Siren.

finally settled on the last (new) frequent/side characters I'm adding to Kali & A.J.'s series. I've kind of been slow on purpose as I figure out what I want for them (aside from their relationship building and whatnot). we might hear from the old gang sometimes, but none of the others will be moving near Kali & A.J. once the drama/reason for them 'hiding out' is over.

Meet the Wallace family (characters from yet another one of my novels).

Harmony, her husband Matthew and their daughter Kiari. (they have a 10 year old son, Caleb, as well but I don't have a friend for him yet and I have no idea when we'll be seeing A.J.'s nephew for him to have a friend, lol).

They are Mt. Komorebi natives, however they don't live on the same side as Kali & A.J..

Currently, Kiari does not go to Komorebi Prep (though she will in the new school year), as she and her brother have been homeschooled.

Like Kali & A.J., Monie & Matt are in their 30s and I really think (and hope) they'll be good friends once they meet.

I feel like Kali will be friends with Skye still, but I want her to have that one close friend like she was with Layne and I want it to be Monie.

A.J. will make a friend anywhere he goes, so I don't really have to worry about him and Matt getting along.

As for the girls, I can only hope they click when I have them meet because it's mainly going to be Jihanna, Tionne, and Kiari if things go my way.

And then, we're reintroducing The Goods.

(they're not married yet, but they might as well be 'cause Quinn strict as hell and Cam not tryna get cussed out by playing games lol.)

Both of their careers have been demanding, in different ways, and they've come to an understanding that has helped them tremendously in having a stronger, healthier relationship.

After the splitting up of the NCPD Unsolved Crimes team, Camden got pushed into the Homicide Unit in San Myshuno. He doesn't hate it, but he also hasn't been happy or satisfied in his role. Like A.J., thoughts of a career change have been plaguing him, but he can't see himself doing anything else. He's also, as a side mission, done two really important things... one that will affect Kali. Quinn is a Jill of all trades and excels no matter what she does or where she goes, so switching companies or starting her own ... she'll have no problems adjusting so long as her and Cam's life remains drama free.

I've figured out how I'm bringing Cam back in, and how he and A.J. are going to reconnect. And naturally, Quinn and Kali are going to be friends.

okay but can we talk about writing advice that actually made my writing worse for a second

like not in a “this is bad advice for everyone” way in a “this absolutely sabotaged me personally” way

because ??? some of this set me BACK

1. “show don’t tell” (taken too literally) this one almost ruined my prose

i got so scared of “telling” anything that every sentence turned into… over-explained action

instead of writing:

she was nervous

i’d write:

her fingers tapped against the table, her leg bouncing, her breath uneven, her gaze flickering toward the door--

and it just KEPT GOING

like yes, showing is important but at some point you’re not “immersive” you’re just exhausting

2. “cut all adverbs” this made my writing feel so stiff it hurt

i started replacing simple phrasing with weird, clunky sentences just to avoid using one single “-ly” word

like… why am i doing gymnastics to avoid “quietly”

no one is giving out medals for adverb avoidance 😭

3. “write every day no matter what” this one burned me OUT

because instead of listening to my brain when it was fried, i forced myself to produce words i knew weren’t going anywhere

and then i’d reread it later and hate everything i wrote

which made me want to avoid writing even more

consistency matters, yes but forcing it when you’re running on fumes just trains you to associate writing with dread

4. “plan everything before you start” this killed my excitement SO fast

i’d spend weeks outlining every detail and by the time i actually started writing…

the story already felt “done” in my head

no curiosity left. no momentum.

now i leave gaps on purpose so i actually want to keep going

5. “make your writing sound pretty” this is the one that made my writing feel the most fake

i was so focused on making sentences sound “good” that i stopped focusing on what was actually happening

everything turned vague. floaty. kind of… nothing

like yeah it sounded nice but nothing hit

now i care way more about clarity and impact than sounding impressive

6. “your first draft should be terrible” okay this one is half true but also messed with my head

because i took it as: “don’t even TRY”

so i’d write things i knew weren’t working and just leave them

instead of… fixing them a little? making them better?

your draft doesn’t have to be perfect but it also doesn’t have to be painful to read 😭

idk i think the biggest thing i’ve learned is:

advice isn’t universal

what helps one writer can absolutely wreck another

so if something is making your writing worse, harder, or more miserable

you are allowed to drop it. immediately.

no guilt. no “but everyone says this works”

like okay… it doesn’t work for ME.