I will never be happy with my work, but I believe that I recognize when I'm just being insecure and when my thoughts are accurate. I have done a lot of thinking about my novel and have found that my dissatisfaction has merit.
I frequent several blogs that are hosted by agents and publishers of various genre's. In reference to book length, or story length, there is a common guideline: Your debut novel needs to be a stand alone story. This is where my problem lies.
My story of Devon Coth, the Dalth family, and the Salinosti valley is an epic tale. From conception it has been an epic tale. In an effort to write a salable novel, I cut the story short. In the process of cutting word counts down, elements of a story get short-changed, including the climax.
While I felt like I covered the ending well, at first, after reading a tenth time I realized that the end was abrubt. It lacked true closure; a closure that just didn't exist in my head because of what the story was meant to be.
I also lacked conflict in key parts of the story. Conflict drives a story, keeps the reader engaged, but it also adds to the word count.
I'm not going to toss the novel, nor will I shelve it. I will continue to edit it, and make it into the epic that the characters demand. While I am doing that, I will write my debut novel. This one was intended to be a single book from the beginning, so keeping it that way will not be an issue.
So, now it is time to let Condr's tale be heard.
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