Over the last month or so, I have been promoting the books I published some time ago. Having done this, I have reread them, and it’s been interesting to see how I wrote them and remember what triggered the initial ideas for the story. A bumpy ride on a small ferry over to an off-shore island, an imagined family of cousins – thinking of my own family and also the observed dynamics of a favourite band, a man with a fierce look, a stunted tree growing out of a cliff-face and a very close but platonic relationship, these have all been the seeds from which my books have sprouted.
One of the first novels I wrote wasn’t the first I published, and for some reason I haven’t reread it for a very long time – probably not since I sent it out into the world. However, I often think about or mention it, especially when I’m talking or writing about where my ideas come from. It’s an example of how a tiny inspiration can unravel into a novel. (Does that make sense? 😀 ) My novel ‘Flipside’ was published in 2013 as an e-book, and as a paperback in 2020. When I re-issued it as a hold in your hand book, I checked it through for errors, but I changed nothing else – I was a different person when I wrote it and felt the original should stand.
I’ve just reread it properly, probably for the first time in ten years. Why did it take me so long? I’m not sure but over the last couple of days I’ve been reading it, and I’m quite surprised by it. The novel starts with a nightmare, but the main characters have fallen for each other from the beginning, so there’s no shilly-shallying does she/he doesn’t she/he. It’s bam! love as their eyes meet across a pint of beer! The story is about a series of gruesome murders, suspicion and trust, secrets and lies.
So on rereading, what did I think of it? Well it’s quite gripping, and I was unexpectedly pleased with it, quite proud of this early novel. There are several unexpected things the two main characters discover about their own histories, and they have to face some pretty tough truths about their different pasts.
I have decided to do something I’ve not done before, to re-edit this book. There are a couple of repeated errors – I think I must have pressed find and delete rather than find and replace a couple of times, I seem to have had a favourite word which I have used far too often, and finally – literally finally, there is something about the end I must change.
My heading today says it all – ‘And again Isabel is right!‘ I have a good friend Isabel who has very kindly read some of my books before I published them, and made some really helpful suggestions, as well as pointing out typos and errors. She also makes helpful comments and she is always right. When Isabel read ‘Flipside’, she made a very considered observation about an important part of the book, the ending. It wasn’t the content of those last paragraphs where a secret was revealed, it was a suggestion about how I’d written it. Today I thought again about what she said, and I thought about it very carefully. I realise that I should have acted on it; you know in cartoons when a character has a thought bubble above their head of a light bulb illuminating – that is what I had.
Isabel was right, she is right, and I am going back to the book, correct the things I’d noticed, and restructure the conclusion. Thank you, Isabel.
Lois Elsden 
Dear Lois
besides books for the general public I wrote scientific books as well. I tried to reread a book about structuralist literature theory I wrote about 50 years ago. I have to admit I had problems understanding it. My first shock was that I lost my intellectual capacity with age. On the other hand I lived in the intellectual surroundings of an ivy league university. When I quit my university career I started to write as a full-time job and the editors of my first books made me change my style. I have never read one of these books again except for interview when I had to look what I had written. But usually I don’t read again a published book of mine.
Wishing you all the best
Klausbernd 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Klausbernd! How interesting, was it a struggle to change your style, or was it stimulating and interesting? My dad was also a scientist, he worked at the Low Temperature Research Station in Cambridge, and then it was split into the Food Research Institute in Norwich and Meat Research here in Somerset – which is why we moved from east to west! My uncle, Sidney Elsden became director of the Norwich place and he lived there for the rest of his life. I was never scientifically inclined, but always interested in the ideas.
The nearby hill has disappeared into a rain cloud and it’s teeming down – I hope there is lovely sunshine and a pleasant day with you all! Best western wishes, Lois
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Lois
My first editor visited me at home for a fortnight. It were the times when the big publishers payed for such expenses. She taught me every day for 8 hours how to write a book for the international markets. It was quite a struggle to change my style. We started with copying styles of other authors and I slowly found my own style. Afterwards she introduced me to one of the leading authors in my field.
I wrote my first five or more books for this publisher and then I was ‘head hunted’ by a huge publisher and had to change my style again, not much but significant. Actually, I don’t write books any longer except last year my editor talked me into writing another book. There I didn’t care about the now modern style, it was the job of my editor to change what I didn’t mind at all.
I always was very much interested in science, especially mathematics and physics and I wrote a book about structuralist theory of literature.
It’s amazing that you didn’t become a scientist with your background.
So you have quite a connection to Norwich. It’s a beautiful city, isn’t it? It’s the nearest city from Cley-next-the-Sea where I live.
Have a happy weekend
Klausbernd 🙂
LikeLike