Revision: The First Step to Improve Your Story
The process of revision takes place over several phases, and often those phases not only overlap each other, but also have to be performed multiple times. This is because your novel is like an intricate labyrinth of dominos. When one is triggered, it has the potential of impacting the entire system in play. You simply can’t revise character without ultimately affecting plot, setting, conflict, tone, etc. This is true no matter what element you work on.
Revision can quickly drag you into the weeds and capsize everything into the drink. However, it’s possible to maintain control as long as you apply some specific strategies and adhere to certain boundaries.
This article will discuss the art of revision and some techniques to help make this process a little more bearable.
Let’s hop to it!
WHAT DOES REVISION ENTAIL?
Revision can refer to any changes you make to your original draft. Often “revision” and “editing” are terms used interchangeably, but they really are two different processes.
Revision focuses on structure, story premise, flow, plausibility, emotional thrust, narrative drive, character motivations, plot, and all the other “big time” storytelling elements in play.
Editing streamlines and clarifies and tightens chapters, scenes, narrative passages, dialogue, paragraphs, sentences and even individual words all the way down to punctuation.
Because these two phases can overlap they can be confused as one and the same. The drawback to this is that we can get ahead of ourselves and start editing a scene or an entire chapter before it’s actually been revised—if that scene ends up getting cut through a major rewrite, then all the work you did on detailed editing is tossed too.
On the flip side, revision is also a lovely security blanket. Revision keeps you in the Zone of Comfort and far away from the Zone of Criticism. This can also work against you.
All writers will manage their revision processes differently and you are no exception! To figure out what strategies and techniques will suit you best, keep a journal on hand where you can log daily how things are going.
You’ll make mistakes as you’re getting to know your process, of course, so jotting them down in the journal can give you the opportunity to walk yourself through solutions for next time.
Your journal is a great place to talk about any bad habits or writing weaknesses you have and how you plan to crush them. It’s also a fab place to write down things that are going well with your revision process!
TREAT REVISION LIKE DISCOVERY
Let’s say you’ve already written your rough draft. And let’s say you think everything you got down from your imagination to the page (or screen) is exactly what you want. And let’s say it took you M O N T H S to write the darn thing.
Let’s say the mere idea of revision is heart-wrenching. That’s a lot of time, effort, and inner-struggle to get to where you are, and the idea of uprooting it all sounds like torture from hell.
Yeah. Revision can be torture from hell. But so can publishing a half-assed book and getting one-star reviews on it. So, pick your can of worms.
Rough drafts aren’t ready for reader consumption. Even if you plotted the heck out of it prior to writing it, and even if you worked with a writing group throughout, and even if your mom adores it – no rough draft is the final outcome.
With this in hand, you should look forward to revision as another shot at Discovery. Yes, I know we’ve been through Discovery when you were fleshing out your idea for the rough draft…but I argue that Discovery is never-ending, a magic spell you’ll always be casting upon your story, even through the proofreading stage.
In the revision phase, you’re “re-envisioning” your story, so you need to be open to changing major elements. This can be really difficult, especially if we’re tied to something. If you’ve heard the phrase “Cut your Little Darlings” that’s what it means—cutting parts of your story that sang to you but don’t do a thing to move the story forward, emotionally engage your ideal reader, or serve the story in any meaningful way.
USING WORD COUNTS
Writers often have a love-hate relationship with word count totals. While word counts can help us gauge our progress, they can simultaneously limit our progress.
Isn’t being an author fun?!
One of the most effective ways to deal with word count is to first decide your target total word count, which is largely dictated by genre. Then, plan to write 50% of that total for your rough draft. The reason I suggest writing under the word count total for your rough draft is because you’ll be more likely to get down the important events and story beats—the stuff you know belongs in the story—and be less likely to write filler that will only get cut later.
This is only a suggestion. If you’re someone who must write without adhering to a word count limit, then embrace that as part of your creative process and go for it. For sure, revision will be considerably more involved, but all processes have drawbacks. There’s no simple, uncomplicated, obstacle-free path in revision. Pick your poison!
Can of worms. Poison. The writing life is grand!
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE OF REVISION
Once you’ve written approximately 50% of your total word count, where you’re pretty clear about the beginning and end, then my next suggestion is to ensure you have all your major turning points situated properly. Inciting Event, Midpoint, Dark Night of the Soul, Big Battle, Resolution, etc. (This aspect, known as story structure, depends on your genre and some other storytelling elements.)
Once you have the turning points anchoring your story, you can now begin revision at the developmental/content level. This involves strengthening, developing, clarifying all major elements like character, plot, conflict, setting, tone, etc.
Developmental revision generally requires multiple passes through your entire draft. Breathe in. Breathe out. You’ve got this.
Whilst in this developmental revision stage, keep an eye on your word count. It’ll boom quickly, and it’s to your benefit to keep it at a manageable growth spurt. Here again, though, if that’s too much to think about all at once, then don’t worry about word count. It’s perfectly reasonable to tackle it during the copyediting stage.
