Okay, working on part 2/3 of the review. I'll finish that up tomorrow and hopefully finish reading all available chapters of this book, and then I'll post the review and move on to the next book.
          
          And...oh, I did my weekly sweep of Archives in and between stuff this week. I'll probably post the updates tomorrow. In and between stuff.
          
          I totally forgot about @Fanfic's Community Bingo for this month. That's due in 2 days. Skipping this month won't hurt my position at the top of the leaderboard, but I probably just need to mark my stamps and submit stuff I've already done, so I'll look at that tomorrow night.
          
          Next priority for writing is to finish the next chapter of ADT, which I probably won't get to until Sunday. And I'm already tossing around some ideas for the next chapter of TFSSA, so the tight deadline may not be a problem. To be determined.
          
          But for now, I'm tired. I've been really wound up several nights in a row this week, which led to me staying up very late (and doing a lot of productive stuff that I don't regret) because I couldn't sleep anyway, but it's finally caught up to me. So, I'm done with the computer for tonight. See y'all tomorrow. :)

And because I was too excited to not do the facelift...I added the "Introduction" chapter to TFSSA with all the new stuff. I can't update it until Ravendipity is done judging its category in the WHO Mini Awards, and some other awards it's in are already judging, too, so I probably won't be able to update for a while.
          
          But I think I've decided on the next prompt-based contest to join. :)
          
          It's the Love Birds | Valentine's Day Awards by @BlueBirdAwards, which has one category for existing stories, and one for prompt-based stories. Turnaround time is pretty quick, so I may not make it, but I'd like to take things in a lighter direction, and this may do the trick—if I can pull it off.
          
          I may as well enter the existing stories, section, too, while I'm at it.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/389267725-love-birds-valentine%27s-day-awards-2025

I wrote and published the next chapter of TFSSA. This uses the last prompt from the original contest, so now, it's time for me to give the book a facelift. Which I can't do tonight. I have to go to all the awards it's in and ask if I'm clear to update first. But in the meantime, here you go.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1519785943-the-fabulous-spec-fic-smack-down-anthology-but
          
          And I ended up buckling down and posting all my short stories in "The Cringe" last night. Well, all the ones I've saved because I felt they were worthwhile. There was one play already in the book here on Wattpad and another one in my files that I wrote in middle school, and I deleted both of those. They're so awful, and I have no interest in writing screenplays, so all they do is make me cringe whenever I see them. So...bye bye.
          
          At the top of each chapter, I list the time period for the cringe: elementary/middle/high school or college. They're actually not that bad, and there's a definite progression in writing ability, just from skimming through them. I may have to remove the "cringe" label from at least the college ones when I have time to read through them all.
          
          Next up will be poetry or essays, but I don't have decent titles for those books yet. Although I already have the "Poems" book up, so I could just add to that without bothering to change the title yet. But I'm a lot less confident in my poetry skills than I am with my prose writing, so I'll probably have to read everything before posting. I'm sure I'll end up trashing a bunch of that and wondering why I've kept it all these years.
          
          And, of course, still working through feedback/review. :)

Still plugging through this book. It's on my feedback list, too, so it's taking longer because all the inline comments with edits and stuff, which is fine. Some authors like more comments, some like less, and for me, it's all about focusing on the book and the author I'm working with and doing whatever I need to do for them. The authors I've already worked with know. So, for those of you still waiting, you'll get the same personalized attention from me when I get to you. :)
          
          In other news, it's snowing here! Which is nice, except for the weather-related vertigo. I'd like to at least update Archives with the changes I've been tracking in my master list, so hopefully, I can get that done tonight. Might be tomorrow, though. We'll see.
          
          Also, since winter weather is here, it would make perfect sense for me to write the next chapter of TFSSA. It will use the last prompt from the original contest, "The Fabulous Spec-Fic Smack Down," and after it's done, the book will get a facelift. New title, new cover (in the works, thanks to @Dove-Writes), new blurb, and an intro chapter explaining the book's origin and some of its quirks. Basically, it'll shift from being a contest-centered book to a normal book that I started for a contest. But I have the write this last chapter first. And the prompt is a doozy.
          
          And Google Drive has been warning me for months that I'm at 80% storage capacity, so I went through and shifted all the individual documents for plays and short stories into a single document which will match "The Cringe, the Dull, and the So-So" last night. I couldn't bring myself to publish them on Wattpad without reading them, which I don't have time to do right now. And also, most if it makes me cringe so, so badly.
          
          So...signing off for the day. See y'all tomorrow. :)

Finished part 1/3 of the next review, and I'm about to start part 2/3.
          
          I also added a "Writing Experiments" chapter to "Story Pitches" last night, because Wattpad is basically my writing sandbox, and I wanted to compile a list to keep track of what I've tried and what I want to try next. If anybody has any ideas I don't have on that list, throw 'em at me.
          
          And...I think that's it for now.
          
          Oh, I'm considering (and have been considering) writing something about Aoi, whether here or on my Substack, but I just haven't felt like it yet. I have a ton of pet stories that could get their own book, if I ever got around to that, and I have a feeling that writing her story would mean writing about other pets I've lost over the years. Not really something I want to get into right now, and I don't exactly have time to add something else to my plate, either.
          
