From Typewritten Draft to Published Page

Ever wonder how much revision goes into a novel before it’s published? Here are the original opening paragraphs of my A. J. Banner novel, In Another Light, typed on one of my typewriters. See below for the final, published version of the opening…

Final published opening:

Phoebe tucks small spiked caps inside Mr. Parker’s eyelids to make him look like he still has eyes. Then she slips cotton puffs beneath the lids to keep them closed, just so. No sutures required, although she had to glue his lips together, had to stuff cotton into his mouth and nose, which would’ve killed him if he’d still been breathing.

But she’s only doing her job to restore his features for his wife. Mandy wants to view him one last time, to remember him the way he was. But if she could bear to see him in his natural condition, she would know that he has expired, kicked the bucket, bought the farm. Elvis has left the building.

Literally. His name was Elvis Parker. The town’s last old-time barber, he worked out of a narrow shop on the waterfront in which he wielded his shiny blade, administering close shaves and buzz cuts, his customers ensconced in vintage vinyl barbershop chairs.

**

What differences stand out to you?

I shifted the viewpoint from first person present tense in the first draft to limited third person present tense in the final version. In the early draft, I let my mind wander. I wrote whatever came to me.

We can do that in first drafts. Write anything and everything.

But in the final draft, I streamlined the prose to focus on the task at hand, staying in scene rather than going off on tangents or musing about society in general. But without that early typewritten page, the final version wouldn’t exist at all.

Every published page begins with a messy first draft.

Dreaming of Water- Kindle Sale

Dreaming of Water is only $2.49 on Kindle (U.S. only) for the entire month of February!

“A beautifully written piece of fiction…” —Chicago Book Review

“As usual, Banner does an outstanding job of developing believable characters, keeping the action moving, and making readers want to keep turning pages.” —Bookreporter

Here’s more about Dreaming of Water:

A woman’s investigation into her past reveals family secrets and lies in this novel of discovery, redemption, and the mutability of memory by the bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and In Another Light.

Astrid Johansen swore she would never return to Heron Bay, Washington. In that idyllic coastal town, her little sister, Nina, drowned in a reflecting pool under Astrid’s watch seventeen years ago. Though guilt has kept her away, Astrid can’t ignore her aunt Maude’s urgent plea to come back. Maude claims to have found a letter that will change everything about the past.

When Astrid arrives in Heron Bay, she finds Maude unconscious, perhaps the victim of an attack. As Maude lingers in a coma, Astrid uncovers alarming evidence that Nina’s drowning that tragic night was no accident. But in a town rife with secrets, and in a family still fractured by grief, who knows the truth?

Astrid’s investigation leads her down a trail of dark memories, lies, and betrayals that will shatter her perception of everyone she thought she knew—even herself.

Simple Joys

When the world turns upside down, I try to savor everyday moments: walks by the water, glimpses of wild creatures (Bald Eagle, Northern Shoveler, and Great Blue Heron pictured below), visits to Ace Typewriter, vegan chocolates at Creo Chocolates, indie bookstores, a library built over a river, and more. Small wonders, simple joys.

Cat’s People: A Gentle Book When I Needed One

Our ten-year-old rescue, Kali, recommends CAT’S PEOPLE!

Books I Read This Year

I’ve long wanted to move away from social media, and now I’m finally doing it. Jaron Lanier sums up my reasons succinctly in his important book, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right now: “To free yourself, to be more authentic, to be less addicted, to be less manipulated, to be less paranoid…for all these marvelous reasons, delete your accounts.” (Page 24, hardcover edition)

Although my A. J. Banner Instagram account has been deactivated for a few years now (did anyone notice?), I haven’t yet completely deleted my Facebook account. But I’ll no longer be posting there. I hope that eventually, readers and friends who are interested in interacting with me in a more authentic way, might contact me here.

On this last day of December, 2025, I decided to type up a list of books I read this year—at least, the ones I can remember reading! I used my 1966 Hermes 3000 with Petit-Pica typeface, a true joy.

My Hermes 3000 with Petit-Pica typeface.