Last week, I came very close to finishing Vanguard #14. In fact, I was less than a thousand words from the finish line. I’m already behind schedule on completion of season three, thanks in part to some unexpected computer repairs.

But still, I realized what the problem was. It wasn’t the stress of trying to meet the deadlines that was causing me to struggle. Instead, the problem was that the story just wasn’t right. At least not in the way I was telling it.

Originally, when I was mapping out the third season, episodes #11-13 and #15 came very easily. But #14 felt like empty space. I needed another episode to get to the usual standard of five episodes per season, I just couldn’t find out what the problem was.

And then I realized—the problem was I kept thinking that the finale would be a typical finale, so it would be able to fit into a single episode.

Now I know how wrong I was. The season three finale will be a massive turning point for the series. And once I saw that, I realized that it’s actually supposed to be a two-part episode.

So over the weekend, I went over what I had already written. I found out that about a quarter of what I’d written could be salvaged and used in the new episode. And then I remapped the episode and started writing it all over today.

And to my surprise, it works so much better. The previous draft felt more like filler than an actual episode. This now feels like it fits in so much better. Sometimes you have to take stock of what you’re doing and even if it means more work or missing deadlines, do what’s best for the story.

I have a lot more time on my hands this month, so the hope is I can double my daily word count goals. If all goes well, I’ll still be able to get Vanguard Season Three on schedule for release beginning in the middle of March.

And in case you’re wondering about The Complete Second Season? Check back next week.