Tackling Revisions

Sometimes when you get those first notes back - and you know perfectly well that you're going to have work to do - it's a little intimidating. Do you ever feel like you're looking at Mount Everest, armed with only gym shoes and a latte from Starbucks? I do.

So the logical answer is to take one step at a time, right? Well, sort of. Yes, that's how you approach it, but you also should probably take the time to sip your latte and go get yourself some appropriate gear before you start climbing. 

What kind of gear would you use for tackling a mountainous revision? Well, here's a checklist we can all add to:

1. Notes. Gather all your critique notes and organize them into categories. Maybe you realize that Character A has an issue with likability. Make that one category. That can be one step up the mountain when you're ready. Do a pass through looking only for opportunities to fix that. 
2. Read. It really helps me when I read a good book before I start. That always inspires me and jumpstarts my brain. 
3. Crash Course. Go back to your favorite craft book or blog post about the areas you seem to be having issues in or that intimidate you the most and study up on it. Then you have some good picks and a bungie cord to catch you if you start to slip.
4. Time. Make sure you have a plan as far as when you are going to attack this project. You can't just say, "I'll be done by two so I can pick up the kids." Well, you can, but not with the whole thing. Be realistic in other words. If you have fifteen minutes, great! But don't expect more than fifteen minutes worth of work. 
5. Chocolate, music, coffee, wine, whatever it is you use to get in the zone. Your favorite spot on the couch with your laptop perhaps. 

Good luck climbing that mountain, friends! Maybe I'll run into you on my way up and we can share some chocolate. ;D

How Important is the Writing Itself?

We talk all the time about character, plot and world. But I was thinking about the last bunch of books I read and wondering about what it was that made the difference for me between LOVE IT and EH. What I realized surprised me. If the writing itself was beautiful and seamless I was able to dive into the story and characters and world so much easier. If there were simple errors that I've been taught I should avoid in my own work, I had a harder time and found myself pulled out and ultimately enjoyed it less. 

Here are just a few tips for things to look for when you revise that might make the difference for your reader:

• Avoid cliches. Particularly when using comparisons like metaphors. I know it's tough, but time spent thinking of fresh ways to say things really goes a long way.
• Vary sentence and paragraph structure. Don't start every line with I. Make sure the page is a mix of dialogue and description. It makes a difference!
• Don't repeat yourself. Find the best, most unique way to say something and trust us to get it. If it's important, spend more time and detail on it than other places. 
• Lose the helping verbs. Don't be passive. Make everything you can active and in the moment. She had followed the footsteps should be She followed the footsteps. 
• Search and destroy. Find the words you use too much, locate superfluous adverbs and adjectives and see if they are needed. If there are two or more in one place, pick one. 

Will you miss some things? Heck yeah! You're human and that's why we have other eyes besides our own looking at our work. But we should get our work in it's best form before putting it out there. It's worth the effort. 

What distracts you about writing when you're reading a book?

Mothering Your Writing

First - the winner of the 5 page critique (via randomizer.org) is MARGO! Yeah! I'll email you with detes.

In honor of Mother's Day, and as a mother of three, I want to talk a bit about parenting. Parenting your manuscript that is. Take a look at this post via Agent Carly Watters. It got me thinking. We do treat our work like our babies, and I get it, but it isn't always healthy. 

So how do you KNOW you're in that unhealthy zone?

• Do you read for revision, but see nothing that can or should be changed?
• Do you have a suspicion that the minute you send it out in the query world it will be gobbled up immediately?
• Do you like your own writing better than anything else out there?

What should you do if you're there or close (even on occasion)? 

• Put the manuscript in a virtual drawer and start working on something new. Because you know what? Until I'd written several manuscripts I was so enamored with my characters it was hard to concentrate on other things. Now I enjoy diving back in with old friends, but I can separate myself just fine between.
• Make sure you use good critique partners. You have to have another set of eyes. Trustworthy ones. It takes time to find good ones, but they're worth their weight in gold. And be open to criticism, even if that means holding off for another day or two when you get notes. 
• Force yourself to rewrite a section. Even if you think it's perfect. Start over and do something different. Maybe try a new POV. You'll realize there might be more than one way to say things. 

Any other tips? Have you ever fallen into this trap? 

NEXT WEEK STARTS MY BLOG TOUR FOR THE BINDING STONE!! Stop by for a schedule and giveaway info on Monday. 

