When you start a new fantasy series, there’s a fair question readers should ask right away:
Is this going somewhere… or am I about to get emotionally invested in seven books of “mystery” that ends with the author shrugging and walking away?
Because I have been that person. Sitting there. Watching the plot stack up like dirty dishes. Waiting for the moment it all clicks. And then the story hits you with the narrative equivalent of, “Anyway, don’t worry about it.”
No thank you.
So here’s the honest answer: Echoes of the Lost World has a plan. Not a rigid, every-scene-is-prewritten kind of plan. But the kind that matters. The kind that keeps the story from turning into a pile of cool moments duct-taped together with vibes.
I’m not outlining future books here. No locations. No spoilers. No “here’s what happens in Book 6.” I like surprises too. But I can tell you what I built before Book 1 ever went live.
What I planned before this series even started
I didn’t begin with chapters. I started with structure.
Before Book 1 was readable by anyone besides me and my inner critic, I had a few things locked in:
- The endgame. I know where this story is going and what the final conflict is actually about. Not “maybe this will be cool later.” I mean, I know the destination.
- The major turning points. The moments that flip the board and raise the stakes. The ones you can’t just improvise on a Tuesday because you got bored.
- Character outcomes. Not every detail, but the emotional destinations that matter. Who changes, how they change, and what they have to face to earn it.
- Rules of the world. Magic has constraints. The hidden world has mechanics. Actions have consequences. If something can do anything, then nothing matters.
That’s the foundation. That’s the “ingredients and recipe” part.
What I didn’t lock down (and why that’s a good thing)
A planned series does not mean a predictable series. If anything, too much rigidity can make a story feel like it was assembled in a lab.
So I left room for the things that make books feel real:
- How the characters handle pressure. Teenagers under stress don’t behave like tidy plot delivery systems. They panic. They cope badly. They get stubborn. They do the exact wrong thing for emotional reasons. Very relatable.
- The path between major beats. I know the big moments. I do not pre-script every step between them, because the best scenes are often the ones that reveal themselves while you’re writing.
- Relationships and chemistry. Some dynamics show up stronger than expected. Some get complicated. Some are inconvenient. If it feels real on the page, I follow it.
- The smaller discoveries. The weird, specific moments that weren’t “planned” but end up being the ones you remember.
That flexibility isn’t lack of preparation. It’s me leaving room for the story to breathe.
How I plan without spoiling myself or you
Planning a long series is a balance. You need enough structure to deliver payoffs, but not so much that writing turns into paint-by-numbers.
My process usually looks like this:
- Big arc first. What is the story really about, and what changes by the end?
- Milestones. The key moments that have to happen for that arc to work.
- Character pressure points. What each hero wants, fears, avoids, and eventually has to confront.
- Rules check. If I can solve a problem by inventing a new power in the moment, I’m cheating. So I don’t.
- Discovery writing inside guardrails. I let scenes unfold, but I keep them moving toward something real.
The short version: I don’t improvise the destination. I discover the route.
Why planning matters, especially for a series
If you’re investing in a multi-book story, you deserve two things:
- Payoff. Threads connect. Mysteries matter. Choices have consequences.
- Trust. The author does not change the rules mid-flight just to escape a corner they wrote themselves into.
The plan protects both.
Also it helps me sleep at night, which is great because I already spend enough time staring at ceilings thinking about fictional teenagers.
What this means for Book 1
Book 1 is the beginning of the long game. Some things will feel mysterious because they are. Some details are intentionally not explained yet because the story needs room to escalate.
But the questions you’re asking while reading?
They aren’t random.
They’re seeds.
And I planted them on purpose.
If you like long arcs, found family under pressure, and a world that keeps revealing new layers without turning into nonsense, you’re in the right place.
Oh. You’re still reading this post?
That’s… promising.
Want to start the series?
Book 1: Read on Kindle, Buy Paperback, Buy Hardcover
Or read it on Kindle Unlimited.
