Well the story is 'finished,' and now I'm working on filling it out a bit. I was happy that I came in not too far under a decent word count, since it is far easier to add than remove; but at the same time there is always the question of where to add more, and of what information. What is going to move the story along, or just be extraneous, albeit sometimes interesting, information? Especially in a fantasy novel, where not even the sky is the limit for what a person can create.
As a first novel I have to find the balance between a good story, good word count, and not going overboard on either. If you look at bookshelves in bookstores, you don't see too many first-time novels with the length of Terry Goodkind's or George R. R. Martin's. They are the exception, not the rule. Most of the series I've read have first novels that sit pretty between 63 and 70k words. Those series get larger over time as the author becomes more famous, and the publishers are willing to spend more on them.
The finish line is within reach, and hopefully I'll be querying a few agents this month!
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