I’m over 23K words into my project. At first, I thought this was going to be a 30K-word project, since that’s a nice, average length for a middle grade fiction novel. But the further I get into this world, the more I realize I’m not finished with it.

I’m not talking about a sequel. But since this is a middle grade novel, and it seems that all middle grade works are turned into trilogies or series these days, I probably should think of something. (I’ve heard that it’s a good idea to have at least one other project in the works when you’re querying. One visiting author told me that agents and editors like that; it means that you’re serious about writing, and not only are you going to keep working, you’re also going to help the agent and editor stay in business.)

But that’s not the point of this post.

Would it be egotistical to say that I’m amazed at the world I’m building, or amazed by its potential? This is only a first draft and there’s a lot of editing in the future, but I’m surprised by all the little ideas I’m coming up with. Each character’s history is slowly being pieced together. Characters are showing their personalities a little more. And the world feels a little more real (which is very good, considering that most of the story takes place in two real cities).

But this was supposed to be a 30K-word novel. At the rate I’m writing, this might turn into 50K words–which is the average length of an adult novel.

I’m not too concerned. After all, many novels for kids and young adults are 50K or longer. (Twilight and The Mysterious Benedict Society come to mind.)

I don’t think I’m writing too much filler. At least, I hope I’m not. Everything I’ve written so far has pertained to the plot or will come into play later on.

But my narrator is eleven-years-old, and most middle schoolers can be talkative.