Hello, everyone!

This month has been exciting project-wise. In the previous issue, I said I would write the next draft of Amniland Book 1 once I'm done with the editing. However, there has been a change of plan. Those who have read my previous newsletter issues (or follow me on social media) may already know I use Novlr as my primary writing app — my secondary one being Word because of the editing tracker. Well, they recently added a "Planning" tab to each project, which essentially acts like a timeline visualizer. Since then, I've been creating a note for each chapter and scene in the app: I write down the purpose of the chapter/scene, the summary, and the key points. I had been doing this on paper already, but my physical notes are kind of a mess now — some chapters don't even have any — so being able to create a digital note with seemingly infinite space is a lot more practical. Not to mention the timeline visualizer, which is pretty helpful as someone who sometimes need visuals to see certain flaws.

In this case, doing a second round of editing while using the Planning tab made me realize huge flaws I hadn't noticed before: poor pacing and redundancy. I knew the pacing of the book was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad until now. I also realize some scenes don't add much value, or just not enough to be worth it, so I either delete them or merge them with other scenes when it makes sense. On top of that, new ideas have been popping in my head — ideas that either solve plot issues or just serve the story better overall.

So yes, I've been editing the manuscript a lot this past month. As of writing this, I am halfway through the second round, after which I'll write the next draft.

On a side note, I tried out Inkbreaker because it offered features Novlr didn't have, including an editing tracker. It's a great app, but when I tried to import one of the Amniland books, it kept uploading the chapters as individual pieces, which were capped at 25 if I remember correctly. They recently changed the feature, though, so maybe it's better now. I'll give it another try later. Aside from that, I find it more useful than Novlr. Still, I'm not sure if I'll move there. Maybe for future projects, but for now, I'll use it mainly for the writing exercises and community features it offers.

Regarding my presence on social media, I'm having trouble being active. Between my adjustment to my new life and my projects, I haven't found the time to interact with other writers and readers online, which is a shame. Part of it was also due to a burnout: I felt so pressured to post consistently — especially on Instagram — that I got overwhelmed and gave up, and I think the worst part is I'm not the only writer who feels this way. The algorithm constantly pushes us to post and interact with other people's posts every day, or else we're invisible. Some people joke about it, whereas others claim there are easy tricks to get a massive following without posting every day. I don't doubt there are marketing techniques and such that help, but I still think it's mostly down to luck unless you're willing to pay hundreds for ads.

So what am I going to do now? Well, simple: I'm going to post whenever I feel like it instead of letting the algorithm dictate how often I need to. Sure, my work will have much less visibility, but that's why I'm counting on you guys to like and share my content with people you think might be interested. I will try some things (like the trial reels on Instagram, for instance), but word of mouth helps more than you can imagine.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading until the end, and I wish you a wonderful day and month.