Sometimes it’s good to stop and assess where you are and what you’re doing, especially after you’ve been away from your work for a bit.
I’ve been traveling for the last couple of months and haven’t been able to be as consistent in my writing, social media and editing as I would like. I maintain a calendar with my work laid out and it has been helpful to keep me on track, but not so much when my schedule is pushed out, pushed up, or non-existent.
So now that I’m back home, I thought this would be a great time for a check-in.
- Stepmothers Anonymous. I am fourteen chapters in. That’s approximately 13% of the estimated 105 chapters, which is great, now that I’ve gotten to the parts I wanted to add in. The biggest challenge has been to remember that what I write now will impact what happens later, so much thought has to be given to each detail to ensure that it doesn’t become a dead end. I’ve also added the serial novel to several other sites. So if you’re not a Substack fan, you can read the story on Medium, Inkitt, or Reddit, all for free. I am in the process of building my Patreon page so that will be an option as well and I plan to announce when that is complete. My hope is to grow my audience and eventually, look into creating my own site for serial stories—my own and others.
- The Writer Within. I am still on track to release this book in early 2026. I am working on the final edit and will plan to share more information as well as excerpts in the next few weeks. I will also promote it on my other platforms (Authors Up and Studio Griffin). Check out the sites and follow me for the varied content.
- The Immortal Ana Ruiz. This is my next serial, which will begin in January (fingers crossed). I have about 75% of the story written (first draft, so it needs editing) and I have no idea yet what I will do for the cover. It’s a coming of age story. This is a first for me, as I usually write romance, but as I discovered recently, my actual specialty is “angst” and you can write that in just about any genre. I’m going to focus on this in December and January. This story will be behind a paywall on Substack and Patreon. I’ll announce more about it soon.
In addition to the writing, I also handle the behind-the-scenes for Authors Up, the podcast I co-host. This includes scheduling guests, updating the website and running the social media sites, a full-time job in itself.
I am also working on rebranding my business, Studio Griffin. I have retired the hybrid publishing aspect of it to help authors self-publish, which means I edit, format and design covers, but also teach how to self-publish. Honestly, there’s a lot out there for authors on how to write, how to finish their book, how to make money from niche topics, but not a lot that I’ve seen to help them self-publish and keep control of their work. This is the area I want to focus on.
Perhaps more aptly described as juggling, these are the project I am currently working on and as I am not planning to travel again for a few weeks, my hope is that I can make some traction and see what I can accomplish before my next check-in!
As always, thanks again for coming along side me on my writing journey. Until next time. . I have retired the hybrid publishing aspect of it to help authors self-publish, which means I edit, format and design covers, but also teach how to self-publish. Honestly, there’s a lot out there for authors on how to write, how to finish their book, how to make money from niche topics, but not a lot that I’ve seen to help them self-publish and keep control of their work. This is the area I want to focus on.
Perhaps more aptly described as juggling, these are the project I am currently working on and as I am not planning to travel again for a few weeks, my hope is that I can make some traction and see what I can accomplish before my next check-in!
As always, thanks again for coming along side me on my writing journey. Until next time.
Ruth E. Griffin 