Nervousness about the End

I had a conversation with someone about this a while back; in the weeks leading up to the release of Waldgrave 3, I was incredibly anxious about whether or not people would be satisfied by the ending.  I've been told that this is common behavior for both hobbyist and professional writers--there are times when you feel like an absolute genius, and others when you feel like an awkward loser wannabe.  I accepted long ago that the truth lies somewhere in between (and some days better than others), but publishing Waldgrave was a new experience for me on this front.  

I wrote Waldgrave as one long stretch of story, and not as three distinct books.   (I consider marathon story telling one of my weaknesses as a writer, because my stuff always ends up too long for one book--the total word count for the Waldgrave trilogy is more than 260,000 words--and then the book breaks feel a little forced.)  I always knew that the ending would fit for this reason, but I guess I was worried that it wouldn't be what the reader wanted.  As a reader, I hate it when I am cruising through a series, and then hit the ending, and have a horrible moment of "That's it?"

Well, I held my breath, and released the book, and (outside of the drafting error in my previous post) most people loved it.  I smiled because they were happy, and I got to feel that I had become a successful storyteller.  It was pretty darn amazing.

...And then I got off the cloud, and continued working on my next book.  Redemption is rolling along nicely, despite the many revisions it has seen in its lifetime.  Waldgrave fans need not worry...there will be more Waldgrave books.  If you want them sooner, be sure to tell all of your friends how great you think the series is.  : D

There's nothing like a raving reader to say how great a novel is, and word of mouth is the best advertising.  And this indie author will love you forever for sharing your opinion, good or bad, online or in conversation, with your friends or total strangers.

But for now, I need to find a good pair of walking shoes that are good in the snow.  My day job has me walking quite a ways to and from my bus in Denver, and I was nearly taken out by the sidewalk slick from the storm we got last week.  Wet socks all day, and my desk is in a cooler part of the building.  (And on that note, my weather station claimed it wouldn't be an event--"just 1-3 inches".  Apparently the weather folks and I are in the same business of fiction...)

Al