Walking Away
Sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away.
This week, I finished the working draft of Heart of the Storm, the final book in my Before the Order trilogy. Have I mentioned that I’m reworking Prelude to a Storm?
Let me back up a little bit.
When I first released Prelude to a Storm years ago, it was a prequel to the Order of the Anakim Series that focused on the main character’s parents and how they met back in 1984. Prelude to a Storm was super short — only two chapters. And I was satisfied with it for a very long time.
However, my bff for years has told me I needed to expand the story, that she wanted to know more, that the story deserved it.
Well, I’m stubborn. So, I didn’t do anything with her advice for years. (Did I mention that my bff is also an extremely talented author? She knows her stuff and I love her writing! Here’s her link — Nancy Brooks. Look her up! You’ll love her too.)
Why didn’t I listen? I don’t know… there’s not really a good answer, other than I didn’t feel the work calling. Plus, I was stuck-in-a-rut and suffered with serious writer’s block for years (years!) and I couldn’t touch the story, even if her little voice egged me to do it.
When the writer’s block finally lifted, I saw Prelude to a Storm differently. And she was right! (Of course. Always.) And the story did deserve more telling. So, fast forward to where we are today. Prelude to a Storm, my little two-chapter book has become a trilogy called Before the Order. It’s mostly new material with the bones of the original book as the foundation.
Here’s the Before the Order trilogy line up:
- Prelude to a Storm (yes, it still starts here)
- Into the Storm
- Heart of the Storm
At this point, Heart of the Storm is finished, but I should probably clarify what I mean by “finished.” The story is there. The characters reached the ending. The major pieces are finally in place.
But the manuscript isn’t polished yet. None of them are. There are awkward sentences to smooth out, details to strengthen, and probably a few places where I will wonder what I was thinking when I wrote them. That is all part of the process.
For now, though, I’m stepping away.
When I’m deeply involved in a story, I become too close to it. I know what every scene is supposed to mean, so my mind sometimes fills in things that may not actually be clear on the page. I remember the emotions behind a moment even when the words haven’t fully captured them.
Distance helps me see the story that I actually wrote — not simply the story I intended to write.
So I’m giving all the manuscripts a little breathing room before beginning the second pass.
It can feel strange to stop working when there is still so much left to do. We’re often taught that progress means constantly pushing forward. But creative work has its own rhythm. Sometimes progress looks like adding words. Sometimes it looks like revising them.
And sometimes it means closing the document and leaving it alone.
During this break, I’ll turn my attention to some of the other creative projects under 12 Angels Publishing. Then, when I return to the trilogy, I hope to come back with clearer eyes — and maybe a little more patience for the author who wrote the first draft.
She was doing her best to find the heart of the story. Now the next version of me gets to make it stronger.
Have you ever stepped away from a project and discovered something new when you returned?
Side note — because the original Prelude to a Storm changed so much, I will now have to update the Order of the Anakim series. It’s a great big domino effect. But, it’s all for the better.
