{"id":18950,"date":"2025-02-04T20:46:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T03:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=18950"},"modified":"2025-02-04T20:49:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T03:49:02","slug":"revisiting-an-old-manuscript-iwsg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=18950","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting An Old Manuscript #IWSG"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Insecure Writer\u2019s Support Group (IWSG) is enjoying its monthly blog-fest invented by Alex J. Cavanaugh. IWSG is a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds.<\/p>\n

The awesome co-hosts for our February 5th posting of the IWSG are: Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!<\/p>\n

QUESTION:<\/strong>\u00a0Is there a story or book you\u2019ve written you want to\/wish you could go back and change?<\/h3>\n

I’ve done this!<\/h4>\n

The first draft of The Edwards Investigations was written over a decade ago. Back then, it was called The Edwards Agency. I knew it held promise, but it just wasn’t there. I attempted several times to revise it, and I even started a second book, but I never made a commitment to the changes.<\/p>\n

And I knew what the problem was. The book was ‘dated’ but wasn’t old enough to be historical. It just felt like it was something I’d pulled out of a box and presented to the world.<\/p>\n

But it bugged me. I’d fallen in love with the characters, and didn’t want to abandon them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0So, I started over.<\/h4>\n

First thing I did was to pinpoint what years I wanted the book to be set in. That helped define the settings. I didn’t even open the old manuscript, except to verify the main characters’ names. But I didn’t need to. The story had taken up a permanent residence in the archives of my brain. And stayed there. It became no more than a background for the new plot.<\/p>\n

Still, it took me over a year to complete the new and improved product. (Partly due to personal issues I won’t go into here.) But when I finished it, it came with a sense of accomplishment. I’d finally done justice to the original premise without replicating it.<\/p>\n

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Now, I’m working on a second book in the series. It’s slow going, but it’s going to take time to weave together the threads I envision.<\/p>\n

That’s it for me. Hope you’ll check out some of the other authors who are part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group<\/p>\n

And as always, please stay safe until the next time.<\/p>\n