The Work of Rewrites and Edits

It's Monday. Aside from my usual Facebooking rituals on the computer, I'm working on rereading my progress on The Council and making edits and rewrites. On my first book, I found it very difficult to go back and change things, but this time it seems much easier. I have a couple of thoughts on just why that may be.

First of all, I've done this all before and; therefore, it must get easier with practice. I've already written, edited, and performed rewrites on Awakening of a Guardian and, according to my readers, got it right. That builds confidence in the process and makes me feel more capable of doing a good job the second time around, instinctively knowing what needs to be rewritten and reworked.

Secondly, due to all the hospitalizations, surgeries, and doctor's visits, I've been away from my writing for a few months and had time to think things through. Don't think that just because I wasn't writing that I wasn't getting any work done. It was all being worked out in my head over and over until I was pretty sure I'd be ready to work on it and delve into some serious rewrites this time. The time away from writing gave me better perspective. Or so I think. I suppose we'll see how the finished product is received by my readers.

Lastly, this book is delving further into Elyssia's world, and the story gets much deeper into the fantasy part of the story. There is so much more I can do with the story and over time I think of better ways to do it. It just takes time to work out the details of a fantasy world and all its rules and mythology. There is much more to this second book than there was with the first book. The first book just laid the groundwork for the world we would later uncover further in the series.

Overall, I suppose it should come as no surprise that this book is taking more time to work on. Not only have I had major interruptions to the writing process due to health issues with myself and my family, but there is much more to this second book. In the end, I hope to have a book I can be proud of and my readers are enthralled with!

The music of the moment is from my iTunes "Writing" playlist. Currently playing is "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. Now, I am not usually much of a country music listener, but this song has been playing on the pop music stations that I listen to and really caught my attention. I liked it well enough to want to buy it and download it on iTunes and aside from Taylor Swift (who I think is half pop, half country) there are really no country songs in my playlists so Lady Antebellum has to be good to get me on board. I just love the song and the lyrics to it. If you haven't heard it, take the time to look it up online and take a listen!