The knowledge I might hit this benchmark before the end of the week has been tip-toeing around my brain for several days. Like anything that might give my inclination toward slacking off an idea, I tried to ignore it.
Now I'm done, I can give myself permission to relax and even to talk about the work--I tend to not do much of that, because I'm bashful about anything I write that isn't fully polished yet.
What I really want to talk about, however, is doing things you always said you'd never do.
You know when you read a book, and it ends, and the story's not done yet? And you have to wait a year for the next book? Yeah, I really hate that.
Yeah, I just did that.
My novel has a cast of fourteen major characters; it's an orca of a story. Several months ago, I realized there was no way I was going to finish it in one volume--not unless my agent could convince a publisher to make an offer on a 170, 000 word book. By an unknown author. In this economic climate. Heh; ye-ah...
So I located a good place to break the story, and that's the point I wrote up to tonight.
My next steps are to outline the second book, edit this one completely, then send it off.
But oh man, it bugs me I actually ran afoul of one of my own pet peeves! The book's even got a cliffhanger ending. I loathe those.
But I really like my story. And I believe in it. I also know a lot of things I don't like about (certain) series books don't bother other fantasy readers one bit. It's really not a problem for me to have written a two-book story.
I'm just going to have to roll with it, so please raise a brick of chocolate with me and toast the birth of my new novel!
Like all newborns, it's still pretty weird-looking and stinky, but that's okay. Tomorrow, I give it its first bath!
