Two different books in one!! Not as cool as it sounds...

I'm revising a novel... sort of.

The thing is that I've already done the proof-reading type of revision a million times on this novel and it's nearly perfect that way. But I kind of got ahead of myself.

The big picture revision should have come first.

It's tough to wait on line-editing when that's what you do naturally, but really it's just an excuse to put off revising what actually needs to be revised... you know, the stuff that hurts!

So in talking it over with friends and family who have read my book, I've come to realize that the big picture revision that is needed is kind of, well, BIG.

See, my book is like two different books in one. It begins very lighthearted, a truly silly middle grade offering. But by the end, it has become dark, scary, and quite serious. This happened because my inspiration for the book was the Disney movie, Sky High. My sons were enjoying the movie so much, I wanted to write something about super heroes and villains, something about stereo types and identity crisis. Yeah, I purposely started writing something derivative.

But then the curve ball hit, and the story took on a life of its own. My main character had resolved his identity crisis and was now trying to prove himself to the people he cared most about. Stakes had to rise. Circumstances had to get worse.

So they did. And oh boy, did they!

My silly middle grade became a bit of a thriller by the end. And now I'm faced with a difficult decision. Do I make the beginning more serious to match the ending? Or do I make the ending less scary and intense to match the beginning?

What would you do?

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