Rewrite, Reread, Relive
Half way through 2021 I started reading the Westbrooks: Broken Hearts series by Avery Maxwell, a new-to-me author who pulled me into her characters and community quickly and decisively. Her debut novel, Cross My Heart, was incredible. Easily one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. It was fast paced with solid character development, emotional depth, and a consistent storyline. As I continued my journey through her books, I was struck by her artistic growth from that first novel to her most recent one. Her writing became smoother, more streamlined. But I noticed a distinct difference between the first 2 books (Cross My Heart & Beat of My Heart) and the rest of the books Avery had written. And it all had to do with the language flow. There was a distinctly easier flow and tone beginning with Broken Hearts book 3: Saving His Heart. One weird thing I keyed in on: she used more contractions in her dialogue in the 3rd and 4th books. Seems like such a small thing, right? But it really does make a difference when you’re talking about flow and dialog authenticity. There’s a big difference in the way your brain reads “I do not know why that is so important,” and “I don’t know why that’s so important.” I mean, you heard that while you read it right?
By the time I finished reading all of Avery’s published books, I had developed a relationship with Avery and her Professional Assistant that gave me the courage to ask the question: What changed? Was it just a case of professional and artistic growth? Or was there more to it? Well, it was a bit of both. Avery was definitely becoming more proficient as a writer, but there was also another, more technical change: Avery changed editors between Beat of My Heart and Saving His Heart.
After writing her second novel in her second series (The Westbrooks: Family Ties), Avery took the opportunity to do some rewrites on her first two novels from the Broken Hearts series. That’s a really risky thing for an author to do. It takes away from time she could be spending writing her next novel. And she had to weigh the reasons for making that time commitment. Would it make a difference in her readership numbers? And if she couldn’t know what the outcome would be, could she justify taking the time to do it? How many of us have said we wish we could go back and get a redo on something in our lives. And would we really do it if we could? Avery decided to go for it, and for a very well-thought out and pertinent reason.
Because Avery changed editors between Broken Hearts books two and three, there is a distinct difference in the style and flow of those books. And since that series is now finished it’s much more likely to attract bingereaders looking for a completed series to latch onto. Would that change in style be offputting to those new readers? Would it affect reviews and recommendations? Plus, there’s also something to be said for recognizing personal growth and wanting to bring the first novels to the level of the most recent ones.
As an English teacher, I always counseled students to write and rewrite as often as they wanted, but at some point your piece has to be ready for publication. You have to let it go, put it out there, and then move forward. Is reworking a published novel a smack to the moving-on element? No, I don’t think so. There’s a difference between obsessing over something to the point of preventing it from being published, and recognizing your personal, professional, and artistic growth and wanting to bring something up to the next level based on the knowledge and experience you’ve gained on your journey.
After rereading the updated versions of Cross My Heart and Beat of My Heart, I’m going to say this was definitely a worthy endeavor, a risk worth taking, by Avery. The choppiness of the dialogue in books 1 and 2 is gone, and the enhanced flow is remarkable. The small edits definitely bring the writing more in line with the more recent books. I love that I was able to experience these separate yet intertwined elements of reading with Avery’s first two novels. In reading these two books before and after her rewrites/re-edits, I was able to relive the characters’ stories in a unique way. The stories themselves didn’t change, but the way the language wove through my mind did; and that did, in effect, change the way I perceived the characters and actually amped up the intensity of their narrative. New readers will experience that consistency without ever being the wiser. The reader experience is enhanced by the changes, and that will lead to better reviews, increased recommendations, and a more positive reader response overall. That consistency is also going to be absolutely key for readers who are heading back for a re-read, as they now have an expectation of a certain quality and level of writing from Avery.
I know rewriting is not for every author, or even every book in an author’s backlist. But the difference it makes when it’s done well elevates the author’s commitment to their craft and their audience. And that is one of the signs of a true professional who understands where their efforts are best placed so their readers receive the best possible experience along their shared journey. And isn’t the joy always in the journey?