Post Critique Polish

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We've gotten our manuscripts back from our readers now and dealt with the shock of finding out they weren't perfect (see pic). Time to dive back in. The way I do it? I open one document at a time and go through it side by side with mine, stopping to address each comment/change. 
That doesn't mean I do whatever they say. It means I think through WHY they said it and see if it makes sense. Most of the time I pop myself on the head and think, OF COURSE! Sometimes, I hesitate. If I hold off I still make a note of it and when I get to the next one I see if something is marked in the same area. If it is, or if it's something different but in the same section, I take a look at that part and see if I can find yet another reason a reader may be getting caught at that part because chances are if more than one person finds a problem, something is wrong. 
When I'm all done with that, I go through one last time for simple catches and to make sure it reads smoothly. I might do several things here. I might read it out loud. I might put it on my Kindle and read it like a book because that can reveal things that I didn't catch on the computer. Or I might print it all out on paper and go through. Seeing it in different ways like these can prompt something in our brains that helps us see it in a new light. 
If you aren't sure you're done, put it away again for a good long rest. Okay, even if you ARE sure you're done, put it away for a good long rest then read it again. If you are satisfied, go back to step one, take out your summary and start working on that query! If you have an agent, then send it to them. If you're self publishing, I don't know! What's the next step? The editor I suppose. If anyone wants to weigh in on this please let us know. 
And don't forget the chocolate. Especially when you look like the kitty above.

Revision

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We've done it. We've finished an entire book. We've written a full draft and celebrate with chocolate. Or maybe cupcakes. Or perhaps chocolate cupcakes... You get the idea! The next major step is revision. Some people put it away at this point for a good month or two. I say the more space the better perspective, and we'll discuss later in the process the advantage of doing this. But it's not completely necessary YET. 
If you're brain is brimming with ideas withheld while writing, and you just can't wait to get in there and fix it, I say go for it! You're going to do more than one pass anyway, why not get it as ship shape as possible before the drawer? 
It may feel a bit overwhelming at this point. You've been reading blogs and attending workshops and learning, learning, learning about all the mistakes you've probably made and will have to fix. Where do you even start? Don't panic. Take a breath and think it through. 
Everyone has a different process, but here's mine. Maybe it will help. And please note that it can vary from book to book as well. 

1. Read it through for major glaring inconsistencies and fix whatever I catch. I take notes in a separate file at this point or a notebook for things I see that aren't easy fixes, but I know have to happen. This can include extra scenes, character issues, and timeline. 
2. Keep a checklist and fix one thing on my list at a time.
3. Do another read through, see if I have it whittled down to the usual suspects (e.g., extra adverbs and useless words). 
4. Make a pass for each major thing. One for extraneous words, one for sentence structure, one for world building, etc. Whatever it is I know from past experience (or research) I need to work on. 

*One HUGE tip I can offer is this. If you think something might be an issue even for a second... it probably is. Change it now instead of waiting for it to come up later. 

When I've exhausted myself and can no longer see straight, or when I keep changing tiny words here and there, I know this phase is over. My "rough" draft is now in decent shape. At least decent enough for next week's step... Oh I'm so mean! 

A Whole Bunch of Answers!

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I've really enjoyed doing these "How?" posts! I hope you've all gotten something out of it too! Feel free to send me questions anytime and I'll do my best to answer. I  have one more next week, but this time I've compiled several of your questions with slightly shorter answers:

Grechen said...

My question deals with your genre, how do you balance adult interaction with teens without having the adults become underdeveloped absentee people?

A: Great question, Gretchen! Here’s a blogpost where I talk a bit about that.

Dean K Miller said...

How do I get my alien co-author to keep the story in and earthly time zone, and also quit drooling his snarfly-slime all over the pages?

A: That’s the trouble with aliens, Dean. If you’re going to partner with someone, you should make sure you’re compatible.

Jill Kemerer said...

How do I meet my word goals without drowning in coffee? :)

A: I can certainly relate to this one! The best thing you can do is bring a floatation device to the computer. Oh and maybe switch to half caf!

Ebony McKenna. said...

How do I present myself as normal when there are so many voices in my head?

A: That’s the great thing about being a writer! We’re all crazy, so we GET it. ;D

Medeia Sharif said...

How do you prevent yourself from going back and editing parts of a draft when your still drafting? It's such a time suck, but I itch to do it. I'm getting better at not doing it, but I can't help but go back.

A: You don’t! It took me a while to figure that out. But here’s the thing. If there’s a “rule” that you know, but you function better outside the parameters of that rule, I say break it. I edit sometimes as I go. If I don’t fix something it bothers me, so much so that sometimes I really can’t move forward without fixing it. Sometimes I follow that same rule, but when it gets in the way of my writing? I don’t. 

