This is the seventh installment in the “HOW I WRITE” series I’m participating in every Wednesday with several writers, where we all discuss how we approach writing a book. Every writer has a different process and this project gives us a chance to share and compare ours. Click on the “How I Write” image to find a list of the participating writers and links to their blogs.
Last week we talked about Getting Through The Middle. This week we’ll discuss Revision – How To Begin.
So, I’ve finishing writing the first draft from the beginning to end. And boy is it rough. It’s now time to get ready to revise what I wrote! Honestly, I’m still discovering what does and doesn’t work for me when it comes to revising. I’ve approached the revisions to each of the five books I’ve worked on in the past few years, five different ways. I suspect that as I continue to hone my writing skills, I may modify my revision process further still. But regardless of how – and how many times, exactly – I revise a book, I like to prepare for revisions using the same two steps.
Step 1: Revisit the outline / storyboard I came up with back when I was just starting to write the book. At this point I update it to reflect the story I’ve actually written, instead of the one I thought I was going to.
Since it provides a high-level snapshot of the entire draft, I then analyze the storyboard. Do I think that I captured the themes I wanted to? Did my characters grow as I intended? Did I show any character growth at all? I make note of any major issues identified and scenes/chapters that I know will need a lot of work.
Step 2 : Print out the story. Recently I discovered I can catch errors faster and easier when I first read through a hard copy of the draft and make notes with a pen, than when I try to just dive into typing revisions directly into the book.
I think for a long time I worried about wasting ink and paper on rough drafts. But I have since found that ink and paper are dirt cheap when compared to the cost of the vodka, the medical attention required for the forehead I’ve been banging on the desk, a new desk that hasn’t been banged up by my forehead, and the wigs to replace the hair I tore out while trying to force myself through initial revisions on-screen.
So that’s how I begin to revise. Next week I’ll talk more about the actual revision process. Check out the other participating blogs to see how more writers get ready to revise their work.
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I think it's a lack of processes like this that keep me from being able to consistently complete longer form work. When I write short stories and articles, I frequently just "throw paint at the canvas" to see where things go (even if I start out with an idea in mind), and then once a direction presents itself I'll go back with a chainsaw and edit and revise the piece to try to focus everything towards that direction.
It's not easy though.
I get committed to my initial ideas, but then frequently happen across new ones as I'm working — and revising frequently becomes a process of removing the old idea in favor of the more focused and entertaining themes that develop.
Perhaps storyboarding (or outlining) would help me streamline that process. I mean, I enjoy when I'm working off the cuff and seeing where a story takes me, but it gets in the way when I want to work in a longer form — like with a novel or an essay.
Great points!
Understood, it's definitely a lot of fun to just start writing by the seat of my pants, and just go along for the ride and see what happens when I'm writing a really short story, or an article. But for anything longer than 20 pages, it's just tremendously helpful to me to have at least a high-level plan.
Thanks Hex.
I'm sure it would be helpful to have a plan going in, but that doesn't work for me. Or hasn't so far. I've never been able to plot out a story, then write it. I just start writing and make it up as I go along. Which can be fun, yes, but also nerve-wracking when I can't see my way through the forest on any given day.
I am right here with you Gail. It's like the story is already there and I'm trying like the dickens to type fast enough to get it all out intact. But I do like Tatiana's idea of the storyboard template. Most of the time my scenes come to me completely out of order.
I agree with the story already being there, and having to type fast enough to get it all out. I think I do the same thing – I just "cheat" by doing in in storyboard form before I "lose" it.
After going through a ton of revision on mss #1 I did something similar to storyboarding which was Inventorying and it worked great. Nothing is better than seeing an overview of your book in short sentences.
I had to learn the hard way, too. My novel #1 (with no outline) took me almost 3 painful years to write and revise – and after all of that, it's sitting in my drawer indefinitely for now. I agree with you, there's nothing better than seeing an overview of your book.
Say something else bad about Vodka!! Vodka gives us LIFE!!
*sighs and shakes head at you*
I love this! INK IS CHEAP in comparison to the weight gained and all the other bad habits I get into trying not to print things out over and over. Thanks!!!
Think of all the stress we could have eliminated if someone had of told us that earlier, right?
Thanks, Tina!
Hey! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Clearly, I didn't know we were just supposed to talk about the beginning. I guess I'll just go more in depth. But like you, I print out my first draft and read and make notes. IN fact, I'm printing it out tonight! Catcha next week!
Yeah, it was a challenge for me not to go into too much detail this week too. But you did a fine job on your blog.
Happy revisions!
Tatiana–You seem so organized! I'm working hard to get a draft/outline of my WIP this time, so it makes the revision stuff easier. Thanks!
In addition helping make revisions a little less painful, the outline/storyboard is a great help with writing that synopsis needed when submitting the book to an agent/editor.
Thanks, Kris!
Even though I've just been writing by the seat of my pants with my first novel, I think creating a storyboard–even after the fact–will help me organinze my thoughts when it comes to revising the whole thing!
I agree, even having one after the fact is helpful.
The funny thing is that you will pretty much have to write an outline anyway if you have to submit a synopsis – why not write it a little earlier so it can help you with revisions, too?
Ugh! I hate revisions. It never seems like I am ever satisfied enough with the finished product.
Heh, I'll tackle that in a couple of weeks …
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