Lisa London

Hi, it's me, the most indecisive person in the world! Today I realized that there was a better way to end the most recent chapter of Where is Araminta Green? than the one I posted yesterday. So I published a new version of the chapter. I apologize to anyone who read the old version.
          
          The new version is about 600 words longer, so if you want to go back, you can just read from when Jordan tumbles down the stairs and forward. And if you don't go back, you should still be able to pick up where the next chapter starts (and I'll put a disclaimer at the start, explaining the events). I just realized that this ending would flow a lot better into the planned start of the next chapter (and comments from readers also made me realize a small success for Jordan may be expected here with the way I structured the story).
          
          I'm sorry about this but hopefully it will lead to a better flowing story in the end!

So... a slight change of plans. Due to having been sick last week and not in the right headspace to write, I've decided to no longer aim to enter Where is Araminta Green? in round 3 of the ONC, because I don't think it would be good for either me or the story to keep pushing when I'm not feeling well. This will also give me some more time to make sure I land the story properly and some more words to work with, as I'm no longer bound to the limit of 40k. So my new goal is to finish the story during May and hopefully have it be above 50k (the Wattys-eligibility threshold, at least in previous years) right away (otherwise, I will go back and pad it, as it will surely be close). 
          
          I am by no means abandoning the story though and do expect a new chapter sometime this week. I just feel like it's more important to finish this story according to my vision than to force myself to haphazardly put together the ending while not feeling well.
          
          There will be an ending, do not doubt that. I know how this story ends. I just need a little more time to put it on paper than I initially expected.

Round 2 results for ONC are up! Congratulations to everyone who passed! So many awesome stories on there :o (some that I have already started reading and some that I’m dying to delve into once this ONC madness is over)
          
          My story “Where is Araminta Green?” also qualified for the next round, which means I’m currently knee-deep in writing the last few chapters. It will be a tight squeeze both timewise and wordcount-wise, but I’m currently aiming to make it fit. I’m not willing to compromise on the story I intended to tell or compress it in any way though, so if I start going over the word count, well then I will simply keep writing until the story is finished, ONC be damned! That said though, I also see a possible solution where I add a final podcast chapter and epilogue after ONC is over, as I think the story can be considered complere without them but not fully tied up. And regardless, I do plan to pad and revise the story for Wattys, since it will be quite close to the wordcount needed there.

A bit belated, I have to take the opportunity to congratulate everyone who qualified for the next round in ONC! Good job everyone! 
          
          I will also keep writing in the contest as my story "Where is Araminta Green?" was on that list. So Round 2, let's go! I'm actually very excited about this story and the direction it's taking.
          
          A special congratulations to these stories and authors, which are the ones I'm reading currently. I plan to pick up a second batch of stories later on, as I struggle to juggle too many reads at the same time. But there are so many intriguing stories out there I hope I will be able to check out soon!
          
          Love, Dad by @EvelynHail
          Miss Otis Regrets by @MarCafeWrites
          How to Poison Your Husband by @CMF_Wright
          The Escaped Con's Hostage by @annkreeves
          Baguette Rhymes With Dead by @bigfivedonaldduckfan
          Stone 2 Stone by @evacharya
          Dear Citlali by @MelisandeScott
          Chimera by @empiresofwater
          Between by @SallyMason1
          Parasite by @pixelmum
          
          Well done all of you and I can't wait to see where your stories go next!

Looking for a short and sweet Valentine's Day read? Look no further. Me and @spelunkadunk collaborated on this fluffy short story, consisting of 4 chapters of pure sweetness. Two chapters dropped today and the remaining two will drop tomorrow.
          
          Check it out here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/362531315-the-valentine%27s-deal

Thank you for adding Serenade of Secrets to your reading list ❤️

ONC is upon us and as you probably know by now, I can't stay away!
          
          Yesterday, I dropped the trailer for my book this year (why a trailer in a book you ask? well because this book is a podcast! More on that later...). It's called "Where is Araminta Green?" and is an experimental journey into the mystery realm as we follow journalism student Jordan while he is recording a podcast about his classmate Araminta who disappeared two years ago. The story will be told alternatively through podcast episodes and narrative chapters. Is this a good idea? I don't know. But it sounded fun in my head.
          
          I want to thank everyone who voted, commented and added the story reading lists so far. I see and appreciate you all! Unfortunately, I'm a bit tied up this weekend though so I haven't been able to respond to anyone or start reading any of your awesome ONC stories in turn! But I will hopefully get started on that soon.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/361965575-where-is-araminta-green-onc-2024

Oh god Lisa, your covers!! They are to die for.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2024 will be kind to you all <3
          
          The undisputed high point of 2023 was "Why is there an alien princess in my room?" being selected as one of the Grandwinners (5th place) in the Open Novella Contest. Having my story noticed in that way did give me some confidence that I can actually make a story stand out in such a context, which is something that my repeated failures in Wattys have made me question.
          
          For 2024, I aim to stop letting perceived Wattpad success affect me so much. Because I do struggle a lot with feeling like I'm inadequate because of the lack of accolades such as Wattys shortlistings, Creator invites, or even 10-chapter challenge recognition (I pushed myself beyond my limit to get those 10 chapters out before the deadline, because I felt like I couldn't miss out on an opportunity). But this year, I need to find joy in writing again, regardless of the success metrics attached to it, and find better ways to cope with perceived failure.
          
          As part of that, my goal is to have a revised version of Midnight Eclipse finalized within the year, which will be possible for me to query. Because perhaps I need to try my wings elsewhere to know if I have what it takes (because I clearly don't here).
          
          But I will of course still be active on Wattpad as well, because the interaction with other authors and readers here is part of what drives me to keep writing. I'm very much looking forward to participating in the Open Novella Contest this year again, and my goal is simply to write a story that I yet haven't thought of. I want to have the inspiration of the prompts take me away to shores unknown! I'm also aiming to wrap up Bitter Treats during the spring and after that either continue Badgirl Teammate or start the sequel to Alien Princess. But who knows, maybe another new story will sneak up on me, demanding to be told! (and isn't that the most tantalizing part about a new year, that we have no clue yet what it may be hiding?)

SLB reached 50k reads! I forgot to post about this the other day when it happened but I wanted to share this milestone with you now! It does make me happy to see that this story appears to be reaching a small readership outside my immediate circle and I'm grateful for everyone who has given this story a chance. Seeing this story at least reach a modicum of success is the one thing that makes me not feel like a complete failure on this site (which I do feel like a lot of the time).
          
          I also want to congratulate the Wattys winners, which were revealed yesterday. My dear friend @EvelynHail won a German Watty for "Der Letze Zug" ("Mind The Gap" is the English title of this story, which you can read on her profile), and awesome Rainbow Book Club organizer @itsmeimthevampire won a Watty in the ongoing category for "Idiots to Lovers" (and adorably fluffy bxb story that I need to catch up on). Well done guys!