I’ve just finished the first act of what I’ve been calling my “secret shame” – a science fiction novel that’s been lurking in my creative consciousness for far too long. The shame isn’t in the story itself, but in the years I’ve spent as an aspiring novelist who has never quite made it to the querying stage. That particular milestone has remained frustratingly out of reach, a goal that seemed to recede every time I approached it.
This time feels different, though. With AI as my writing companion, I’ve managed to accelerate the first draft process dramatically. The key insight that’s transformed my approach is this: the first act doesn’t need to be good enough for anyone else to read. It simply needs to exist. AI helps me push through the blank page paralysis and generate something – anything – that can serve as the foundation for a proper second draft.
The speed of this breakthrough has me wondering if I should attempt something ambitious: writing first drafts for all three books in my planned trilogy in rapid succession. There’s a certain momentum to be gained from staying immersed in the world and characters without breaking stride. But I’m wary of overcommitting. Even with AI assistance, completing three novels back-to-back might be beyond my current capabilities.
More tempting still is the expanded series concept that keeps whispering at the edges of my imagination – ideas that could easily transform this trilogy into six or nine books. I recognize this siren call, though. It’s the same trap that ensnared my previous sci-fi attempt, which grew so enormous and unwieldy that it eventually collapsed under its own ambitious weight.
This time, I’m committed to discipline. Three novels. No more. I want to see how quickly I can complete the first draft phase across the entire trilogy before I sit down to craft second drafts worthy of beta readers. It’s a race against my own tendency toward scope creep, and for once, I think I might actually win.
