Thirty-eight thousand words. It’s all downhill from here, right?

Well, my plan is to come up with another twenty thousand words. Though I don’t think that’s going to happen, because the story wants to end. I don’t want the story to end. It’s a conflicting feeling. You work on a story for a long time, or work with a character for even longer, and then you get to the end of the book or the series. It’s sad, disappointing, yet there’s a sense of completion.

However, I can set up Grimaulkin for “The Next Generation” if I feel like doing that, but I think, after thirteen years of playing him and writing him, it’s time to let him live exclusively on Champions Online. Until I get bored or there’s a sudden influx of fans.

I don’t want to get bored with Grim. I love the guy. We’ve been through hell together. He won’t die at the end of this book–I can’t do that to him. I’m already showing his tender side, which is more apparent in “Family Bonds,” the tie-in short story for this book.

Personally, I’ve gone through some intense mental health work that has cleared my mind and put me in the starting block of a new way of thinking. It may find its way in my writing. I can see some introspection on Mike’s part that I never went through before. When I rewrite, I’ll bring these new skills I’ve learned into the writing–maybe.