Filling plot holes

I’ve finished my first post-completion read-through of Koen and am ultimately happy with the outcome. I only have one major plot hole, which I am filling now. It looks like it will require writing an entirely new chapter towards the end of the book and peppering some details here and there, but that’s okay. I’ve faced worse. I knew the plot hole existed before the read-through, but I couldn’t find a good place to rectify it while writing the first draft. It took stepping back and seeing the work in its entirety to find the right place to patch. I wrote about 1,500 words last night, creating a few more characters along the way. The added information will be helpful for future books in the Absolution of the Morning Star series. They add some whispers of Koen‘s passing to be found by his son, Erikson, as he embarks on his own journey. But most importantly, my oversight finally unveiled my destination, but I will return to that moment.

Once I fill the plot hole, I will start my second read-through to ensure everything I modified seamlessly fits into the story. Then, it will be time for copyediting, which I usually do while reading the book aloud a few times. Afterward, I will pass it through Word’s editing tool and Grammarly to catch what I missed and then do a final read-through by reading aloud again. Finally, I will format it for submission. I hope to have this all done by the New Year.

Meanwhile, I’m itching to continue the Absolution of the Morning Star series, and I have been making periodic notes for Destiny of the Daystar, book four in the series. The book will open with a battle, the first large-scale confrontation in the series (though many others are alluded to). If you read the series, you will see this conflict brewing towards the end of Noonday in the North and know what I am talking about. The battle will mark an important transition for Lucardia and throw everything into flux. Without spoilers, I can’t say much more, but it will be an epic battle and start Destiny of the Daystar off with a bang.

Ultimately, taking a break from the series and writing Koen was a good idea. It helped cement many floating backstory ideas into place and opened up new paths for Erikson’s future. Writing a six-book series is daunting, especially when you reach the halfway point. You still have time to tie things up but also risk wandering. Although I’ve had a couple of ideas of how the Absolution of the Morning Star would end since finishing Noonday in the North, I had a hard time choosing which path to take. Koen met some interesting people on his journey and had some fundamental interactions. The natural trajectory of the tale cleared up any doubt that I had, and I now know for sure how the series will end.

The moment you have a destination when working on a novel makes writing much more manageable and enjoyable, to be frank. I liken it to the moment when a traffic jam breaks and you slowly speed up. That isn’t to say that red taillights await me around the next bend, but it is full speed ahead for now, and it is bliss. I should reach my destination in no time now, and it won’t disappoint! The funny thing is that my destination’s discovery arose from filing this plot hole. It was a lovely parting gift as I tied up Koen’s story.

It is easy to get frustrated when things don’t run smoothly, but everything has a certain order. Rarely do things work out how you expect them to, but they do work out and often better than you envisioned. Traffic builds as I patch these holes, but soon, I will have a nice even surface to cruise!

Cheers!