This post continues directly from the last one!
My main fear now, or what I’m most intimidated by writing a fourth book in the ADOBS-verse, is the DETAILS. Oh my gosh. I was so excited about this new idea that I almost went straight to creating an outline for the book, even amid revising book 3.
Side Note: my outlines aren’t always the final version, saying this is how the story MUST go, and that is one more thing I like about my process. You see, I hear of writers who decide to rewrite their entire manuscript because they realize the current, fully-drafted one doesn’t work, and am horrified. I am totally horrified/intimidated by the idea of re-writing an entire book. But now, I realize that this eureka (or non-eureka) moment happens for me in the process of outlining. I can write an outline, and then when I start drafting, will notice that the outlined plot isn’t quite right for the vision I have. Then I’ll scrap it and write a brand new outline, or I’ll change huge chunks of the outline as I go. This helps me end up with well-structured drafts that might need large revisions, but not an entire book rewrite!
Anyway, I wanted to create an outline for this shiny new book four, not because it would be the one I MUST follow if I start drafting, but just because I was so excited about the idea. And then it hit me, just how much details this series have gathered over each book, and that I have to keep maintaining them in the 4th book. I’m talking rules, and creatures, and places, and systems, etc.
I have found that even now, handling these details have been easier because I have all three books written, and work across all three of them. If I add something new in the world, I can promptly make the adjustments across all three books and not worry about plot holes or leaving anything out.
Now with a fourth book, this will be the new challenge! Remembering all the details from book one and bringing them to book four, while expanding the world building to include some new things and people I’m excited about. There’s also the fact that to write a fourth book that doesn’t feel isolated or like I had the idea at random, I’ve got to start weaving things into the existing books that will play out in the fourth.
Typing this now, I’m a little less intimidated by it. Maybe I just needed to express it to get over the intimidation. But yesterday, when I picked up my laptop to start outlining, this thought made me close it back and decide to just sit on the ideas for a while longer.
ADOBS Update
A popular author said that if she finds out a sequel book is thinner than the first book, she already believes the sequel is going to be bad. She clarified it wasn’t a hard-fast rule and was just her quirk. But since I like this author, it has forcibly stayed in my mind. 🙂
ADOBS 2 was around 170k words before I edited ADOBS 3—which was around 160k. So I couldn’t help the urge to want to make book 3 longer than book 2, even though I knew I should I be happy I had a shorter book. Now while revising, ADOBS 3 has naturally expanded and expanded… And now, it is at 191k. AND I HAVEN’T EVEN FINISHED WRITING THE BOOK! I just realized I left a good chunk of the end unwritten, and imagine that would take about 10k words AT LEAST.
So, be careful what you wish for🙂
How is writing/reading going for you?
Lucia's Fiction 
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