Last night I had a lightbulb moment that went something like this.

Brain: So why did the Crone show up outside the cave?

Me: *groans and tries to go back to sleep*
Brain: Why did that warrior decide to help them?

Me: …. Oh damn it. You want this simple novella to become a freaking novel, don’t you?

So that’s how estimated wordcount of The Cauldron Bound, my straightforward novella, grew to almost twice its current length (21 000 + 2 new POVs= 35-40 000 words).  Bear in mind that this is an estimated wordcount for  the pre-beta draft.  My beta readers will point out a lot of things that will lead to a longer draft. As will the editor.  So I have a strong feeling that  the final wordcount will be at least 40 000 words.

But first I need to write the synopsis and figure out all the new plot threads and how they affect the existing ones. ( I can already tell that the story will be much better.) So I will be a bit busy for the next month or two.