Update on the last two books

You deserve an update on the last two books, since it’s been four months since I last posted.

In that time I’ve mainly been working on my other series, and on other things entirely.  That’s my excuse, anyway.

Finishing a series is hard

I read the first two volumes of a book recently, and hunted for the third of what was indicated as a trilogy.  I couldn’t find it. There was no evidence the author was writing anything else.  It’s possible he had an accident of some sort, but for reason I’ll tell you on my blog in a week or so, I think he’s suffering from the ‘finishing the series’ syndrome.

What I’ve discovered, is that however much I’ve been thinking about that last book—and I started writing it when I thought it was going to be number six—it is really painful to get going on it. Writing the last book of your darling characters is hard, especially when you’re going to put them through pain and torment.

I remember JK Rowling saying they had to lock her in a hotel room to get her to finish the last Harry Potter.  I start to understand what she meant.  All those plans, all the loose ends, all the final expositions, all have to come together in a way that your readers love – or hate, but come on the journey with your hero(s) to the bitter end, in hope it’ll all turn out well in the end.

Progress

The other day I got the start of the plan for the final book.

Now I have to write it down.

And then, maybe, I’ll be able to make further progress on book 9.

I think, as I have thought before, that I might even have to write book 10 to make sure that everything needed in book 9 goes in it.

Then again, it might just be one glorious book 9 to finish the series, and some novellas to fill in some gaps in it.

I don’t expect to be doing much actual writing, as opposed to planning, before the new year, though.

Watch this space 🙂