I’m honestly not sure what the next step here is. I’m not even entirely sure if there *will* be a next step.

What I do know is that for the first time in my 40+ years of fandom, I wrote a Star Wars story.

Here are the answers to some high-level questions:

How long is it? Just shy of 28,000 words, which would put it on the light side of what would be considered a novel.

What era does it take place in? Prequel, right around the time of The Phantom Menace.

Any recognizable characters? A couple, but only in minor appearances. It’s mostly all new characters, though in a familiar setting.

The thing is, I didn’t plan to do that. I didn’t plan to devote the last six months to working on a Star Wars novel or novella or whatever you want to call it. I was in the middle of making decent progress on a wholly original book but got sidetracked when I had an idea I just couldn’t shake.

But now it’s finished and…I kind of like it. It’s very much a first draft and needs not only a talented editor but also another pass by me. I have a hard time rereading my own fiction, so I’m not particularly looking forward to this process, but that doesn’t make it any less essential.

As I said, what happens next – after I at least take another trip through the story and tighten up or fix some issues I know are there – is still up in the air. All I know if that right now it’s finished. And that’s enough for the moment.