Today, I password-protected the first ten chapters of the Science Fiction Experiment.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. And this is what I’ve come up with.

When I started this blog, it was incredibly small. Microscopic. Just me and a few writer friends I know from various places on the internet. And I started posting chapters from my novel to entertain them, and to get feedback from other writers.

Now, the blog is still small–it’s still microscopic, in terms of the internet–but it’s getting to be huge in terms of a writers’ group. And as writers’ groups go… well, I have a handful of really amazing, and active readers, and then, I have some passive spectators.

This morning, Recently, I was watching my stats. Watching someone move through the Experiment chapter by chapter. And I love watching people read my stuff. It’s the proof that what I’ve written is readable. For me, that’s an accomplishment.

But the interaction–the “here’s what I think” –that’s the reason I post stuff.

And I was sitting there, waiting. Leave a comment. Leave a comment. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.

Nothing. Not a compliment. Not a note pointing out a misplaced comma in chapter 7. Not even a quick Joe wuz here.

It happens more often than you’d think. And maybe, before I tried doing it, myself, I would have done the same thing.

But right this minute, I’m thinking about what I want from this blog, and what I want to do with the Science Fiction Experiment after it’s cleaned and polished. What I want from posting writing on the blog is more or less the same thing I’ve always wanted. Interaction with other writers.

My plans for the Experiment have changed. Solidified. I would like to publish it as a book.  At some point, it went from being something fun to entertain a few friends to being something I really believe in.

The first step is to go back, starting at chapter one, and password protect what’s already here.

After that… I’m not sure. I may go on posting new chapters behind passwords, or I might focus on revision for a while, and then beg the people who have been reading and critiquing as they go to be my beta readers.

So, that’s what I’m doing, and I’m open to suggestions. Make sure I have your email addresses, if you’re interested in beta-reading or passwords.