The book will be only as long as the story demands. It will not be shorter, or longer, but only the length it requires to strike all the right notes.
Size can, in fact, work against it - bloat makes the plot drag, and worse, eats the profit margin the publisher requires to maintain operation…one of the ‘strikes’ against this series has been: that required margin is way harder to meet…
Status Update: today’s draft count is 831/with some ‘revision work’ also accomplished in the raw bits that need to be smoothed before test readers see it.
Into Chapter Set 13 now, with about 140 pages draft to target length at finish/860 pages in the rearview mirror.
A few announcements:
Voting for the toplist favorite books at r/fantasy closes Tuesday, your chance to get your ten favorites on the list!!!
I will also be doing an AMA tomorrow - get your questions in and I will answer - the post goes up in the morning Eastern Time/I return at 7 PM to start answering/all late entries will be accommodated.
Master of Whitestorm’s e book is ON SALE today in the USA and Canada.
Now I go back to (hair pulling) writing on of THE peak moments in Song of the Mysteries.
Thanks, Annette, for posting the updates from Janny’s Twitter feed! Her primary computer is frozen in time to a specific web browser version that is no longer compatible with the forum, so she can only post here directly from Don’s computer. We will eventually solve the tech issue, but the writing always takes precedence.
Song of the Mysteries draft progress update: Closing in on the last scene on chapter 14 set today, this one will explode a few heads… Last Stage of Finale kicks off in Set 15, so, nearer and nearer to closure.
After rereading the 2nd preview and the latest responses to it, I felt renewed curiosity to see what follows. The idea that the final arc is almost complete is thrilling.
I don’t see how it can be done in just one volume.
Well, back to waiting quietly in the background, for now…