Revisions, Revisions

I’m currently deep into the editorial revisions for Where Shadows Dance. My editor's comments and suggestions for this book are, as always, incredibly insightful and helpful. This rewrite is more extensive then usual, due largely I suspect to what was happening in my life while I was trying to write this book. I’m happy with the way things are going so far, but it’s taking a long time because there’s a lot involved.

To give you some insight into my creative process, I thought you might find this view of my scribbled-over manuscript interesting.



This particular spillage of ink (the different colors mean nothing except that every time I picked up the scene I seemed to have a different pen in my hand) was provoked by two short lines written by my editor at the end of the chapter: “Is Hero really so cool or is she hiding her attraction here? I feel a need for more personal tension between them in this scene.”

In order to satisfy that simple comment, I’ve torn the scene apart and switched the POV so that we now see the scene through Hero’s eyes rather than Sebastian’s. It’s an approach that has worked well, I think. And it’s always an interesting exercise to rewrite a scene from a different character’s point of view.

I’m probably going to be at this for several more weeks, which is frustrating because I’m itching to get started working on the next Sebastian novel, which will be number seven. I’ve never understood writers who say they’re sorry to see a book end. I’m always more than ready to move on the next story.