Eight.

That is my latest accounting for the as of yet, unnamed, book three of The Crystal Crux series.

I have eight different story lines.

While most authors write books with one main character moving through a series of events, perhaps changing POVs here and there; an epic fantasy changes story lines, seeing the world through many characters, their different stories all working together towards some hopeful conclusion.

I have eight such stories happening in the book I am writing.

I believe there will be 26 chapters.  These story lines do not simply proceed in an orderly fashion.  Throughout the book, you change from one story to the next.

In order to keep the elements of the various stories straight, I have to realize I am writing eight books in one.

As an example, there is Rugerius Fabbro, the wicked Castellan of Parthenope.  He’s had a busy time of it in the first two books.  He destroyed the keep at Capua.  Defied the orders of his father Gherardus, keeping Anthea Manikos alive for his own pleasure.  Whisked the young Greek woman to Capua where, with the help of the giant Sinibaldus and his magic crystal, unsuccessfully tried to twist and ravage her mind.  Now, having learned that his enemy, Pero de Alava yet lives in a sanctuary prison, he’s ready to depart on a quest to take the Spaniards head.

Rugerius’ story in Book Three will chiefly play out in five chapters.  Not in order.

What I have to do is write his story spread out over those five chapters without losing the flow.  I know which chapters they are, so to keep that flow, I work on all the chapters of Rugerius’ story at the same time.  (A little insight – as of now, if nothing changes, Rugerius’ story will play out in chapters 9, 10, 20, 21 and 26.  If I’m working on one of those chapters, I’m working on all those chapters.)