Nothing quite like coming to terms with an unreasonable expectation of my own making. At first blush, it might seem insignificant & easily fixed, but when I'm grappling with a self-imposed deadline, the hold on my psyche can be stubborn.

I won't go into the reasons behind setting this month as the launch date for my serialized companion novel on Kindle Vella, but as I went about lining out all the puzzle pieces, a sneaking suspicion crept up on me that I might be suffering from a bout of unrealistic goal setting again.

Then along came my deep dive into copyediting a la Dreyer's English & a cluster of light bulbs went off in my head—those 43 episodes of my companion story were not as close to the finish line as I'd imagined.

At this point, I'm especially relieved by my decision to reschedule since I can refrigerate that serialized novel for a week or so while I update a few revisions to Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown. Oh yeah, & finish the one thing I've been dragging my feet on—the Author's Note (or is it Author Note?). I've never been a fan of an addendum to a novel since it tends to break the fourth wall, especially at the end of a first-person narrator's testimony like Pearl's. But in an effort to reach out to readers, I'm willing to give it a try.

The funniest part in all of this unrealistic expectation falderal is that one of the benefits of being an independent author is that no one is looking over my shoulder, debating the pros & cons of an author's note, discussing calendars, wondering about my sometimes sporadic workflow, regretting their decision to join my publishing endeavor, and so on.

Just me, myself, & I. (Cue the grin.)

Keep you posted.

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown