Learning from every book I write

Good cold morning from eastern North Carolina. The coffee pot is gurgling and I'm looking forward to editing/rewriting more of my latest project, The Goose Parade of Old Dickeywood, a novel about lifelong friendship. Even though I have four novels published in the Logan Hunter Mystery series, and each one was challenging in some way, I struggled with Goose Parade for months and months, sometimes frustrated enough to walk away for a while.

I was trying to write Goose Parade in first-person point-of-view, like the Hunter series. But it just didn't work. I made posters of sections I wanted in the book. You know, the lessons learned from geese? So once I divided the book into Honk, Rotate, Drag, Uplift, and Protect, I thought I'd be home-free. HA!

I have learned that not only can I not force characters to do something in the book that's out of character for them, I can't force the plot either. One morning as I stared at the pages, my mind as blank as my billfold this time of year, it dawned on me that I can't tell this story in first person. I must tell the story of all four major characters in this book.

It truly amazes me at how much of a learning process EACH book becomes. I am once again enjoying the process and moving on with what I hope will be my best work yet.

Have you had a similar experience? Do you learn something new with each book you read/write? Please share you experiences in the comment section for a chance to win a free copy of Genesis Beach, my first novel.