I am rewriting a novel I first wrote a while ago. Sometimes it is just wise to 'trunk' those beginner novels where in truth we are just learning the craft, but i re-read it, and quite honestly I was fascinated. Fascinated by the bones of it. I can see the flaws and the naivete in some cases, but, oh, those bones don't deserve to be buried in a trunk.
It is a soft sci fi story about genetic manipulation and how it affects those it was done to. But, as always in my stories, it is more about the characters. Who they are, why they do what they do and how they change over the course of the novel, especially when thrown into incredibly taut situations.
I finished the first novel I rewrote, "Lines of Betrayal" a fantasy novel whose core is about crystal use. That was my first learning curve, to take it apart and put it back together. I am still awaiting beta readers opinions of that. I know it is very close to publishable but might still need some final tweaks.
But in doing that 'exercise' if you like, it taught me a lot, which I hope to use in "Rivers of Time". It also gave me a bit more confidence in my abilities. I know I can damned well write. I know I have the kind of vivid imagination that suits both fantasy and some science fiction. It was that ability to get it in the right order, make it accessible to readers, which was hard. That perfection we all strive for. I had a long, hard think about why I write earlier. Was it purely a selfish pursuit, or was it to share. And honestly, I want people to enjoy what I write. Not for accolades, but to share and to recognise a bit of themselves in the characters. To resonate with their actions and thoughts. So I will keep on and see where this story takes me.
Feel free to comment and tell me what you are doing right now.