Revisiting Time Stand Still: Editing, Nostalgia, and Growth

 Revisiting Time Stand Still: Editing, Nostalgia, and Growth

I love writing the Keegan series. It's my main work and it's fulfilling and my most productive area of writing. But, there's one book I wrote almost twenty years ago that has been a sort of favorite. While Keegan is more of my polar opposite, Darren Camponi from Time Stand Still is a little more like me. And the story, going back in time and reliving younger days, has always intrigued me. But the book is flawed and needs some attention. Hence, the revisit.

Time Stand Still is a story outside my John Keegan series, yet one that oddly links back, as the main character, Darren Camponi, makes an appearance in To The Bone and joins Keegan’s ever-expanding world. And this year, I decided to do what Darren does in Time Stand Still, go back to my past and relive it. Only I can make changes that don't impact the present too much. I hope ;)

It’s strange to open up something I two decades ago, seeing my own words from a time when life felt different and my writing reflected that. With over twenty years between Time Stand Still’s initial draft and today, this book feels like a time capsule, preserving ideas, choices, and even plot twists that reflect who I was at that time. And, much like Darren gets to revisit his past, I experience the same as I edit this book. It's one of my favorites plot-wise. The writing? Hmm, not so much.

The Pull of Nostalgia vs. Modernization

I found myself wrestling with the pull to modernize. The story, after all, is set in 2002 — a time without today’s constant connectivity, endless social media updates, or ubiquitous cell phones. While that means parts of the book feel a bit like a period piece, it also gives Time Stand Still a unique edge. Technology had limits, and those limits force Darren to be inventive in ways that would seem quaint today. It’s tempting to make those updates, but grounding it in 2002 creates a fresh tension that feels right for Darren’s character and the world he’s navigating.

And the phrasing for things was just different then. I want to edit that so modern readers will understand but at the same time, doing so takes a bit of the periodization away. It's a delicate balance that I hope I'll get right. Of course, any improvements will make the book what it should have been two decades before.

Editing Choices and Rediscovering My Growth

One of the great surprises of this process has been realizing how much I’ve grown as a writer. Looking at Time Stand Still now, certain phrases, scenes, and dialogue feel like they belong to someone else. My editor at the publishing company made a series of changes in the original release that I have the chance to revisit — changes I once thought would “help” the book but now feel like they took away from my original vision. Some of those edits are being undone, and I believe the story is going to be better for it. This includes some things I find insensitive now but my editor thought gave Darren character. In short, he came across as a chauvinist, something I wanted in some ways, to highlight the ugliness of that view. But I like Darren and always felt that angle didn't work for him. 

This also requires balance. The book was written for a 2002 audience that had different sensibilities. In some ways, it's better to leave some things as is to show how far we've come and to highlight the mistakes of the past. But, unlike Darren, we can't undo what we don't like about the past. Instead, we need to accept it much like a loss and absorb those mistakes. I believe only then can we move on. This is not to say there was ever anything terribly bad about Darren, just that he's a relic from decades ago. He always had a good heart and pushed back against the more chauvinistic elements of his time period. He's just not as gold-hearted as I wanted him to be. Now, I can add just a touch of that.

Darren Camponi: Then and Now

Reading Darren’s story again, I realize how pivotal he is, not just in Time Stand Still, but as part of my writing journey. He’s a character haunted by choices and torn by the allure of reliving his past. Now that he’s become part of the Keegan universe, Darren’s personality has taken on even more shades. Editing his story with the experience I have now, it’s exciting to shape him not only as he was but with an eye on who he becomes later in To The Bone.

Looking Back and Moving Forward

As I bring this story back to life, I can’t help but wonder how readers who first encountered it years ago will feel about this version. Hopefully, it holds onto the same emotional pull while reflecting the sharper, more nuanced storytelling that comes with time and experience. Revisiting Time Stand Still has reminded me how much I’ve changed, both in life and in craft, but also how certain elements of a story can remain timeless.

This book had more fans than Soft Case,  the first Keegan novel. Changing it drastically would not be fair. But I am editing, cutting stuff that felt out of place and improving the writing and pacing. I don't think anything I do will detract from the story and, much like me, people who read it twenty years ago will likely appreciate the updates. At least, I hope so.

I can’t wait to share this updated Time Stand Still with both new readers and those who have been with me since the beginning. Take a look at the modernized cover and download a sample, as the book is already halfway updated and the Amazon Kindle version contains the changes. The paperback will be updated early in 2025.

Here's the link: Time Stand Still

Please feel free to drop a comment. I'm happy to answer any questions.