Doing the Evolution

Pearl Jam’s Doing the Evolution seems like a fitting way to summarize my week. I received preliminary feedback from my editor on the story The Killer Trail. It came in the form of an evaluation of the manuscript as a whole, as well as a thorough editing of the first four chapters, with additional editing to come on the remaining chapters.

Given the fact that this is the first time I have gone through this process with an editor, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Not surprisingly a natural consequence was a fair amount of anxiety. Or in writing terms, tension!

Up until this point, I had focussed primarily on my first story. Although I had a rough outline for the second story, I made a conscious decision not to delve too deeply into it until I had a sense that my first one was on the right track. The feedback I received this week confirmed what I had suspected and hoped, that while I still have room to further refine areas in my manuscript, I am on target.

As I reviewed the evaluation and the constructive feedback therein, I was inspired to develop new scenes for the second story in the series. Tentatively titled Revenge and Redemption, it picks up three months after The Killer Trail ends. It was a thrilling experience to allow the creative juices to flow again, bringing the characters back to life, and carrying the momentum of the story arc towards its conclusion. I am at the early stages of this second story, but it’s a great feeling seeing it start to come together.

The experience with my editor got me thinking about my school years, which is not surprising given the news that the province’s teachers are posed to strike next week. My objective here is not to weigh in on who’s right and who’s wrong about the strike action-it’s a lot more complicated than that. My point rather, is that there’s no denying the lasting impact a good teacher can have on a student. When I think back on my education, the teachers who come to mind are the ones who pushed me to work harder, those who provided solid constructive feedback. That got me thinking specifically about Mrs. Campbell, who, all those years ago, told me I had an interesting way of telling a story and encouraged me to keep it going.

All in all, it’s been an exciting week in terms of the evolution of the Fighting Darkness series.

P.S. Mrs. Campbell, where ever you are…Thank you!