I am so behind this month!!! But I got it done. Here’s this month’s #InkRipples post!
Revision. For some authors, this is the best part of writing. For others, it’s worse than a trip to the dentist. But what is it?
I like to think of revision as the art of taking the lump of stone and polishing and cutting it until it reveal the gem that it truly is.
So, what does that look like?
Remember in school, when you had to write a first draft, then a second draft, and maybe a few more drafts before creating the final copy? Well, writing a book is a little like that.
You start with a first draft. Mine used to meander all over the place, as I didn't do much plotting before hand. It was fun, as I got to get a story down pretty quick, but the revision part became a nightmare. Huge sections would be removed completely as they didn’t fit with where the story ended up. In fact, some of my first drafts barely resemble the final product at all. Names changed, descriptions changed. The entire plot changed.
Anyway, once you have your first draft, you go back through it and see what it needs. I usually need to add in descriptions and emotions. Once I’ve added what it needs, I go through again and see what it doesn’t need. What can I take out to make it stronger? Then I look for overused words and phrases. Then I look at my word usage to see if I’ve used the best word choices. Then I send it out to my beta readers* for their thoughts. Then I repeat the process until I think it’s ready to submit for my publisher, or ready to publish on my own, depending on what series I’ve written for.
*[I also send to my betas as I am writing, not so much for feedback, but to make sure I get my pages written. And yes, my betas, I know I owe you all pages. Hoping to have them for you next week!]
Readers: Did you know all that went into revisions?
Authors: Do you enjoy revisions?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by Katie L. Carroll, Kai Strand, and me, Mary Waibel. We post on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on the #InkRipples tab above, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #InkRipples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation.
This year's topics are:
May: Fairy Tales
June: Blurbs
July: Heroes/Villains
August: Author Options in Publishing
September: World Building
October: Career vs Hobby
November: Finishing that Book!
December: Goals
Hi Mary, I'm not sure I could say I like revising. I prefer the actual development of the story, but I don't hate it. It's all part of the writing process. I will say once I've read my manuscript so many times my eyes droop, that's when it gets hard. Revisions are the bread and butter of good writing, IMHO!
ReplyDeleteRevisions are a necessary evil, for sure! And I'm with you, once you read the story so many times, you get to a point where you never want to read it again...at least not for a long time :-)
DeleteRevision is certainly not my favorite part of the writing process. I say this while, of course, realizing the importance of revising. It often feels like such a slog to me, though the more I do it, the more it's starting to grow on me.
ReplyDeleteI have a love hate relationship with them myself. Usually I don't mind them, but when I've been spending weeks redoing the same chapters, I get frustrated with the process.
DeleteI agree with Katie that I appreciate it more than I used to, so it must be growing on me. Or I'm getting conditioned to understand the benefit of trudging through. I like working with input from crit partners or editors. It's fun when they inspire you to do better.
ReplyDeleteI think that like with all parts of writing, it gets easier (or more understandable and appreciated) the more you do it. And I love working with my CP's and Beta's. They definitely push me to be a better writer.
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