This blog was prompted by Nancy Cole's blog on posting frequency...

It's also a "status" report and feedback request - for the dozen or so readers of "A New Style of Education: Hidden Gifts".

When I started writing Hidden Gifts, I wrote & finished it, and actually had no intention to post it anywhere (it wasn't authorized). I wrote the first four segments as a "gift" to one of the two people here that convinced me to start writing and to thank her for her encouragement (The other had best beware, as she might be similarly "honored" - If I can find the time...). She insisted that the story be posted, and also become part of the "universe" (rather than be considered fan-fic). Back then, I had a LOT of time to write, and was able to maintain a reasonable posting schedule. They quickly took longer to post, as I had to add another British editor (apparently my British speakers of English sounded too American)... But, I was still able to maintain a decent rate. The basic story is mapped - to the point where I plan to finish it...

Then, October '09 happened. I came out to my Wife... The subsequent months have been "busy" puts it mildly. :-) But, in a good way. However, I've had far less time to write. It takes some time to get back into the story. Like was pointed out in a response to Nancy's blog, A reader may need to back up several segments to figure out where things are going - I, as the author need to do some of that too (the devil is in the details - you don't need me repeating scenes). Then, I need to review my notes on what's next, then I can write. Every now and again, I'll get an "idea" for a scene in the future, and write it up - which eventually will speed those segments. I also, sometimes, begin to wonder about how things work at the school, and Write something to help me work through those issues. (A few of those have seen the light of day as "interludes". There are a few more, but they all need more work - to get them posting ready. I've not put time there as it seemed that most readers didn't seem to care for them. (Tell me if I'm wrong - but one reader went so far as to say they were a waste of time.)

Writing in a "Shared Universe" is also difficult, as it's important to avoid inconsistencies between stories, and they typically need to be "approved" by the Universe owner. This slows things down (for me, anyway).

I guess, for the dozen or so readers that got this far, my question to you is:

1) Should I just hold off on posting the rest of the story until it's ALL finished, and a reasonable posting schedule can ba achieved? (No telling when this will be...)
2) Should I just keep writing/posting as I'm able - irrespective of how long it takes?
3) Should I "adjust" the story so that it ends sooner - and thus is posted sooner?
4) Should I just "Finish" the story in a segment or two?
5) Should I "shorten" the size of my segments, so they can be posted more often? (My segments average about 6k words. Cutting that to 3,000 would likely double the number of posts in a year, and perhaps triple them, as they're easier to block out the time to work on.)

For #3 & 4, I do have alternate thoughts that would allow me to "finish" the story to a logical stopping point. (School Calendar wise, they would end after the return from the first international trip for #3 and by September for #4. Both are logical stopping points, and I can work to either. - I could also "end" the story at one of those points, and then write a sequel that continues to a later point - but post none of that until a reasonable posting schedule can be achieved.)

Thoughts, comments or suggestions are welcome and requested. (No response - and I'll assume that the preference is that the story be abandoned - and even here, I'll write something that "ends" the story. (I also don't like it when stories are abandoned.)

Thanks,
Anne