I Rewrote An Entire Book After Publishing: Here’s Why
When I finished my first novel and published through Barnes & Noble online, it was everything I had ever dreamed of and so much more. The 10 month process transformed me from nerdy story enthusiast to published author. But I wasn’t done yet. Over the course of the next three years I crafted the other two books in what eventually became the Tiding Bearer Trilogy. But just before I released the complete series, I decided to take a peek at the one that started it all. I knew my skill had grown, my instincts sharpened, and my style developed, so I figured the original first book would need a bit of a facelift…
What it actually needed was reconstructive surgery.
Don’t misunderstand me; the concept and plot, and some of the dialogue and characters were decent. After all, the story still managed to touch the hearts of those who read that first edition (you know who you are <3). But I realized that for those good elements to meet their maximum potential, the entire 104k-word manuscript needed to be rewritten.
The biggest problems besides a hundred little technical errors (excessive passive voice, “telling not showing,” etc.) were: pace, character portrayal, and consistency with the rest of the series. So let’s get into it.
Pace
My grandma—arguably the coolest lady I know—coined one of my favorite phrases: “wander aimlessly.” And although it’s great for grocery aisles or thrift store racks, the phrase should never apply to action adventure fantasy books. When I started Gift I had a vague idea of how I wanted to get from point A to point B, but much of my writing process involved meandering through scenes trying to twist events to lead in the direction I wanted them to go. I didn’t know any other way to write at the time, and it was a necessary part of overcoming my tenancy to be stricken with “paralysis by analysis,” but it was also quite limiting. If I wrote a conversation between two characters that ended with them making a plot-relevant choice, any edits I made to the dialogue could break down my whole arc.
But when I revisited the story with another two 100k-word books under my belt, I felt ready to tackle the pacing of book one. Armed with sharper instincts and a firmer grasp of scene structure, I set a goal to cut 10,000 words from the book.
Before I made any changes, I reverse-outlined the story.
I read through the completed manuscript and wrote outlines for each chapter in its original form, then I made notes and brainstormed solutions to the problems I identified.
I found several chapters where my aimless wandering added hundreds of words that made no real impact on the plot. I cut the ineffective scenes and combined others, going from 36 chapters in the original to 32 in the revision. I also put my increased action scene skills to work, speeding up the fights, heightening the sense of danger, and restructuring the sentences for maximum punch! If the original plot moved like an 80-year-old woman through a crowded Publix grocery store, the revised plot sprints like a fantasy protagonist running for his life.
That being said, I didn’t reach my goal. I went from 104k words to 98k—a difference of only 6k words. But where I cut feeble scenes, I added stronger ones that deepened the world building, added complexity to the character arcs, and fleshed out the lore and foreshadowing fro the rest of the series.
Character Portrayal
When I started writing book two in the Tiding Bearer Trilogy, which focuses on wealthy coastal heiress Mavis as its main character, I was at a loss for how to write her. I’d never connected strongly with her during book one, and now I had to get inside her head in a totally new way. But during the process of writing Song, we bonded, and suddenly she was my new favorite character (don’t tell Doran!). So imagine my dismay when I returned to the original Gift manuscript and found her… incredibly annoying. * sweats *
Entitled, self-absorbed, stubborn… There wasn’t a lot that made me want to root for her. But characters certainly don’t have to be flawless to be lovable, and Mavis deserved to be seen as the capable and intelligent young lady she is. Since I had a better grasp on nuance and characterization going into the revisions, I was able to bring out the traits I’d discovered I love best about her: her curiosity, her creativity, and (my personal favorite) her compassion.
The rewrite’s increased emphasis on Doran’s anxiety symptoms provided the perfect opportunity to showcase Mavis’s ability to be sensitive and thoughtful. Throughout the story, her ability to recognize his panic attacks and ground him when he starts to lose his grip on reality is one of my favorite parts of their friendship.
Gift of the Tiding Bearer, p.115
Consistency with the Series
I set out to write a stand-alone medieval fantasy quest—not a full trilogy. And as is bound to happen with any book series that was not originally planned to be a book series, the Tiding Bearer Trilogy took on elements of lore and history more complex and far-reaching than I ever imagined—especially in regards to the villain plot. I could never have imagined what malicious and far-reaching schemes he had in store for the tiding bearers and the land of Tenebra when I confidently stamped “The End”on book one.
In the revision I wove foreshadowing and fantasy history through the plot and characters, and beefed up the lore surrounding my soft magic system. Although many of the mysteries surrounding the Giver’s gifts don’t get answered until book 2, at least they have proper set up now.
By removing the distractions of poor grammar and sentence structure, deepening the plot and characters, and spicing up the dialogue and action, I was able to turn Gift of the Tiding Bearer into the story I had wanted it to be all along. It was so satisfying to finally see my skills match my imagination. Whether you’re just getting started as a writer, or have been writing for years, don’t lose sight of the joy of growth. I never imagined I’d be able to produce the stories I’ve written, and yet, by God’s grace and God’s grace alone—I’ve created something I’m truly proud of.
Until next time, stay kind, curious, and courageous. <3 <3 <3