WRITING EVOLUTION
Posted on August 28, 2013
As I jumped back into working on Graham 3, I am struck by the changes in my writing in just the last year. It is obvious because I am reading Stomper Rex, a book that is now four years old, to my students and I am finding areas I want to fix. It still holds up as a strong novel, but there's a certain flowery aspect to the writing. In some sections, I was clearly caught up in trying too hard. Now, my writing feels more tempered with the philosophy of getting to the point and carving away all the bells and whistles to reveal a lean narrative machine. While the plotting is more layered, the execution is more plain speaking. It's almost as if I no longer feel the pressure to impress and have toned down the verbosity and overwrought description.
Which leaves me wondering if I should rework the book. Part of me thinks I should keep at creating new work and avoid tinkering with past pieces. Another wants to fix what's off. Maybe I should look at reworking one novel a year under my new critical eye. That would work well. I do know that Graham 1 is the first to get the makeover. I plan on redoing it in October so I can re-release it at the same time as Graham 3 debuts. I won't change the basic story, but I will rewrite awkward phrasing and add about three chapters to embellish the story with more history and character relevance.
Maybe Stomper will get its facelift in 2014. Only time will tell.