Getting it right the first time.

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

Don’t forget to click the purple button to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.

Have you ever regretted ‘hitting publish’ on a work realizing you could have done more or tweak something to make it an absolute banger?

All of the time.

It comes from spending all my working life in an industry that demands and expects perfection. Where the consequences of failure were potentially catastrophic. You had to do everything right the first time, and you were only as good as your last job.

Now, things are different. Nobody gets hurt if I don’t produce a perfect reading experience in every publication.

I get the luxury of being able to edit and refine every word without fear of losing my job or being front-page news.

However, old habits die hard.

When is enough, enough? How many revisions can you make?

There is no real answer.

I try to make every book the best I can, with an interesting story that is well-researched and a product (eBook or paperback) that’s produced to a technical standard equal to anything else on the market.

The thing is, in common with a lot of people who create, it’s my opinion that nothing I ever produce is actually ‘finished.’

There is always more that I could add, subtract or tweak to everything that I write. At every stage of the creative process, I can always think of more to say.

Looking back, I know that if I wrote some of my older stories again, they would be completely different.

But would they be better stories? That’s not really for me to say.

I’ve learned to accept that there is no ‘final’ version of anything and now, I’m quite relaxed about publishing my work when I think it’s in a good enough state to be enjoyed.

Any extra thoughts I have after the event are kept in a file. More about that shortly.

The people who’ve commented on my novels and short stories have mainly liked them, which is good to know. Because, again in common with many creatives, I suffer greatly from Imposter Syndrome. I find myself taking more notice of a single bad review than I do of every good one.

When I first started getting feedback, I received comments like “What happens next?” “What happened before?” or “What does this mean?”

At first, I thought that I hadn’t given them enough. Imposter syndrome kicked in. I had failed to tell the story properly. Maybe I should have waited, and written more before I sent my work out.

But then I understood that I hadn’t given them too much. They would be willing to come back for more.

As I said, I keep notes about all the ideas I’ve had after I’ve published.

Over time, I’ve discovered that there is one excellent use for the bits that you wish you’d included.

To ensure that nothing is wasted, I turn them into new adventures and slot them into the timeline as a sequel, prequel or spinoff story.

By using the ideas in this way, you’re getting new books, without the effort. They’re easy to write, you already have the basic plot, an established setting, characters and a backstory.

As they are new stories for a series or character that people already like, hopefully, your readers will snap them up.

What do you think about this week’s subject?

Let me know below.

Then, please click the purple button to check out what my fellow writers have to say about this week’s topic.

Until next time.

I’d love to get your comments, please leave them below. While you’re here, why not take a look around? There are some freebies and lots more content, about me, my writing and everything else that I do. You can join my newsletter for a free novella and more news by clicking this link.

Check out the other great blogs here.