Plot-wise the first draft is complete. My four POV (point of view) characters all have a beginning, a middle and an end, completing the arcs I had planned out for them in the first book of my series. There’s a climax that wraps up things neatly and hints what’s to come in the second book.

However, as I read it through, I felt there were things missing. Things I want the reader to have learned about from reading the first book. Currently I think I have a tight plot for the first book, but I want to introduce other elements of the main story that isn’t there right now, to give the reader the same feeling of wonder as I mentioned above. Things that will play a bigger part in later books, but that can build an interest from the start. I want to give the readers a glimpse of what’s to come and establish the other conflicts that exists in the world. To do this I have decided to add another POV character, and also add some additional scenes in the book, both for foreshadowing purposes but also for more depth in the story. This will roughly bring the word-count up to around 140 000, which is still kinda decent for an epic fantasy, I think.

To give a few examples of what I mean, let’s look at A Game of Thrones, the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire.

The prologue for instance, is one of my all-time favorites in the genre.
It promises the reader that there are unnatural threats in the world George R.R. Martin has created, but as you read on, you understand that’s not the focus of the first book; the threats are just there, building and building, creating a sense of tension.

In A Song of Fire and Ice we also have Jon Snow who is a POV character dedicated to give the reader an understanding of what goes on beyond the Wall. He is not a part of the main plot which focuses on King’s Landing and the Iron Throne, but as a reader you begin to understand that the real threat to Westeros are the Others who are about to make their move against all of mankind. This is something we can only learn about when we follow Jon’s story, making this POV vital.

Then we have Daenerys Targaryen who is on a different continent, letting the reader follow her personal growth into a powerful contender for the Iron Throne. You anticipate that when the time is right, she’s going to release mayhem on Westeros and claim what is hers.

These examples above are just taken from the top of my head, and something to highlight  what I love about the epic fantasy genre. The scale of the world, the vast cast of characters and the world-altering events that will take place.