Writing Journey #26- The Next Step

I POSTED THE WHOLE STORY for a contest on Honeyfeed. I was excited, and pretty confident Hand of Rel would at least make it into the semi-finals. My greatest hope was that it would make it to the top 3. Maybe even take 1st? I’d be cool with 3rd if anything. It was an interesting experience. One that I would go for again, even with what I know now.

I’M GENUINELY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RESULTS. I was excited going into this. I posted and expected support to flow for Hand of Rel: Horsemen of Paper. I had family and friends that I thought would rally behind the story, now that it was finally available! But no one did? No one that I know read it. Or at least finished it.

There was little to no support for the story. I did have support from my wife, brother Niko, sibling Cloud, and my kids, and am very thankful for that.

One person read almost every chapter and commented on every new upload. She was another writer on Honeyfeed, and her support was very much appreciated. I read through her entire story for the contest and enjoyed it. It was pretty good! I had hoped that she’d read Hand of Rel to the end, but she disappeared when only a few chapters were left. I still appreciate her likes and feedback, though, seeing that they were pretty much the only support that Hand of Rel received.

HAND OF REL DIDN’T MAKE IT. Into the next round, I mean. They posted the top 10 stories this morning, and Hand of Rel wasn’t among them. That was upsetting. As I said, I thought that it would at the very least make it this far. That it would have a chance to be voted on by a new group of readers. But it didn’t. Maybe the story isn’t that good? Whatever. If anything, I’m happy with it. I’m proud of what I have accomplished. I plan to keep pushing it out, even if no one will read or support it.

THE NEXT STEP? I’m revamping the website. I’m going to go with my initial plan and self-publish my stories. I always meant to do that, but I wanted to try my hand at the contest. I’m working on a KDP site and looking into Goodreads and an Author Central Page. I’m also working on the next book, titled Hand of Rel: Scent of Revival.

IT WASN’T A TOTAL LOSS. I managed to edit a few sequences, tidied up some of the structure, and found a few Discord servers to help with my writing. I also learned to just write and not worry about anyone else. I just need to push forward and do this because I want to write. I want to finish. For me, no one else. I have the support of my brother Niko, my youngest sibling Cloud, my kids, and especially my wife, LullyByeArt. And with the Lord’s guidance, that’s all I need.

IF YOU ENJOY my work, please feel free to support me with some Kofi! Any support is appreciated but not necessary. It helps support me as a creator, so anything helps. If you choose to buy me a coffee, I thank you, YOU ROCK!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading! I’ll be back with another entry next time. Stay creative and make something! Tell the world your story in the way that only you can. Please take care, and God bless. Stay safe. Cheers!