How Many Drafts Does It Take To Get To The Query Stage?

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I was asked: How many revisions does a writer go through before she is ready to query? So for the answer I went to some trusted writer friends. Below are answers from those at all stages of the process, from querying to published, in no particular order. 

Susan Sipal:

1,000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Can you tell I'm in the middle of revising something I thought was revised about 50 drafts ago??

In my experience, there are two main types of writers -- 1) the overly-optimistic, too excited, must rush-to-get-it-out-there, and 2) the esteem-challenged, what-if-someone-says-something-negative-about-my- baby, I can tweak two more words at least.  Knowing whether your draft is ready involves knowing which sick, demented writerly camp you fall into.  If you're the overly-optimistic (read naive), then you probably should hold onto your draft for several more rounds.  However, if even your least favorite critique partner is telling you enough is enough, then hold the epidural and shoot that baby out.

Susan Quinn:

It depends on the book … and the level of experience of the writer. For my first book, which didn’t query agents and went straight to a small publisher, I did four drafts. For the MG SF story that I queried (and got lots of requests): six drafts. For the YA SF story I just self-published (but queried agents before that)? Five drafts. I expect to do at least 4 drafts for the sequel.

Leslie Rose:

Here are my drafts:

1 - vomit draft - let it fly baby

2- Story arc pass - main story subplots - overall structure

3- MC & supporting character arcs - including character development & embellishment

4- grammar/punctuation pass & bad habit pass (adverbs/tense/sentence variety/word choice)

7 - Hard copy read - make corrections

8 - Kindle read - make corrections

OUT TO BETAS

9 - Including Beta notes pass

10 - Holistic read - wearing my audience hat

11 - Corrections from Holistic read

QUERY TIME

*Through all the passes I keep and ongoing notebook on the MS for "ah ha" moments. I will insert these in whatever draft I'm currently working on.

Stina Lindenblatt:

Well I'm on my 13th draft right now, but that's because I reworked my story goal and motivation. When I think back to my previous books, they've all been 13 + drafts. My approach to each book is different. I'm hoping one day to streamline the process, once I figure what works best for me. :D

Also, I send my ms out to beta readers in waves, and complete a few of drafts between each wave.

And just for additional info, I do outline first. The outline I wrote for my current WIP was written over a year ago. I've learned tons of things since then, which I wish I had known  a year ago. That would have resulted in fewer drafts. ;) 

I'll probably do at least two more drafts before I query since I'm still sending my ms out to a few more beta readers. Yes, I'll do anything to delay the joy of rejections.

Heather McCorkle:
I have a pretty extensive editing process that involves 5-8 revisions depending on the needs of the manuscript. Due to the increasingly competitive market my manuscripts have to really shine before I send them out.

Sarah Skilton:

My gut reaction is that four drafts is about right. The first draft is for yourself, to get everything down; the second draft is a quick-ish revision on your own again to make it ready for your critique group (ironically, I recommend Holly Lisle's one-pass revision for this); the third is a longer revision after receiving constructive feedback from your critique group; and the fourth is just a polish to make the prose shine.

And then, when you can't stand it any longer and you're absolutely certain your novel is ready to go out into the world, wait. Give it another week before you hit "send." Take a break. Go on a walk. Wait just a teensy bit longer, and give it fresh eyes for typos. It's tough to do, but the person reading it will thank you.


Julie Musil:
As many as it takes. I'm no expert on this stuff, but it seems to me that if we say ahead of time 2, 3, 10 drafts, then we're hurting ourselves. I think it's fair to do at least a couple of drafts before your critique partners or beta readers see it. Then revise again, and again, and again, until you read it through with barely any changes. I'd say that's the time to query.

*****

Did you find an answer that you like? I think the idea here is that it's different for everyone. But the one thing we all have in common? Multiple drafts. Lots of revision. Because that's what it takes no matter how daunting it seems.


You can do it!

Revision - It's the Little Things

Are you ever overwhelmed at the start of a revision? When you look at the mountain of notes/critiques/edits piled to your side and wonder how you'll ever manage it? I've mentioned before that it often feels like I have my MS on the operating table, parts spread all over the place while I'm doing a revision. 


Obviously it's important to be methodical here and organize yourself in whatever way works best for you. In my case it's usually doing a single pass for each major component, e.g., character, pacing, world, etc. But sometimes even within those categories, it can feel intimidating. 


