Second Edition Versions of Charles Jay Harwood Novels

Since publishing my first novel, the Shuttered Room some years ago and written three thrillers since, have developed a writing style, not apparent in my earlier work. This has spurred a redraft of my earlier novels. This brings the narrative voice in line with my later novels. Second editions of all my novels are now the result. These second edition thrillers are indicated by the ‘second edition (March 2014)’ notice within the copyright page.

Early Success in Writing

New Editions of
Charles Jay Harwood books

The Shuttered Room hit the best selling list in psychological thrillers almost immediately after publishing. But early success is not always a good thing for a writer, if the first novel is looked back upon from the viewpoint of one who has since improved upon writing style. This is not to be confused with editorial issues (spelling, punctuation and grammar) for these have always remained intact. The issues lie with making the words flow, sentences structure and employing active writing. In other words, finding a personal writing style in thrillers.

Perfection in Writing Fiction

This is why I believe success is more beneficial for the author if it occurs later in his/her career rather than earlier on. The writer cannot help but hone writing skills with the completion of each novel. As can be seen from this blog, articles are dedicated to ways making improvements in writing such as:

Avoiding passive writing.

Using colourful verbs.

Cutting out the deadwood of too many adjectives and adverbs.

Finding new and original ways of describing something.

Writing dynamic dialogue.

Making characters more believable.

Pacing the novel.

And much more.

New Editions of Thrillers by Charles Jay Harwood

Second Edition Marker

I am still proud of these first editions of my books (these remain unmarked on the copyright page). These earlier editions are still out there and reviews will continue to be written on their strengths, but these 2^nd editions novels possess the blueprint of my later novels. I must however resist the temptation of releasing third edition novels in ten years from now, typical of the perfectionist. Every creation will inevitably have flaws, and the question arises, when to stop.

Developing Writing Style with New Edition Thrillers

Redrafting all my novels has taken several months but feel the effort has been worth it. The narrative voice is tighter, the actions scenes more dynamic and each word made to work harder within the story. Working on new editions of novels is great for reflecting upon past work and finding ways of making further improvements. Reading past work also makes the writer see how far he/she has developed in the genre concerned. It is rather like looking back at old drawings and seeing for the first time that the shading could have been smoothed out a little or how different utensils could have created a certain effect.

Writing New Editions of Books

Second Editions of all my books are now available on Kindle, large print and paperback. Look out for the 2^nd Edition (March 2014) notice within the copyright page, and this will indicate this novel is of the latest version.

Overview of Charles Jay Harwood novels