A new year, a new book! I’ve started writing book 2 of my epic space opera trilogy.
I’d planned to begin writing book 2 on the 1st of January 2025 and besides the cold weather, I ventured out to sit in my favourite environment and begin the novel.
Having struggled with the slow evolutionary process of book 1 (Fugue), I wanted this continuation of the story to be a tighter, quicker process. Many of the deeper themes of selfhood, the definition of consciousness and the navigation of the labyrinth had emerged during the writing of book 1. But as I now had a clearer definition of the saga’s heart, I was able to jump right in.
During the closing weeks of 2024, I created a fully realised outline for the second book. In the past, I too often got excited by the initial concept, rushing into the writing process before I’ve really thought about character development, conflicts or dealing with deeper themes. Yes, a novel can be an organic process, but fully realised world building and meticulous detail that makes sense within context needs to be nurtured, matured and sculpted.
Having established characters, conflicts and overall tone, the second book, I could feel, was to be a far easier proposition. Having also spend 2024 revising and polishing Fugue, my biggest concern was in the actual story for book 2. My initial idea for the conclusion of book 1 was for my characters to reach their destination at the end of the labyrinth, but I quickly felt that the journey needed to be longer. That my characters needed to learn more about themselves and the cosmic horrors they were lost within. And in the doing, I felt I could expand upon and go far deeper into the themes established in Fugue. And with it, I was afforded more time to expand upon background characters and locations introduced in the initial book.
During the polishing of Fugue, I learned that I’d spent far too much time belabouring over the opening sentence or prose and details during the initial writing phase. All those refinements that could come during editing and re-drafting, when the core story is in place. So, this time I was able to begin from a position of strength. I’d prepared with sculpted chapter cues, separated events, character drama and direction of intellectual and emotional beats.
So book 2 took shape as another step between initial venture and final conclusive and mysterious destination. There were elements of trauma, the deeper dives into metaphysics and other themes that I wanted to explore. Delayed gratification and the need for the destination to be a hard-won fight was also prominent in my mind. The concept of a beginning and end was stretched until the middle part of the journey became its own story, itself with its own beginning and end.
Now, each book of this trilogy tells a continuous story but it also contains within, its own unique aspect of the voyage from launch to ultimate destination. And, as I write, I feel confident about the adventure.
So, here goes. Onwards and upward…
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