My Ritual for Returning to the Haven Chronicles
I’m at that same stage I’ve experienced with each of the novels in my YA fantasy series. My publisher has come back to me with feedback and it’s time to dive into edits and restructuring. I’ve developed a way of returning to each instalment that has served me well so far. It’s a routine that prepares me to polish one novel while getting me ready to start on the next.
This is my ‘ritual’ for returning to the world of the Haven Chronicles.
Read it all over again
With several months passed since I typed ‘The End’ on the initial draft of book four, my first step is to re-read the entire manuscript. That re-read helps me:
- remember what I actually wrote! It’s been a while since I finished book four, you know.
- check publisher feedback against the story.
- get a feel for the world of the Haven Chronicles again.
- familiarise myself with the characters and all their foibles.
As I read, I’ll make a note of which scenes work as they are, which need to be altered or moved around, and any scenes I’ll add to improve the story.
Look back at each important character’s path through the series so far
I’ve found this to be one of the most important ways of keeping my characters consistent. I’ll make a note of what’s happened to each important character since we first met them and how they’ve changed. The Steve in book four is very different to the wide-eyed boy we met in Haven Wakes at the very beginning of the series. This step ensures that I’m writing those characters as they are now, not how they were when they first stepped into the Haven Chronicles.
Remind myself of the rules of magic in the series
Magic in the Haven Chronicles has its own logic, boundaries, and consequences. So this step means checking that the magic use in each new book keeps to the rules I set out in Haven Wakes. It’s another consistency check, just like dialogue and appearance. I’ve also got a list of types of magical, like luminants and mindflayers, that I can add to with each new magical talent that I write about.
Read the end of my past books
I read the last two chapters of each of the previous novels in the series. I’m not sure why this is helpful. Maybe it’s a closure thing, or perhaps it’s a way to check where everyone ended up in each book. Either way, I find it incredibly helpful, so I’ll be reaching for my copies of Haven Wakes, Magic Bound, and Haven’s Deceit.
*
Returning to my novel isn’t just about opening the manuscript and diving into edits. It does involve that, but I need to root myself in that world and move amongst the characters again before I get started. This autumn, I’ll be revisiting book four to make it the best it can be before starting on the final book in the series. I may need a lot of coffee. Wish me luck.