The thing I want to point out here is that it doesn't always take a major rewrite to do the trick. Of course, if it's what's called for that's fine. But sometimes just reworking one sentence - even a single word - can do wonders. I'm reminded of Mark Twain's quote: "The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."


Words are our medium as artists. The order, the punctuation and the choice of the word itself can have an enormous impact on what we actually convey to the reader. Now I'm not suggesting you drive yourself insane over every word, but I AM suggesting that you look at what you want and need to say and see if you can identify any spot(s) in your MS that you are unclear and try to rework that part. 


Confused? Let's try an example. We haven't used a vampire in a while, so...


Mary sat up in bed and looked around the room. She'd sensed movement. Moonlight spilled across the floor, revealing a branch that scraped against the open window while the curtains billowed in the summer breeze like restless ghosts. Satisfied that it had only been a dream, she settled back to find herself in the cold, hard arms of the monster. 


But what if I wanted to make Mary's panic more evident. Do I have to rewrite the scene? I don't think so. I think the problem is the lack of urgency in the first sentence. So let's try this...


Mary sprung upright, wrestling the covers away from her sweat soaked skin. Her eyes darted left then right, searching for the source of the disturbance. She'd sensed movement. Moonlight spilled across the floor, revealing a branch that scraped against the open window while the curtains billowed in the summer breeze like restless ghosts. Satisfied that it had only been a dream, she settled back to find herself in the cold, hard arms of the monster. 


Are there other problems? Yeah, probably. I did just make it up! But, I think I solved the problem I'd intended in this pass. What do you think?


Sometimes it's less about rewriting and more about identifying the part/sentence/line that doesn't work and understanding why.
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Avoiding the Bite of Revision

Yes, that's right, revision has a nasty bite. It can fester. I know gross, right? It's sort of like Hagrid's Monster Book of Monsters, you have to know how to approach it. And if you do it just right, you won't come away with a scratch, just a shiny new manuscript. So how does it work, this safe approach?

1. Prepare

No, you don't actually need special gloves, or a cattle prod, what you need is a game plan. Start with this checklist:

• Have I let it sit long enough to give myself some space? This could mean different things to different people, but you definitely need to put it away and do something else for a while - whether that's reading a book, or writing something new, or just going shopping.
• Have I had it critiqued? You have to have other eyes look at it. Period. There are things that you just can't see since your mind automatically fills in spaces because you know it so well. Beta readers are great for this as well as a good and steady critique group.
• Am I prepared to do what I have to to make it its best? Meaning chopping, injecting, and otherwise mutilating it.

2. Read.

Yep. Read it. Some people find it helpful to print it out first. I like using my Kindle. Either way, read it like you're reading a book, and make note of ANYTHING that stands out. You may have to make a separate pass for each topic. That's up to you. There are many questions to address when doing this, but here are a few major ones:

• Plot - does the story follow a predictable and logical arc? Have you answered all the questions presented and does everything come together smoothly? Have you used foreshadowing and clues, without hitting the reader over the head?
• Character - How soon do you really empathize with your MC? This can be hard when you are so attached. But pretend you're just meeting and give it a go. Are your other characters fully developed? How can you add dimension?
• Dialogue - Is it natural? Too conversational, or does every line count? Is it clear who is speaking? Have you broken it up with enough description and action (look at the physical page, is it line after line after line of dialogue?)
• World - Are you characters constantly interacting with the world around them? Do you weave the world into the story or does it come in clumps of descriptive paragraphs. Do you go overboard (be honest) or is it just the right amount? Does the description reflect the mood? Can it be an obstacle in and of itself?
• Info-dump - How'd you do? Did you take a bulldozer and let her rip? Or did you trickle the info as needed? Did you get us invested first? Did you try to add it through dialogue when both characters already know what they're saying and they're simply reviewing it for the reader's benefit?
• Is each scene both tight and complete. Is each sentence necessary? Have you used too much passive wording? Have you varied sentence structure and length

I'm going to stop now because this could get REALLY LONG. But if you have something to add or a question please - that's what the comments are for!!! I love hearing from you.

3. Get to work!

This means no putting yourself down. It was a rough draft. Those happen. :D This is where you prove you're made of tougher stuff. If it feels too overwhelming, just sit and do one chapter at a time, and only re-work it for one issue per pass. Don't forget to save all versions just in case! Once you get back in, you'll no doubt feel much better about it. You might even *gasp* ENJOY revisiting your baby.

And you're going to LOVE how it feels when it's done. Am I right?

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