Twins!

The alpha readers have spoken and their feedback is unanimous … We are expecting twins! No, this has nothing to do with a biological interruption to the writing. Let me explain.

Until fairly recently, splitting the book didn’t make any sense because of how it was structured – it’s something I mentioned a few times in previous posts. But without my realising it, the manuscript has grown over the past year or so into two distinct and almost equally weighted parts. This change has become so marked that reading from the first part and into the second has turned out to be like eating two different (and very filling) dinners in one sitting, rather than progressing through the courses of a single meal. The alphas also detected an issue related to this, namely density, a need to let certain parts of the story stretch out a little. But the book was already approaching the limit of what could be comfortably printed in a single volume without special paper and tiny text. The needed expansions would basically have made it unprintable – at least not in a format that anyone would want to read.

In spite of the problems with the single volume, I didn’t initially welcome the idea of a split. When working on a book for years, one gets attached to the image being built up, so massive changes are unsettling. On a more practical front, the dividing of plot arcs and character arcs is not a simple matter. Secretly, I had hoped the alpha corrections would be minimal, but the feedback pointed to the need for a detailed revision. Split or no split, the manuscript was going to need serious labour. In reality, even if everything could have been squeezed into a single record-breaking volume, it would have taken longer to complete than the split version because of the space constraint – the difficulty of trying work without elbow room. After seeing that my reservations did not hold the high ground, I had a long look at the benefits of a split.

The biggest factor was that constriction would no longer be an issue. A two-book arrangement would give the space to settle into better pacing, to bring back and develop some of the important characters from the first book who had been squeezed out, and to include a crucial exploration hinted at in book 1 and which wasn’t fitting into the timeline anywhere, not even in the outlines of the following books. This last possibility solved a major problem that had been gnawing at me for months. So the argument for a split was strong, and argument against didn’t have much to it other than a sentimental attachment to the old format.

Before committing, I needed to be sure it was possible. After about a week-and-a-half of brainstorming, I gradually saw how I could separate and re-weave the threads into a two-volume arrangement that actually worked better than the single unit – considerably better. I sat on the decision for a few days, creeping to the edge of high-dive platform, peering down, and creeping back. When I finally took the plunge of implementing the new framework into the text files, it took more work than I’d anticipated but the results were better than I’d hoped. I no longer have any doubt that it was the right move, both for the quality of the read and for the improved flow in the creation process.

Now that the structure is in place, many of the new sections are filling out. In every measurable metric (other than breaking length records) this is a noticeable upgrade on the earlier version. The new book 2 looks like it will be slightly longer than Dawn of Wonder and will cover pretty much everything it was originally intended to cover. Book 3 will take us further into the story (further than the original book 2 manuscript) and it now has the space to round off some of the key trajectories initiated in book 1. This means that while the arc of the series doesn’t end with book 3, it has a kind of solid landing. By the looks of it, Book 3 is going to be around the same length as book 2, so the combined length of the two books will end up at around six standard novels. I hope that will prove a satisfying weight of pages.

The job at this stage is to finalise the content of both books before finishing up and releasing book 2. Focusing on only one of them now could result in problems later on because of how many threads run between them. It means, though, that after the release of book 2, the finishing up and release of book 3 shouldn’t take very long. The first of these two books will still emerge a good deal earlier than the giant un-split version would have done.

To those who have reached out through comments and emails, thank you so much for the understanding you’ve shown with the personal challenges of health and burnout. They have been more meaningful than you might think. My spinal recovery hasn’t progressed as smoothly as it began and sleep is proving to be a serious a problem. When you’re constantly woken or kept awake by stabbing pain for most of the night, it’s no joke. By morning you’re exhausted.

In that context, the encouragement has been therapeutic, reducing the pressure and helping me give the necessary consideration to health until the issue is resolved. Believe me when I say I’m deeply grateful for all who have chosen to recognise that the struggle is real and to support me in a context where the natural reaction is to vent frustration. As an author, I consider myself truly blessed to have such readers.

I hope this post answers the question of what is happening post alpha reads and that it leaves you as excited as we are about this new development. It’s a big step up for the series and I wanted to give you an early glimpse of what to expect. For my part, I couldn’t be happier with how the new structure has turned out. It will make for a better read and will allow the space for more of the story to emerge sooner.

EDIT 18 Jul 2020. Unfortunately, my spinal pain has grown worse again. It seems there could be more surgery on the way. The drain on health has reached a critical point, and my attempts to work are doing me no long-term favours. For a time I fought against the medical advice to rest. It didn’t work out well. When your mind gets exhausted, writing is like chopping with a blunted axe. You need to ensure the quality is the same, so you hit harder to make up for bluntness, and the exhaustion deepens. After several months of driving myself on like this, you could say I hit the rocks at the base of the fall. It’s become obvious that I need to accept the recommendations of doctors and step away until I can recover, however long that takes, even if it’s several months. Accordingly, the progress bars have been taken down. Sorry about this, but unfortunately it’s beyond my control. Stepping away is not something I wanted to do. As soon as I’m capable of returning to work, I’ll be back at it.