Let's chat about editing

When the story re-writes itself

A few months ago, I shared the prologue of a novel I’m currently editing. I had hoped to share more by now, but it’s not going well, which isn’t uncommon for authors. Editing is hard, and it often doesn’t go as smoothly as we’d like. Sometimes, you hit a snag that isn’t easily resolved.

First, a little background on the story. I wrote the first draft as part of National Novel Writing Month, a writing challenge with the goal of producing 50,000 words in 30 days. And I did. I wrote this story in just 30 days. While National Novel Writing Month no longer exists, I love the challenge so much that I still do it every year. For me, simply getting words on the page is the best motivation to write.

After finishing the rough draft, I forbid myself from reading it for at least 90 days. This is typical for me, because I tend to think everything I write is garbage. So I leave it alone long enough to forget much of it. Then I read it from beginning to end without making any edits, just reading. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought! Some parts were actually good.

However, I had always envisioned the story as Micah’s. It’s his story to tell. Somewhere along the way, though, he irritated me so much that I killed him off and promoted a secondary character, Delia, to the lead role. This created a lot of problems, so I ended up doing a complete rewrite to fix Micah’s character and restore him as the main protagonist.

Since then, I’ve done so many rounds of edits that I’ve lost count. I added a prologue, introduced side characters, and built out additional storylines—then removed them, added new ones, and reshaped the narrative again. The usual editing process. Eventually, when it felt finished, I put it away.

Only recently did I bring it out of hibernation to prepare it for querying. That’s when I discovered the problem.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the story. It’s good. Some parts are even great! In fact, it’s the first novel I’ve written that made me gag, which I consider a big accomplishment. The issue is that Micah is still the main character. While he’s much more compelling now than in earlier drafts, Delia is just as compelling, and it feels wrong to relegate her to a secondary role.

So I’ve spent several months trying to decide what to do. Should I rewrite the entire story and make her the protagonist? It would likely be more compelling and much more morally gray—something I love to explore. It could become an urban fantasy with a kick-ass, take-no-prisoners female lead. Who doesn’t love that?

Or should I tell a more nuanced story? Should I split the point of view and give both Micah and Delia their moments? This approach creates an interesting contrast between them: the gritty, no-nonsense veteran and the jumpy rookie who might drop out (or die) but who ultimately surprises everyone.

I think I’ve finally made my decision: I’m going to tell the story through a dual POV. I know this approach can frustrate some readers, and for good reason since it’s often overused or unnecessary. But for this story, it feels right. It gives me more creative freedom and allows me to explore both characters individually and together, which is far more interesting than focusing on just one.

So that’s what I’ve been working on and why I haven’t shared more since posting the prologue. It’s going to be a labor of love, but I believe it will result in a story I truly care about. And I hope you will too.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on some flash fiction that I hope to share soon. I may also share another novel, possibly one still in progress. We’ll see.

I can’t wait to share it all with you. I hope you’ll join me for the journey, whether as a free subscriber or by pledging support for a future subscription. I’m not sure when I’ll officially enable subscriptions (likely when I can commit to a more consistent posting schedule) but if you’re interested, you can pledge now to show your support.

Also, I really appreciate your likes and comments—they help more people discover my work.

Keep writing, keep reading. I’ll talk to you again soon.