Into the Chrysalis

Prior posts have been unpublished while I revise, query, and explore future publishing options. Merci!

chrys·a·lis /ˈkrisələs/ noun — a transitional state.

Her Utah teenaged years, as depicted by Todd Blackwood

I appreciate all those who noticed, read, commented on, and followed Who Will Save Her? My efforts here were absolutely fruitful. Writing once per day prompted me to consider readers and improve each scene as a self-contained piece. This increased depth, quality, and lead to literally hundreds of additions and edits.

Prior posts have been unpublished while I revise, query, and explore future publishing options, but this story will return within my lifetime. In what form and time frame is unclear, but hopefully soon.

A short story (similar narrative style, unrelated characters) will be published in June 2025 by philosophy/ethics magazine After Dinner Conversation. That was part of my decision to move this project towards publishing.

Looking back on Who Will Save Her?, I only have one regret: using AI for images. (I never used AI to write!) “AI isn’t evil” per se—although it does cause problems for humans—but it just isn’t good, intuitive, accurate, or flexible for the illustrative purpose I’d hoped it would serve. Though no one ever criticized me for using AI images, I fear it may have left a taint and/or turned some folks off. Mixed medium meant, most importantly, that the hours I spent struggling with various AI-image services (I tried five!) distracted me from focusing on writing more vivid and symbolic scene descriptions.

For those who’d like to read the next project or have questions … please leave a comment here or send me a direct message and stay subscribed. 🙂

Thank you!