At the time of this writing I'm working through what I thought would be the finishing touches on Tralodren. You would think after working on this world setting for decades already I'd have an end point by now to step off and leave things alone. But the reality is I'm finding you're never really entirely done with the world building process. You reach a stopping point, sure, and can step back and say the barebones of things and main guts of others have been established, and then continue writing stories in it as led, but there is always going to be touch ups and updates and new material that gets added in part to those new stories you're crafting.
And while I enjoy the process (which is good since I'm going to be at it for a while) I'm beginning to see the benefits of finally putting things to bed design-wise. Part of that truth was made clearer to me this last year when I realized that while I always had an idea of providing an endgame situation for the world I didn't really have anything concretely put into the ongoing canon of material, as it were. And that, along with a few other holes I realized still lingered, helped me to see I wasn't ready to finish things up just yet. And so I've been writing . . . and writing.
And in the long run this has been good by allowing me to see just how far out, realistically, I can get everything done before leaving this earth. It's not that I plan on leaving anytime soon, but it is good to have that worked into your plan. You don't need to get out too far ahead of your skis and risk not finishing the stuff that needs to come before those grander, greater works still ahead.
So what does that mean to you reading this and how will it affect future material/series? In short it has helped me become more focused on the main objectives and make sure I know what those objectives are. It's also helped me get rid of the flab on the design and stick to the muscle, while providing plenty of notes and direction for the future of the setting and tales for those who might take up the task after me. And no, I don't have any plans on naming anyone at this point. It's way too premature and there isn't much of a literary franchise to impart at the time of this writing: just a trilogy that has so far seen publication. Now in a few more years we could be looking at a different reality. :)
So that's it for this post. Just wanted to share a short update on what I'll be spending the rest of this year doing (amid everything else going on). And hopefully, I'll be able to share more of the fruits of this effort in the months and years ahead.