Erm. So I am about 25,000 words into Book 3 (while Book 1 is in beta and while editing Book 2), and I'd sorta hit a wall.
Until last night. I think I might know where I want to go with it.
Problem is, it's a
completely and utterly and totally different direction. It'll mean scrapping that first 25k almost completely and rewriting from the top. It'll mean changing the whole tone of the third book (and thus the tone of the progression in the series), and moving up a plot from the fourth book pretty significantly to start a lot earlier. Also, the themes will be a lot heavier and it'll be a lot angstier, which I was also going to save for the fourth book, because I didn't want TOO much angst going on . . . and it'll mean introducing a character I didn't want to introduce till later . . .
So I DON'T KNOW. The thing is, I like the new plot/premise I've thought of 1000 percent better. I don't *mind* the rewriting part (I'd prefer not to, but it's okay), but I don't want to rewrite the first quarter of the book only to find that I'm discontent because everything's going off a cliff into Angstville and that's not the story I want to write and I have to rewrite it all AGAIN.
The smart thing, I suppose, would be to figure out how to use the plot I've thought of without doing that, but the problem is, it would be stupid not to tie the plot I've thought of into the underlying mythology of the series (because it would fit perfectly), and I can't see how to do that without kicking off the Arc O' Angst I was going to save for book four.
Damn, if only I weren't writing in first person, I could do exactly what I wanted but just not let the main character in on the secret until the very end of the book.
That would be PERFECT . . . if I were writing in multiple POVs. Sigh. What to do . . .
Sorry, guys. Just working through things out loud here. tl;dr is a bunch of word vomit about my emo writer angst.