So, as I have stated several times already, the next Barbarians of the Storm book is going to be an anthology featuring one main story, longer than the rest, and then four to five smaller stories. The format was intended to be similar to the previous anthology, Eyes in All Shadows & Other Stories.
However, as I have been writing the main story, thinking it’d be 80ish or so pages, I have come to the realization that this story may actually need to be novel length. Or, at least, the length of what my novels tend to be. I’m just having too much fun writing Elizabeth’s first story and the ideas are flowing like a raging river tearing through a dam.
So, do I make this another Side Quest book ala Fenrik 1984 and just attach one short story at the end, which is customary for my non-anthology books? Or do I still make this an anthology regardless of the main story’s length and still tack on the other four or five short stories I intended to write?
Personally, I’m thinking the latter, as the stories I have planned, I want to be written, published, and consumed before Book IV comes out late this year. While, I could do a Side Quest book and then an anthology with the other stories, as two separate books, this would probably delay Book IV by a few months.
My thought, is that I just make a thick ass anthology with the main story being novel length. The overall book would be the biggest I’ve done yet. However, I also feel like this would be a good way to make up for the delays I’ve had, thus far, with a lot of real life bullshit getting in the way of my writing.
For fans of the Barbarians of the Storm series, what do you think?
Ultimately, I think that the Elizabeth story is pretty fucking solid, as it is evolving into something much larger than I originally intended. It is also very different than everything else that has come before it.
Rob I'm conflicted here! I love the idea of an Elizabeth side quest novel but I also really dig the idea of a thick ass anthology. I know that I'll support it either way. But as my Barbarians of the Storm collection grows on my shelf I think I'd personally rather see more titles