Blueprints for a Trilogy
Some updates as I outline a massive and exciting project
Today I got to the studio early and spent hours sketching out the major plot points of an epic fantasy trilogy, a Sword-and-Planet, Space Opera style book. Something that would fit in a similar category to Dune, or Star Wars. A fairy tale in space.
Working title: The Endless Deep.
It’s gonna be so much fun to write.
Crafting a story arc that is three books long, while making sure each book has its own satisfying structure is hard work, but also fun work. I love plotting, despite the fact that I didn’t outline my most recent feature-length novel, and was fairly convinced for some time that I did better without outlines, after a long stretch where I either freewrote books or went completely off of any outline that I tried to make.
But the world of this project is massive. There is a lot of lore to keep track of, for starters. So far I have about 2,500 years of history before the book starts. And the characters are complex, with a lot of different perspectives, including several that aren’t even human. It’d be expecting too much of myself to try and just freewrite something so intricate. So I’m taking the time beforehand to make a blueprint.
I can’t describe too much of that in specific without spoilers. But I can say that I completed the sketch version of the entire three book arc, and it is going to be awesome. Tomorrow I’ll go over it again, fill in any blank spots, and then begin the scene-by-scene outlining process.
With a strong outline in place, I’ll be aiming to have the first draft of this three book series complete sometime in the first half of 2025. Which is fast, but I’ve been simmering this book in my head and my heart for seven years and it’s time to get it out.
My goal a few weeks back was to complete the outlining phase by the 5th of July, in order to kick off the drafting process on the 6th. As far as I can tell, I’m on track to meet that goal. If something changes, I’m okay with giving myself an extension, but I’d much prefer just to meet the deadline and get on to writing this extremely cool story.
I’ll keep you posted!
— Cael