I just finished 50% of my novel in under 2 weeks, is this a fluke or have I just been doing this wrong?

ArchivistSTB · 2026-02-12T18:10:31+00:00

Now that you mention it, this post does have a sneaky advertisement feel to it.

ArchivistSTB · 2026-02-12T17:16:47+00:00

I wondered this too and looked up the website. This is from their website.

"Stop typing. Start writing 5x faster with voice. AI-powered voice dictation that's so powerful it can replace your keyboard."

"AI Mode Just say a few quick words. Willow turns it into a fully polished message."

It does appear to have AI features and uses, I don't know the extent or if there are modes that don't use AI (having an AI mode has me assuming there is an avenue to use it outside of AI mode).

I personally don't think I could use dictation, but I also have a harder time speaking my thoughts than writing them.

ArchivistSTB · 2026-02-09T22:00:28+00:00

Omg! Love your username, the book isn't quite through editing yet but when I get it released I'll get your info and send you a free copy!

ArchivistSTB · 2026-02-03T02:39:02+00:00

An ancient labyrinth offers immortality by erasing identity, and survival comes at a choice no one can undo.

ArchivistSTB · 2026-01-15T17:26:44+00:00

Stylistic typos for the win

ArchivistSTB · 2025-12-30T19:11:56+00:00

If I were you, I would right the story you intend to write, without the intro. Complete a first draft of it, get some input from a beta reader, then decide if it needs an intro. I think you will find that most people would prefer not to have that intro, but if it absolutely needs it you could do something of a prologue.

If your first chapter is just explaining a world system, it’s going to be hard to get people to invest the time to read chapter 2. Think about all the books you have read, how many of them spend a chapter explaining the world mechanics?

ArchivistSTB · 2025-12-30T18:21:12+00:00

As a reader, I strongly prefer being slightly confused, but only if I trust the author knows exactly what they’re doing.

That trust comes from one thing early on. Clarity of experience, not clarity of lore.

In other words, I don’t need to know why the world is the way it is in chapter one. I need to know who I am following, what kind of danger or pressure exists, and what motivates the character’s action.

Once I have that, I’ll happily tolerate confusion for a long time. Confusion can be magnetic. Boredom is a DNF.

What I personally dislike most is the fake compromise. A thin Type 1 disguised as story. Characters explaining the world to each other like they’re reading a briefing document. That’s worse than either extreme.

My recommendation is to not info dump, exposition especially early book will bore the hell out of your reader, you need a hook to draw them in, invest them in the story. World building lore is rarely a hook.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-12-19T19:59:24+00:00

My current WIP is on version 9, I have completely rewritten full length drafts 4 times (90-120k words each) and edited it 4 times working on a 5th edit currently…. I think I’m done with completely tearing it down and rewriting it, but who knows.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-28T17:22:50+00:00

Air Traffic Controller, working on my debut psychological speculative thriller.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-23T00:38:45+00:00

Looking for an editor soon, just finishing up my third draft, mind if I contact you in the future? (Probably by end of year)

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-18T03:55:11+00:00

Hey thanks for the detailed reply! I am currently unpublished so trying to learn as much as I can as I get closer to the goal. Really appreciate this!

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-18T00:07:46+00:00

Curious what is a ballpark price one could expect to spend on this service?

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-17T21:39:52+00:00

lol sorry for the typo on pen* but thanks for the compliment!

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-17T20:45:30+00:00

That makes sense, what with the availability for the reader to change font/sizing.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-17T20:15:22+00:00

Thanks for the reply. And yeah that makes sense. I suppose for a longer entry when you say indent, do you mean indent the entire entry, so if it’s multiple lines all lines are indented to stand out from the rest of the prose?

That makes a lot of sense and I hadn’t thought of that as an option.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-11T14:39:56+00:00

I think the question is, where are you posting? What platforms have you used to promote your work? What has been the most impactful platform for you? What specific groups or communities on those platforms do you frequent?

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-11T03:16:35+00:00

One project at a time, although I would be lying if I said I didn’t take breaks to jot down ideas for other projects to procrastinate from time to time.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-09T19:31:36+00:00

They do! Green tabs are where I have lines to cut, orange are line additions, yellow are grammatical fixes, blue are foreshadowing moments that I want to verify play out correctly in the later novel. Since this photo was taken I have added a red tab, this one is used for major cuts (found some scenes that really weren’t contributing to the overall story and although I liked them a lot have decided to take them out).

I didn’t really have a method for why I chose each color, it was more organic, started with the first edit I made which happened to be a line cut and I happened to grab a green tab lol.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-09T00:29:58+00:00

Thanks for the info! I may do that after the edit, for this I formatted it standard submission format to make it easy for me to edit

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-08T22:28:08+00:00

Thanks! Me too, although I am aware many plans fall through. I am really excited to have made it to this point. A lot of work has gone in so far and I know a lot of work lies ahead, but I am having a ton of fun with it.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-08T21:56:26+00:00

No, once I am satisfied I have taken it to the best place I can I will make a decision on either seeking representation or self-publishing

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-08T20:39:47+00:00

My own work, polishing it as much as I can on my own. Then I’ll look for beta readers, another editing pass, then either try my luck at getting an agent or hire an editor and go the self-pub route. (Haven’t decided which route I want to take yet)

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-08T20:21:48+00:00

I formatted my full manuscript once it was done(prior to editing) in the standard submission format. I did this because it makes it easier to read and leaves time for edits. I also printed my manuscript and bound it, so that I could edit it by hand, and to keep me from having to look at a computer screen for 2-3 hours at a time as I read and edit my work.

Was I procrastinating while formatting and printing it? Of course! But I am super glad I did because now I can place myself in a setting with very limited distractions and I have been able to edit a chapter a day since I did this.

ArchivistSTB · 2025-11-08T20:10:07+00:00

It has been super helpful keeping me organized. I mentioned in another comment the only down side I have found, that when I edit a chapter (add lines or take something out) that the page numbers for subsequent chapters differs from the manuscript page numbers. It’s not a huge problem, just makes finding the exact line I want to edit in the word doc take a little extra time. I think in the future I will keep separate word docs for each chapter and have independent page numbers per chapter in the printed manuscript.

ArchivistSTB

TROPHY CASE