Comment from Jim Wile

Excellent

I liked your comparison between Soapy and the devil who doesn't seem to need a gang of enforcers. He carried enough influence of his own. But he appeared powerless in the presence of Ben. This chapter contained a lot of narrative, but it was interesting and very well done. It appears that Soapy may be one of Ben's bigger challenges, but I like the different nature of this one. - Jim

 Comment Written 09-Dec-2023

---

reply by the author on 09-Dec-2023

Thank you very much. I saw this chapter as a necessary set up for the next.

Comment from T.A. Walk

Excellent

Wonderful story. Well composed, clean of SPAG issues.

Your dialog was squared away and seemed natural and real.

Your geographical knowledge is evident as well.

I look forward to reading more of your work.

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate you.

This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.

 Comment Written 09-Dec-2023

---

reply by the author on 09-Dec-2023

Thank you very much. I wish you could have helped me with the previous chapters.

reply by T.A. Walk on 09-Dec-2023

I don?t feel super helpful in your case, but thank you!!

I do not get to read as much as I would like. I have severe memory issues brought on by years of poor PTSD treatment.

I will definitely read when I can, and if you ever want to bounce an idea, reach out!!

reply by the author on 09-Dec-2023

Funny you should ask/offer.
I guess I've nearly decided, but...
This book, One Man's Calling, has only 3 more chapters. Ben's ministry started in Colorado, took him to Chicago, then to San Francisco, then north, ending in Alaska where I'm going to kill him. I have 30+ more chapters of a sequel featuring a boy from the Chicago part (Ben's street ministry helper). There are many touchstones relating to the previous 80 chapters including Beth (and her son) going to St Louis to help the young man, saving lives in a dramatic way.
My initial question was whether or not to pursue the concept at all. Now it's whether to call it a sequel, or simply continue with chapter 82.
Thank you for your thoughts. And I apologize for my presumptiveness.

reply by T.A. Walk on 09-Dec-2023

We all differ in the way we do things, so it is hard to offer an opinion on how your work should be presented.

That said, I can offer you an idea of my way of doing things and perhaps that will help.

I deal with a little OCD as a symptom of my PTSD, so this may seem odd.

Numbers are a thing for me. So, I googled the average numbers for a novel's chapter word count, a novel's average word count, and a novel's average chapter count.

I took those numbers and determined an average range for my book's parts and final version.

Basically, I created an informal word count template to give myself boundaries.

To summarize what I've done, I started with some numbers and when what I had exceeded those boundaries or intended to, I broke into a new section.

So, were I to get close to my final count, and decide I needed more content, I very well may consider a sequel.

I do not know how helpful this may be to you, but I do hope it helps.

Consider that maybe too much in one sitting takes away from the overall main point.

reply by the author on 09-Dec-2023

Thank you. Very interesting.
My main issue was that the protagonist will be dead. The new one is related, but...

reply by T.A. Walk on 09-Dec-2023

It?s kind of like continuing characters in comic books.

They don?t always all make it.

Perhaps the sequel could be tied to the family rather than the original family??