rowyn

Actually, I've got some advice on this point... just write it. Don't worry about how long or short it should be. Don't look at a deadline. That's the best thing about not being published yet -- nobody breathing down our necks saying this needs to be done yesterday. Take your time with it and let the story tell itself. You will most likely have to cut stuff. A lot. I did. King did. Everyone does. So you're in a good place. Either that, or when you start work on the second draft, rework it into two or three novels. The advantage you have there is you'll already have the whole story written, so you don't have to struggle with flow and endings. You can look at the story as a whole and see where the natural break points are. You don't have a monster on your hands, you have options. ;)

As I always say, "That's what editing's for."