Re-Thinking the Path of "Book II" Based Off of Some Feedback from Readers
With chapter one of the second book being written, as well as the beginning of chapter two. I already feel like I want to re-work it. Also, some feedback that I’ve gotten from readers about what they like about the first book kind of aligns with what I’ve been feeling while starting the second one.
The main takeaway was that people really like that the story was focused on Dan and Fenrik and their journey together, starting as strangers but growing into damn good friends.
With the second book, I’ve started with the big group of the heroes all together. While they came together at the end of the first book, and I thought that all came together in a nice, fun, badass finale, I feel like the spirit of the book is most alive in the camaraderie between Dan and Fenrik.
I had big ideas for the next book, so big that I figured it’d probably expand out into books 2 and 3. I think that this is still how it’s going to go, but I want to make the story more focused on Dan and Fenrik, and not go the route of having a bigger party that gets split up and thus, creates two separate but parallel plots.
Additionally, I like these two parallel plots so much that they shouldn’t be wedged into the same book. Each of them deserves to be the focal point of their own stories where I can expand on them and flesh them out more.
I’m going to re-map the plot, bullet point it out, and edit what’s been written so far. I’ll start that today and probably work on it through the weekend with a much better idea of how to move forward, next week.
This is some of what I like most about writing. Sure, it can be tedious and a pain in the ass, but as much as I want to pump these stories out, I want them to be good and not just unrealized ideas in my head.
I also keep sharing the process of creating these stories because I know how easy it is to get overwhelmed and irritated when what you’re writing isn’t hitting the mark or just doesn’t flow right. Sometimes you have to step back, take a breath, absorb some constructive criticism, process it, and take the reins back with a fresh perspective.