It’s only a short paragraph in Chapter Two in MUTINY, but an important scene-setting;
The coal-dark night and lush foliage provide ideal cover across the grounds of St Stephens church. At the gate, I stop to get my breath and scan the neighborhood. Walton Street is hushed as a convent, its stucco homes asleep with blinds pulled low like eyelids. Street lamps puncture a soft drizzle and light my way to the Knightsbridge Underground.
I was happy with the overall description, but wondered about the use of the word ‘light’. Should I use ‘guide’ instead. Yes, I prefer ‘guide’ – it provides comfort and direction as I escape the intruders on my doorstep. The lamps ‘puncture a soft drizzle’ implies light and this fact does not need repeating? I will add this minor change to an updated reprint coming soon. [Incidentally, I have spent many weeks editing this particular chapter during the six years it took to write MUTINY and, even now, keep coming back to checking my earlier work. Are some authors never satisfied with their word-craft?]
Comparing Walton Street to a convent seemed to fit, especially given the up-market appearance of this London suburb? Only my readers can agree or disagree with me, but the scene is set in a dreary London and I flee for warmer places.
