Good news: I’ve finished the first “proper” chapter (not counting the standard intermission-esque Cadenza) of my third novel’s second half. Whew, that’s a mouthful. Maybe a visual will help. Remember that outline I showed off a couple months ago? Here’s how much of it I’ve gotten through:
So yeah—only nine line-items. Not all that much. And now for the bad news: clocking in at over 11,000 words, this latest chapter is the second-longest in the whole series thus far. At this rate, with sixty line-items remaining, I’m looking at over 60,000 more words before I can wrap this installment.
Fortunately, I don’t think things will continue at this rate. As the action accelerates (and the upcoming action is truly insane) I’ll need less and less establishing detail, and I’ll be able to cut back and forth with greater rapidity. Book Three’s still gonna be my longest to date (it’s already at 97,000 words), but not quite that long.
The title of Chapter 11 is “Welcome to the Party,” and that encapsulates my vibe. This night’s still young, my friends. There’s a wild ride ahead.
Arlam Online 