There is a strange calm that descends on a writer when the latest book is on its way to the publisher. For a few weeks the voices that have echoed around your head are silent – or at least somewhat muted. Plot twists are resolved, surprises no longer lurk around the corner and all is at peace. Of course, it rarely lasts long. There follows a time of conflicting demands. If, like me, you find yourself writing a series of linked novels, the characters can become very strong and some (Ada springs to mind) rather demanding. There is always the next story to tell and the urge to get on with it, to start over and launch into a whole new adventure, grows with every passing day but the finished book – isn’t.
Once it arrives at the publishers it goes in front of The Editor. Yes, the capitals are intentional. The Editor then casts their professional eye over your last year’s work and begins work. Out comes the red pencil (or, in these days of hi-tech miracles, the red font) and every error, any awkward sentence or missed plot point is laid bare. Of course, part of the author’s initial writing process is revising, editing and correcting. Even before it gets to The Editor the manuscript should have been re-read and polished over and over but there’s always something and The Editor will find it – that’s their job.
Then it comes back and suddenly you are thrust into a book you probably feel is behind you. This is much harder if you’re already planning out and researching the next episode in the series. The story moves on and it is difficult to revisit the last book once you’ve begun another so there is a question mark hanging over those weeks or months – wait and be ready to do your best for the current book or start over and begin the next?
After wrestling with this for a few years I decided to tackle two problems at the same time. Books in a series tend to get bigger and more complex as the number of books grows. There are all sorts of reasons for this and I’ll look at this in another post but in some genres, and I feel crime is one, the plot needs an immediacy that can be lost in too many conflicting issues and stories. I decided to take out these “back stories” and write them as shorter character tales. They are still crime stories, just short crime stories, the events and people underpinning the whole series. So now whilst I am waiting for the verdict on a book I can turn to a familiar friend and write their tale. It’s less distracting, it satisfies the need to keep writing and it stops me chewing the telephone in frustration as I wait for that call.