True Spontaneity · 2:35pm Jun 28th, 2020
I'll stop consistently writing chapters for The Little Curiosities in the meantime. That "Updates spontaneously" description would finally come true once more, at least (he-he!)
For one, I'm already running out of steam for this. If you were to ask me back in March that I'd keep an almost consistent schedule with the anthology until the cusp of July, I'd believe my present self to be foolish. It was not set up to be updated constantly anyway, especially after the first month. It was supposed to update spontaneously, when ideas ripen and not just when something cool comes up in my head. An adherence to schedule for a fun little anthology, in truth, has made me sloppy over its quality (as can be attested with feedback on the chapters "Immaculate Inning" and "Terminal Flights"). At the very least, I've learned that just because I have a new idea doesn't mean it's automatically story-ready. These things take time, even for mini chapters.
Another thing is because I want to write a short story as my writing side hustle while still working on my main project (which is Their Darker Purpose for now). I have no definite ideas yet, but it would be good to juggle Side A's editing with Side B's rough drafting (and also, honestly, because it's easy to hop on the fame train with a short story, but if Magical Curiosity has taught me anything, it's that I'm imperfect and I need to keep my ego in check).
Still another thing is that I've grown addicted over the comments I'd get on the story. I like reading the comments over there, especially since I don't have to wait until the release of my next big project for public feedback. However, I've realized I developed a bad, even dangerous, habit: make a low-risk, high-reward chapter to get comments. Comments and feedback may be fuel for some if not many writers here, but I've turned it into an addictive substance which inflated my sense of self. In the end, I wasn't writing chapters which ended up with comments; I was writing chapters for the comments, and that's not a good mindset.
So where does this leave The Little Curiosities? I'm not going to slap the Hiatus status on it; an irregular schedule was the plan anyway. It'll stay as is and will truly update spontaneously. It is for the benefit of both the story and for me as a little mental and spiritual cleansing.
That would be all for now. Have a good day!
Good self-awareness on your part. Regular comments are a heck of a rush, and all too easily abusable. Take the time you need to detox.