That said, I want to briefly explain why word count matters even at this early stage. Not only does it keep us on task with our story, but it also serves as a progress measurement. Remember what I said earlier about how revision keeps us in the Zone of Comfort? If we don’t pay attention to how much we’re writing (or not writing, for that matter), then it’s extremely difficult to gauge our progress, which in turn makes it easy to tell ourselves “I’m not ready to ________ [fill in blank with whatever you might be avoiding].”
Never assume you’ve written quality material simply because you’ve written a lot of words. And never assume a chapter is “finished” simply because you hit your target word count for that chapter. Word counts have nothing to do with quality of story.
However, they’re wonderful “pacekeepers” and serve as helpful landmarks, which is extremely helpful in the early stages of your book development.
OTHER STAGES OF REVISION
Once you feel confident that your story is structurally sound and that your story has a defined beginning, middle, and end—you can segue into line editing. There will still be some developmental issues lingering, but sometimes those can’t be wrangled until you do some precision work on your scenes, descriptions, sentence structure. Big-picture elements like tone, pacing, and character interiority are usually dealt with in the line editing stage. This is because you need to have a clear scope of the overall arc from beginning to end in order to hammer these out with more definition.
Copyediting and proofreading are the final stages. However, if you’re like me, then you probably find yourself correcting grammar and punctuation, swapping out weak verbs for more robust ones, and brightening description as you’re dealing with developmental and line editing. Regardless, don’t spend too much time or energy correcting your grammar until you’re 99% confident the scene doesn’t need a major overhaul at the foundational level—much less end up on the cutting room floor.
REVISION TIPS
TIP #1: SET DEADLINES ON YOUR REVISION PROCESS
Setting a deadline for revising drafts will keep you on track. If you don’t do well with self-accountability, then get a writing partner who will hold you to your due dates.
TIP #2: READ YOUR DRAFT OUT LOUD
The story will sound much different out loud than it will in your head. This will help you pick up on inconsistencies and anything that just feels “off”.
TIP #3: MAKE NOTES AS YOU READ
You can either mark up your draft or keep notes in a separate document or notebook. Try to avoid making actual changes. This will interrupt your flow and put you in editing mode, and you’re not quite ready for that right now. Simple, easy-to-follow notes in the margin or in a separate document will allow you to get into Discovery mode because you’re not pinning yourself to anything yet.
TIP #4: BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR LITTLE DARLINGS
These will be difficult to catch because they hold a special place in your heart. However, if it doesn’t serve the story, then it needs to go. With practice, you’ll get better at catching them and it’ll be easier to cut them. Writing partners, coaches, or groups are useful in this regard as they aren’t emotionally tied to the issue in question and can help you come to a decision.
TIP #5: CREATE A STYLE GUIDE OR STORY WIKI
This is a reference document that will contain all the correct spellings, details, directions, nicknames, locations, dates, etc. in one place. You can create several that fulfill various categories like CHARACTER DETAILS, SPELLINGS OF NAMES, DATES, etc., so that your information is clear and organized.
You’ll be able to refer to this guide (wiki) throughout your entire revision process and let me tell you, what a time saver it will be!
Just remember, when you change something in your manuscript, like your antagonist’s hair color, be sure to update your style guide.
TIP #6: USE CHECKLISTS
Checklists are really handy throughout your entire revision process. I highly recommend compiling questions and topics to check before you begin rewriting. That way you’ll have something to guide you and keep you on track. Just like with a style guide, you can work with multiple lists and organize them by categories such as Genre, Character, Setting, etc.
TIP #7: SAVE RESEARCH FOR ITS OWN TIME
Ahh, research. What writer doesn’t love a good ol’ afternoon full of research? Well, most writers seem to love it, and partly because it’s a great escapism tool. When feeling bored or stressed or anxious or blocked with our revisions—research often fills the gap without the guilt.
Yes, research is hugely important but it needs to be kept on a tight leash. Set your timer for however long you think is necessary to get a good chunk of information, but not too long to start going down rabbit trails. This will take some practice. Try to avoid using precious writing or rewriting time for research. Schedule it in its own dedicated time and space.
TIP #8: BE PATIENT AND BE KIND TO YOURSELF
This might be the most important tip of all. Be patient & be kind to yourself. Revision is a long, taxing, arduous process. You’ll hit blocks. You’ll get tired. You’ll start to not like your story. You’ll have some doubts. Something will get on your nerves at some point. Patience and self-love will help you through.
If you need a break, take it. If you need to bounce ideas off of a writing pal, do it. If you need to vent, do it. If you need pizza, be sure to share with me…just kidding. In all seriousness, revision can kick your butt, and you need to learn some techniques to kick it back.
My go-to method when things get tough is to uplevel my mindfulness practice. I spend more time meditating, tapping, visualizing, and journaling. When the going gets tough, the tough get mindful!
Do you enjoy the revision process? What are some techniques that you use? Share below!