          Ooh, that would check off the "Nonfiction" genre...
          
          I'll pocket that one for later.
          
          Okay, back to reading!

If you haven't voted yet, go to The 2024 Oscars Awards by @Ravendipity and vote in the Reader's Choice for your favorite author. (And yes, I'm on the list, but you don't have to vote for me. It's an amazing lineup, and every single author deserves to win.)
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1511951560-the-2024-oscars-awards-closed-reader%27s-choice
          
          Also, I published my "Story Pitches" book, which has been sitting in my drafts for a while as I add new pitches to it. Check it out if you want, and let me know if there are any you want to see me write, but it'll be awhile before I even touch those ideas. Gotta finish ADT, then "The Hidden Crystal," then work on ABT, and keep going with TFSSA, and add my old stuff to my "One Shots" book...
          
          Oh, I updated the title on that one. It is no longer plain-old "One Shots." It is now "The Cringe, the Dull, and the So-So." Because that will more accurately cover all the old writing I'll be posting there eventually. And my family just watched "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
          
          And along those lines, I've unpublished "The Emerald Kingdom," which will eventually end up in TCTDATSS (hm...may need to figure out a better acronym for that). I also unpublished "Second Chances," which...let's just say inspiration struck. Although that will also be a down the line thing. And may potentially integrate with a certain fantasy series I keep saying I'm making.
          
          Yes, I did work on the next chapter of ADT. I promise. ;)
          
          Tomorrow, reviewing. :)

Okay, finished my editing work for today, need to do something else on that front tomorrow, but that's tomorrow. As well as the next review. Now, I think I'd like to write. I've been busy adulting today while a gang of kindergarteners has been running around with their fingers in their ears, screaming, "I'm not listening! I'm not listening!" Maybe they missed their nap. Or they need a time out. Regardless, they're not my children, and I'm tired of dealing with them.
          
          (Don't worry about it if you don't know. It's not worth anybody's time.)
          
          Now...for ADT. :)

Happy Monday!
          
          Well, it's kind of happy for me. Pulling up my email and seeing I'd been mentioned by @strawberry1d in the final results chapter of the Authography Charts 2025 was exciting. I'd entered "The Hidden Crystal" and TFSSA, and I actually won second and third places in a few categories with them! :D
          
          (Go sign up for Season 1, Batch 2. It's fun!)
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/386977650-%F0%9D%90%80%F0%9D%90%AE%F0%9D%90%AD%F0%9D%90%A1%F0%9D%90%A8%F0%9D%90%A0%F0%9D%90%AB%F0%9D%90%9A%F0%9D%90%A9%F0%9D%90%A1%F0%9D%90%B2-%F0%9D%90%82%F0%9D%90%A1%F0%9D%90%9A%F0%9D%90%AB%F0%9D%90%AD%F0%9D%90%AC-2025-%F0%9D%90%8E%F0%9D%90%A9%F0%9D%90%9E%F0%9D%90%A7
          
          Also, I always debate about checking my notifications on Sundays, because it's my day off, and I don't want to stress myself out with drama or other unpleasantness. But I checked yesterday, and I'm glad I did. I had some shout-outs and comments that just had me smiling from ear to ear. Thanks, everybody. It really means a lot. :)
          
          By the way, I realized last night while I was lying in bed (you know, one of those "trying to sleep but everything is popping into your head" moments) that I forgot to change the usernames in the Mystery results page of TSA2024 to tags, so I did that just now. All the winners should get notifications about it.
          
          In less than happy news...I've finally made the decision to sell my car. It's something I've been putting off, because it takes away my independence and really makes the whole disability thing hit home, but I can't afford to keep paying monthly insurance premiums for a car I can't drive. The first time I drove anywhere in months was Valentine's Day night, when my cat, Aoi, died. I guess adrenaline wiped out the vertigo. Which is good, since I was driving 90 mph down the highway at night in my pajamas without my glasses with an expired driver's license and a dying cat on my lap. (Guess this city's failure to do traffic stops worked in my favor.)
          
          And now, to cancel her pet insurance...

WELCOME TO THE KLEOS AWARDS !! (OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS)
          
          Kleos (Greek: κλέος) is the ancient Greek concept of glory, fame, and honor earned through heroic deeds and lasting achievements.
          
          The Kleos Awards summon the bravest of writers to stand before the wise Council of the Gods, where the finest stories will be honored with eternal renown. If your words carry the weight of true achievement, if your tales stir the soul and challenge the heart, then the time has come for you to claim your rightful place in the halls of literary glory.
          
          Submit your work to the Kleos Awards and face the Trials of Glory. Whether your story echoes through mythical realms or explores the depths of human experience, the Council will seek those who embody the essence of kleos-immortal fame earned through excellence in storytelling.
          
          The stage is set. The challenge is yours. Will your name be sung by the bards? Enter the Kleos Awards and prove you are worthy of everlasting honor.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/388205356-the-kleos-awards

Next chapter of "A Dove's Tale" is up. :)
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1518757231-a-dove%27s-tale-chapter-178