Edit 2 underway

Looking better now

I’m thankful that what worried me when I read the text through the first time has largely been dealt with. It does seem convincing now and I believe the reader will develop an interest in and an empathy for main character Clara. The World War I scenes now work better though even in this second read through I’ve noticed some places that need developing a little more.  

What I’m noticing this time  

I’ve identified an extra chapter that needs to go in. This is partly pre-empted by a chapter I added as a result of the first edit. It needs a follow up so that it can completely make sense when we get back to the story as written earlier.  

This is, anyway, the “Does time work?” edit. So, it is to a large extent about balance and getting the timeline right.  

I have a slight perception that the transition from comfortable life to life under threat is somewhat abrupt, though I have actually dropped in plenty of clues. It may need to be a little more gradual and I might need to put in even more clues.  

Crossing over with The House on Schellberg Street

One thread of this story crosses over with The House on Schellberg Street. I’ve recently been working with my editor at Crooked Cat on that so I kept thinking that I’d already read that part. It’s interesting, though, considering a different view point.

Future thoughts

A third novel in this series, and I’m presuming this will be the final one, will take one of the background characters and tell the story from her point of view. This will be tricky: she is the one of BDM girls who spies on Hani. As I edit these two books, however, I’m getting quite a few ideas for this third volume.  

And will it actually be the final one? I’m tempted to tell Käthe’s story as well. I’m becoming rather fascinated by this era. I may even end up writing several other stories set in this epoch.