So today is the first day of Nano 2016.

I struggled to figure out what I was going to write this year. I wasn’t sure if I was going to start something brand new this year or if I was going to add to the same series I’ve been working on for the past 3 years.

When I finally made the decision to continue with my “Touch of Destiny” series, I was happy, but the decision came only after taking a hard look at what I’ve done with it for the last few years.

Originally when I had started writing it – and when I was planing out how the story would be laid out – I had assumed that it would be a trilogy. I enjoy reading trilogy’s myself, and thought that I would enjoy writing one. They are long enough that you can get a really good feel for the characters, back story, and a wonderful buildup to the main conflict without having to worry that your just going to have a story that never ends. Good trilogy’s are self-contained (in my opinion) and leave you feeling rather satisfied at the end of them, as though you’ve been taken on a fairly sizable adventure that’s immersed you into this new world enough that you’re invested in the characters and the story line – but there isn’t so much story involved that you feel like you need to refresh yourself each time a new book comes out / becomes available.

I adore longer series – and there are a few I’ve read and re-read so many times that even though there are double digits in the amount of books included, and each book is a solid 8 hour read, I know them as well as the back of my hand. This is not every multi-book series though – and I recognize in myself the fading interest that comes with some series that seem to stretch too long after when they comfortably should have.

I don’t want the ‘Touch of Destiny’ books to be like that – I have a story to tell, and I know approximately where it will end. I don’t feel a need to drag it out unnecessarily.