Second verse NOT the same as the first

In an effort to actually do something with my novels and not be stalemated by my first one, I decided to edit the second manuscript.  I thought that even if it was as difficult as the first one, the change of story would be good for me; I’d find more errors.  Well, it turns out I was right but not in the way I originally thought.  I actually had an easier time going through my second novel looking for errors!

Despite the fact that I have two characters whose point of view I didn’t touch in the first novel, they were characters that did exist.  I understood them better by being in their minds, which I believe made the editing easier.  Plus the one character whose mind we spent a great deal of time in before who is also in this one, I know her much better too so I can see where she wouldn’t think or do certain things.

This has also nudged me in the direction of adding one of the “new” characters to my first novel.  I know the character’s mind and could but am not sure how much it would change the dynamics of the novel yet.  I’m still toying with that though.  I even discovered that something I stumbled over in the first novel I had named in the second.  Completely forgot I did that and was thinking as I worked through the manuscript I was going to have to pin the titles down.

After that initial read-through and minor editing, I reprinted the novel and color-coded each chapter for the different POVs.  I need to make sure my timing is right because I found one glaring mistake the first time around.  Plus, I want to make sure the characters are true to their own voices.

No matter what I decide with the characters and how much I change this novel, I know that waiting to go back to the first is the right move so I can see it with, not fresh eyes, but eyes that know what should be going on in the next novel.