Finishing Book 5, Beginning Book 6

Hey all.

Book 5 - "Capitol Punishment" - should be out in a week or so.  By this point, I ought to be close to getting the first draft of Book 6 done.  Or at least well on my way.

So why can't I start?

It's the last in Volume One - the final installment in the first phase of Dr. Jeremiah's star travels.  There will be a pause while I write other things, projects I've wanted to work on for some time now.  So I want to get this right,

There are things the book needs to accomplish.  The ending is fine (I've know what it is for a very long time now) but making it count is harder.  Earning it, letting it develop naturally and satisfactorily.  That is what the key is going to be.

I could start writing now.  Easy.  All the details aren't worked out yet, but I could make it up as I go along - I've done it before.  So why not do that?

Because I know it won't work.  Won't work well enough, at any rate, to be satisfying as a semi-conclusion to the series.  I need to make sure this one hits all the right notes, and in the right order.  There's a hundred ways this could mostly turn out okay, and only a few that will be really good.

It's one of those latter that I'm aiming for.  And so I keep hunting.  Keep searching, keep outlining.  And soon (with any luck) I'll hit on the right approach and start writing.

Any day now...