Jan 19, 2026
Have you ever taken something that you worked on very early in your writing journey and made it into a complete work later? Or do you plan to?
I didn’t come up with this prompt, but I feel as if it was written for me. (Thanks, K. Williams!)
If you follow me, you know The Rimer File, the first book in the Edwards Investigations, is a reworking of a book I wrote over a decade ago. (and never published.) That was back when I was trying to write romances. It was a good story, but not good enough, and I knew it. The language was stiff; the plot needed work, and most of the characters were not well-developed. The time frame was vague and dated without being historical.
I made several stabs at fixing it over the years. After each attempt, I put it aside, not satisfied. Finally, after I finished writing the Harmony Duprie series, I considered tackling it again. But I sat on it, letting it brew in my brain.
Then I realized enough real-time had passed that I could place the story in a semi-historical time frame. Time that I’d actually lived through, giving me inside information. Once that was settled, I knew I couldn’t place the original story in that period.
So now, I consider the original story as inspiration, and the new book is a tribute, not a revision, to that story.
The plot is different, and romance is a secondary part of the story, rather than a primary focus. The book is darker than anything I’ve written, but it’s true to the times.
The names of my two main characters remain the same, and a few other details carried over, but most of the story is new. Instead of being totally from my imagination, I researched to include historical places and events.
The 80s. Pittsburgh, PA. A man’s world. All Annie McGregor wanted was to nail a cheating husband and prove herself worthy of being more than a glorified bookkeeper. What she found when she opened the back door of the bar-of-the-night was so much more than she bargained for. A mutilated body that bore an eerie resemblance to her ex, and a stint in handcuffs.
I have one other story from my learning stage, back before I became published, that I still think about. Yes, it is a romance, so it would be a challenge. but I’m not ready to tackle it because I have other stories I want to finish first.
How about our other authors? Do any of their old works have a future? Find out by checking out their posts with the links below.
And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.
Goal update. I broke 30,000 words and have changed the title again. This one fits and I’m happier with it. (but I’m not sure about the last 500 words. I have to think about it.)
Jan 19, 2026
Have you ever taken something that you worked on very early in your writing journey and made it into a complete work later? Or do you plan to?
