Revisions Proceeding in Killer Eyes

The sequel to Killer of Killers, which I call Killer Eyes, is proceeding at a pretty good pace. Even though I wrote this book four years ago, I hadn't had time to revise it, since I wrote John Dunn, Heart of a Zulu the following summer, and then the two summers after that I was busy with the editorial phase for my first two books that were being published.

But now that Killer of Killers and The Vase are published, it's time to get Killer Eyes done, and as I've posted about many times, the revision phase is one of the most important phases of writing. Sure you can argue that writing the first draft is the single most important part, since it's the creation of the work, and it's got to be true, but the work in that form is a rough draft. Not virtually, but quite literally. The writing is rough. Unpolished. You smooth out the work in the revision stage. You make it better, you get it to the point where you would want people to read it.

But more than that, I've found, that even the plot and story line get vastly improved. Subplots get added, even new characters get added. Sometimes even the story line is altered. And of course, all for the better. In Killer Eyes right now, I'm thinking I might have to change a subplot's main character to another character altogether. Can't really explain it on this post without being a spoiler, but it's just an example that the revision stage is about more than just improving the prose.

But all in all, the revision stage is going well. One of the things I set out on for Killer Eyes in the revisions stage was applying all that I learned from Penumbra. That would be my full understanding of how to write in 3rd person limited POV. I went back and did that with Killer of Killers. And I'm also applying the other writing guidelines I took home from my Penumbra experience. Once I'm finished with that, I'll re-read it at least once or twice more before submitting it to Melange. They already know about it. It's going to get published, and once it is, then on to John Dunn.