@CSBenson
My stab at sci-fi has started with Diary of an Intergalactic War. (https://www.wattpad.com/story/406024208-diary-of-an-intergalactic-war) As with my two other draft novels on Wattpad, the draft will remain free even after print and eBook commercial publication.
V for v?
A first-time publication of a collection of poetry written during and after deployment (2009-2012). Fragments of War (https://www.wattpad.com/story/406193216-fragments-of-war. FoW and Bad Decisions have been entered in https://www.wattpad.com/story/406156289-the-golden-age-awards. Check them out and enter your work as well!
I'm entering Bad Decisions in the thriller category. Follow the contest ... or, better yet, enter yourself!
https://www.wattpad.com/1599472712-the-nile-awards-welcome
While I'm at it, why not try and pluck a Four-Leaf-Clover Award for Bad Decisions.
Check them and may the luck of the Irish be with you.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/405353059-the-four-leafed-clover-awards-open
I'm entering Bad Decisions in Splendid Wordsmith Awards. Check them out if you have a moment.
https://www.wattpad.com/1594734640-splendid-wordsmith-awards-open-for-entries
The draft of Bad Decisions is now complete on Wattpad, consisting of 22 chapters and an Epilogue in 65 parts.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/402454265-bad-decisions
What's in store for Bad Decisions? On to the editing cycle and revisions process. If all goes well, Bad Decisions will appear on Amazon at the end of Q1 2026 in paperback, hardcover, and eBook. In it's draft form, with a 6"x9" trim size, the book is currently projected to be around 330 pages.
Besides getting Bad Decisions ready for publication, my sci-fi/fantasy draft of the novel Ordinary will continue after Christmas.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/402415715-ordinary
Happy holidays to you all. Have a fruitful finish to your 2025 writing year and best wishes for 2026.
Hi, I'm Gia. Let's follow each other on Wattpad
Congratulations to all the contestants who I had the pleasure of reviewing for the Author's Vault Awards. Good luck and keep writing your great stuff.
I'd like to add that for a limited time (a few weeks or so), I'll avail myself to any of the authors I judged if you have questions. *smile* I won't do a full developmental or line edit, but if there are things I brought up in my review that you want further clarification on, I'll be happy to answer those specific questions.
The overall guideline for pov jumps is fairly straightforward: never within the same scene; it's okay in different scenes in a chapter; but best done in separate chapters. The big issue was having several pretty much back-to-back. That made the story feel fragmented. Adding to this, the reader had no real connection to the new pov characters.
Even a cursory introduction earlier on establishes a bit of connection before making a jump into their heads. Doing the jumps also fed into the "putting the reader cart before the character horse" comment.
@CSBenson, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for your review! I could tell you put so much work into it, and I really, really appreciate it. Honestly, after seeing some other reviews for this contest, yours was the one that felt the most fair and spot-on. I really felt like you understood what you were looking at. And yes, I do have further questions on the review. I mainly just need a quick clarification on the head-hopping comment. Did you mean the POV jumps inside a single scene or the bigger shifts between chapters or across chapters?
Insofar as the feedback loop? Yes, you'll be getting a copy of the review from the organizers. I'm usually up for general, but specifically focused, writing questions.