When I write, I definitely have my readers in mind. Yes, I have a story to tell, and yes, I want the finished book to be a book I’d like to read myself, but if readers aren’t satisfied, I haven’t done my job.
So I’ve got Systems Go, the final book in the System Series, written. I’m happy with it. But something is niggling at me. Something is preventing me from hitting that Publish! button.
And I think it’s the fact that this is it. The final book. It has to exceed expectations, wrap every loose end up, and leave the reader feeling like the time they invested in the series was well spent. Duh. But there’s a lot of pressure associated with that. I don’t want to screw it up.
One of the things I’ve done that I’m unsure about is using multiple point-of-view characters. I use this technique is a few of my other books (The Go-Between, The Princess, Breaking the Surface), so I’m confident I can pull it off, but readers of the System Series aren’t used to it. There’s a certain amount of work involved when you’re reading – you have to pay attention to the POV switch. BUT, I also know from my fans that other POVs would be welcome – Thomas can’t be everywhere, and he can’t know what’s going on with everyone else all the time. Since this series has always been about the characters, I need multiple POVs to give you everyone’s story.
I’m going to spend another week tightening everything up. And then I’ll let the story fly. I’m praying it won’t be too much of a departure, and that you enjoy getting to know more of the characters intimately. That’s all I can do. Happy November, everyone!