Expendable Few Update

Between The Expendable Few and Broadcast 7: Framework, I'm looking at a variety of writing challenges. It's taking a long time to write both, but they're the most challenging things I've ever written.

Having said that, I've reached a milestone with The Expendable Few. It's 54,000 words long after several cuts closer to the end and it finally feels like I'm putting the the last quarter of this puzzle together. I've been looking forward to this, where I get to go back and write in a few thousand words that will make the middle section of the book feel complete. These are the chapters where everything is already established and I get to set them loose on a developing situation.

After these chapters are finished I'm left with writing nothing but the last four or five chapters right at the end. It's a pretty exciting time for the book, because everything has been figured out and the only thing left is to write it. I expect this book to arrive (be completed), at between 70,000 to 80,000 words. There's a chance it'll go over, but not by much.

You're not alone in waiting to see the last half of the book. Not even Sylvie - my part time assistant (aka 'the Minion'), has seen the new stuff. She asks after new chapters daily, sometimes more. She's joined by my mother, who requests new material every time I speak to her on the phone. No pressure.

I'm just glad I can see the end of The Expendable Few, because I love delivering a story, I can't wait to get this out to you guys. There's a different kind of buzz in writing this book too, especially since 90% of the characters are totally new, some of the bigger ideas are brand new, and the ending is something new to me too. This stuff hasn't been kicking around in my head for  years, it's got an 'on the spot' quality for me because it's only a few weeks / months old. 

When it's all said and done, I hope this book is remembered well as a side car novel that fits alongside Broadcast 6-7 and stands well as a spiritual sequel to Broadcast 0. If you're looking to get a sample, there's a huge chunk of the book in the Goodreads Forum.

Now, back to work...

RL