down to a matter of detail though, and ironing out the specifics are where things might get messier. In the case of a whodunit, for instance, changing the logistics or minutia of one specific clue or bit of evidence has sweeping implications for the entire rest of the story. It could completely collapse one character’s potential as a suspect. It could make the solve too easy. It’s a delicate balance, but hopefully I know the story well enough at this point to be able to find said balance. I know what the story is supposed to be, so now it’s a matter of understanding what exactly made the story miss the mark for the readers it has been exposed to thus far. From there, it becomes a task of shifting perspective of the reader through the words on the page in order to elicit the sort of reaction you’re looking for.

But, you know, far far far far far easier said than done.