The End. The Beginning.

I reached the end of Felling Abberfaun. Huzzah!

Photo by Gilderic - Gah! That's beautiful.

Or at least I have reached the end of the story for book 1. Yes, I love Epic Fantasy, what can I say? This story will continue, it will expand, increase its reach and grow.

With each ending there starts a whole new beginning. Like a circle, there is no end to the writing. I may have reached the end, but I have copious notes on other files, on my phone, voice notes, paper notes, all conspiring to throw me back into the writing to truly finish the first draft. But in a way, the first draft is done. And for that I will celebrate.

At 115,000 words, it is more than I was expecting, but, then the story is richer, more complicated and spans more viewpoints than Veil of a Warrior. So I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Still I was hoping for that perfect middle ground of 100,000 words. I'm left to wonder (still) how some do it. How they can say, with all authority, "This story will be exactly 105,000 words. Not one single word less or more."

Ok, perhaps, no one says that, but it seems like other writers are better able to gauge than I. Is this a matter of some gift? Years of additional skill? Or just pure, silly luck?

I'm sure it matters little in the broad reach of things. I tell the story until it is over...

The End