I've dug into 41 now and have gotten through the opening fight. Now for the flight, and a couple of complications before going onto 42.

I think I have a definite plan for shortening the beginning though it may only net me about 5,000 words or so. Maybe I can cut a little from chapter 12 and 13 as well and get another 2,000 words or so. After that, I'm not sure, there is so much interdependency.

The other plan would be to slow things down and give more detail while going to a two book solution. I'd have to juice up the plot in the beginning half though since it was never meant to be complete story.

As I'm coming to the end of my audio book, I'm starting to understand why not much happens a good way through the book. The book is not meant to stand alone, it looks to be ending with a non-concluding conclusion. Kind of disappointing because it's around the size I'm shooting for and I wanted to see how a fantasy genre book handled plotting and detail within that word count. The answer in this case is that it didn't. The writing is good through, good enough that I don't notice it anyhow.

Oh, the David Eddings book? Yeah, there's five of those.

I knew it was a series, but I figured that the first book at least would have some sort of conclusion, but apparently not. There also appears to be a massive plot hole, but since the first book really is just an opening, maybe it's addressed later on.

Anyhow, on to the next audiobook I have checked out. The Golden Compass. I've got nothing in the hopper after that, so I'll have to see what they've got available for download.

Still on 41, still in the fleeing for lives part of the chapter. I should move on to the complication part of the chapter, then onto 42. I had another close call in the rough draft, but it doesn't feel necessary so it goes into the waste bin.

Made some good progress on 41 and hopefully I'm near the end. I need to have the characters catch up with each other without using too many words. Since the reader already knows what happened, I figure only the reactions are interesting. Also, I need to drop a few hints about a future plot event.

Then onto 42, which needs to be efficiently written with more emphasis on the more dramatic scenes since it felt somewhat mundane in the rough draft. Wait maybe 42 should be a new chapter not in the rough draft. Yes, yes it should.

Ahahaha. I started a new fiction project; one that has been rattling around in my head for probably years now. Predictably, the self-doubt is setting in. Why does writing fiction intimidate me so much?

Good luck, Jilli. Don't be intimidated by fiction, you can just make something up.

41 and 42 are in the bag, 42 is a brand new chapter from the rough draft. Now I'm working on 43 in which many things need to happen, but I don't to take too many words to do it. Chapter 45 should begin the rush of events that take things to the end.

I'm ready to get done with this revision and start planning out the next one. I'm hoping that one will take me to just cleaning up.

New drabble topic for the new year: Resolution.

Drabble:

I resolve not to resolve. Resolution flies in the face of a universe that is already spoiled for choices on intriguing ways to derail my plans. "In five years I will be/do/have X." No, you won't. You resolve to try. The universe makes resolutions, too, and it has a lot more practice at it.

(hey, it's a drabble, not a work of art)