Just publish it
Time flies when you have a deadline. Other times, it creeps by in the most frustrating and slowest way possible. Even when I had only one day left before my big deadline (completely self-imposed), I felt both extremes of the effect you get from that looming deadline.
Fortunately, I don’t report to anyone for this deadline, it wasn’t too stressful and I got to feel some excitement about it too. I mean, I guess I report to you, reader, internet person, what-have-you, but you seem pretty chill. It’s basically just free reading coming your way, so I’m sure you’re excited about this new content too.
And now it’s here!
But what is it? What am I publishing? Is it even good?
I can answer the first two questions, which are basically the same anyway. But the last one is for you to figure out all on your own. Anyway, today, Monday, September 29, marks the official release date of my web serial/web novel The Writer’s Cat. If you’re looking for a serious, dramatic read, then this isn’t it. Instead, I am sending out into the world a light, sitcom-like web novel about a cat.
The cat is named Dot, and she lives with a writer named PJ. Together they make the great writing duo that is PJ & Dot. There is a long, drawn-out writerly battle against deadlines and unforeseen circumstances. There is even a fantastical world the cat dreams up when she’s bored. But mostly it’s about the writing stuff.
Did I write and edit nonstop before publishing this thing?
No, definitely not. I wrote and edited, sure. But a lot of my time over the last couple of weeks has been spent figuring out how to get this story out to you and any other readers in the world: What is Substack? How does social media work? Is there an ideal structure for a web serial novel like mine?
Regardless, I made it. Dot made it. PJ made it. We’re all here.
If you, reader, are interested in seeing what the world of PJ and Dot is like yourself—AKA the world of The Writer’s Cat—then there are a couple of ways to check it out. If you just want to bookmark my website www.josephapauwrites.com, you can find everything you need there on The Writer’s Cat homepage. I will post full chapters at the end of every week.
But the exciting way to follow along is via The Writer’s Cat Substack newsletter. I am publishing Dot’s story in little pieces on a daily basis, Monday through Saturday, as I build up to a full chapter at the end of each week. (You can also subscribe to the weekly Chapter Digest if you want the full chapters sent to your inbox instead.) The full story of The Writer’s Cat will run for about six months! I have no idea how this experiment will turn out, but it should be interesting.
Until next time, reader.