While I'm re-editing Killer of Killers, I'm still amazed with that story line. Here I am rereading it, for like the millionth time, and I'm getting a kick out of it still. It remains my favorite book/story of all time. Yeah, The Vase is close, but still, for me, Killer of Killers takes the cake. One of the main things I've been focusing on in this round of edits is the whole issue of POV, more specifically third person limited. I've always hated first person POV. Second person is cool, but not for that story. And when I wrote it, I thought I was using third person omniscient, but since then, starting with the editors at Melange, I've learned that in today's fiction writing, third person omniscient is not vogue. In fact, it's taboo. Don't do it. What's in vogue is third person limited.
And when Melange told me that, they seemed to be focused on the main character. And being new to the concept, I didn't connect the dots, and use the same guidelines for the secondary and/or supporting characters. It wasn't until the editors at Penumbra got a hold of The Vase did I finally get my brain wrapped around that concept. All characters need the same standards of POV so as to be consistent with the third person limited POV. They drilled it into me, and now I've finally got it.
So now that I'm thoroughly satisfied with The Vase, (providing Penumbra implements all of my final edits,) I can go back to KOK and make the same kind of edits. And there are plenty of places to do it. Another example is establishing the POV character in each scene. You don't want to wait beyond the first paragraph to do that. It's very important, and now that I finally get it, I'm making everything work in that book. Just as they do in The Vase. And you know what? It's fun. I think the editing stage is the most enjoyable phase of writing. The most relaxing, too.
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