Michael Leask

As of today, I have over 21,000 words of Ryder on the Pass, 2nd Edition. That is 21,000 new words for the novel. I’m not copyediting what was already there in the 1st Edition, though I started off that way. This 2nd Edition is a brand new story. I’m excited that the number of new words is almost equivalent to Act 1 of a novel (which, for those who are unaware, Acts 1 and 3 usually have 25,000 words each, while Act 2 has 50,000 for a 100,000-word novel).

The 10 chapters I have written are the backstories of the protagonist and antagonist, each comprising 5 chapters that describe who they were as children and how it led to their adulthood. These chapters are important because they provide the reasoning behind why the protagonist and antagonist react in the ways they do throughout the book.

Additionally, due to this backstory, I will modify specific characteristics of my protagonist, Fiona. In the 1st Edition, Fiona is introverted and an isolationist on board the Emergency Rescue Ship, The St. Bernard’s Pass, but that will no longer be the case. It’s not that Fiona becomes extroverted; rather, due to the events of her childhood, Fiona treats those who are close to her like a family because she has none.

I’m also looking at the 1st Act differently. In the 1st Edition, the crew of the St. Bernard’s Pass leave Oberon Station in the first few chapters. That is going to change. In the new Edition, Act 1 will take place entirely on Oberon Station, which means the development of the character’s actions and interactions in the story will be written differently from the original.

It’s exciting that this is an enhanced version of the original. As I’ve learned more about writing since it was published almost a decade ago, I’m thrilled with the new direction and to tell the story as it was meant to be told.