I’m in the midst of enjoying reading freedom and plotting book two. Which has brought around a panic inducing realization.
Book two is very likely going to have to be split due to size issues. So I have a trilogy on my hands.
*Sigh* I did say I prefer odd numbers…
Yep looks like I’ve done it again.
For those of you that don’t know I originally plotted out BirthRight assuming it’d be a single novel. However halfway through I realized I’d already written the equivalent of a book (117,000 words). It was an oddly frustrating feeling because I was ready to celebrate being at halfway not finishing the book!
Announcing that I’d written a novel was rather anticlimactic because in my head I hadn’t finished. It seems that I’m finding the whole writing process anticlimactic actually. It’s such an enormous slog and you’re so intently focused on the end goal that when you hit milestones that’d have any sane person shrieking in delight you barely blink. All because of the end goal.
Maybe it’s different for other writers out there because they do finish at the end of one novel. I didn’t mean to write an epic fantasy series! This is what terrified me as a child/teen at the idea of writing. Sure you start but where the hell do you stop??

Woo-hoo, trilogy.
;-}
You're full of ideas, that's a good thing! I'm totally feeling like writing is a complete slog lately. Ugh. *hands over chocolate* good luck with that!
It was the same for me-I never intended for my book/series to be as big as it will be.
Trilogies are good. I am so bad at estimating length myself. Don't worry too much about it. It has to be as long as it needs to be to tell the story.
Nothing wrong with a good trilogy.
Better that than get to 30,000 words and realize that there just isn't any more. Though I can't imagine that happening…
@ SH – yep that's what I'm telling myself ;p
@ Vicki – I'll hand over good ideas!! At the moment they're giant pains in the rear!
@ David – Welcome 🙂 And I'm so glad it's not just me *lol*
@ Angie – nice quote there I think 🙂 I'm remembering that one
@ Jolene – If the inspiration fairy hits again I may consider hitting back.. ;p
Nicole, Stephen King once said that writing to him was like walking in a desert and finding the top of a house poking out of the sand. You simply start sweeping away the sand until you reveal the size and grandeur of the house beneath.
Keep writing, dear! Sometimes I think that the story is a gift from God and we are simply the person selected to reveal it to the world.
On the other hand, I did have two beers after work this afternoon. Ha!
Hang in there.
–Jimmy
I completely understand! I did a similar thing, except that I thought my story was pretty well contained as I wrote it, but then I began to see myself unintentionally weaving all these little threads of extra in… until suddenly, when my original story was all tied up, I had created this entire reality that begged to be explained further. Three book deal, here I come.
just think of the royalties 🙂 (potentially)
@ James – I really like that quote – sums it up nicely
@ Lauren – it's crazy isn't it!?! Once you start you can't stop ;0
@ K – *sigh* drooling right now *giggle*
Big fantasy series are the best!
My first novel was also too long by half. But it was literary fiction and i had to cut… and cut… and cut.
Perri
Hi Perri – Welcome 🙂 I think fantasy series are awesome too.. but I didn't really want to write one ;p And that's harsh about your first novel, I hope it made it lots stronger 🙂