Update
So… after replenishing the 30k words I sliced away from the carcass of my latest novel, I added them back… and then some.
The Veiled Earth: Savior is currently at 105k, and counting. The first book was only 101k. The second was 99k. But I want to do it RIGHT, damn it.
I’ve lived with these characters for over ten years. I thought I knew their depths, I thought I knew their motivations, and I certainly thought I knew how it would end.
I am delighted to discover I’m wrong on every account.
My writing has become deeper, more evolved, and more nuanced (I believe) and the differences between the first book and this book, while not jarring or fundamentally climate-breaking, are obvious. I discovered depths to the story, ramifications I didn’t expect, and meaning I never intended. I can’t wait to finish this and contemplate.
I can’t wait to be proud of what I’ve accomplished.