In the midst of editing book 2 in the Chronicles of the Heart Series, I have come to realize all of the mistakes I made with book 1, Capturing a Countess’ Heart.
Even though book 1 received much constructive criticism from beta readers, contest judges and editors, and I edited it over and over again with said feedback…I could go back to it today with all of the new wisdom I’ve gained from writing and editing book 2, re-edit it and re-publish it. In fact, I’m contemplating doing just that and calling it a second edition. That’s the perfectionist in me. Hard. To. Let. Go. Of. Past. Mistakes.
The other part of me is immensely proud of my first published work because all of it was accomplished while being a working mom…no small feat. I’m proud because I learned so much during that journey and I wish to honour it by leaving well enough alone and just applying my deeper insights to book 2.
The learning curve included something as simple as selecting character names to how to craft descriptions of setting. I’m having so much fun making use of literary devices to enrich my writing and to improve how the characters jump off the page. That’s not to say I didn’t take this into account in book 1…but with book 2, it just feels like I’m going deeper…challenging myself more.
In Capturing a Countess’ Heart the best friends to lovers trope gave me something to work with. In The Earl Who Won My Heart (book 2), the healing of a wounded marriage isn’t something many historical romances deal with, so I am challenged to show both the state of the marriage at the beginning of the novel (not very good) while keeping both protagonists likeable for the rest of their story.
Each draft brings with it more learning about using words to convey meaning. It’s one of the reasons I love writing so much…something can always be said better, given more meaning and made more impactful for the reader. Writing book 2 has shown me my strengths, my weaknesses and how I can improve both. It has also taught me that the art of writing is definitely one of continuous learning.
Caryn Emme 