I have the basic concept of Elaine’s next adventure worked out in my head (i.e. that thing she confesses to Hayden at the end of Little Miss Communication that the reader isn’t privy to), but when I went to execute said adventure, it fell flat. Not that the actual fantasy is at fault, but I think I tried to force it a bit too much. So it’s back to the drawing board with El and Hayden.

This kind of speaks to the difficulty of the sequel. If the story stood on its own, then it would have worked. But since I’m dealing with characters that already have their (recent) pasts written, there’s a bit more care needed. The expectations aren’t just for the reader or the writer. The characters themselves expect to be treated with respect.