Anna Staniszewski

The other day I put together a list of helpful revising tips. Reading those made me think about my own revision process. It’s not the same for every project, but in general I’ve found that certain things work best for me. Here’s how I approach revising a first draft:

1. Feedback. I give the manuscript to at least a couple of beta readers. While I’m waiting for their feedback, I go on to step 2.

2. Outline. After letting the draft sit for at least a week, I read it through and make an outline. I make sure to note the setting, the main action, the characters’ emotional states, and the number of pages in each scene/chapter. Seeing the story laid out like this gives me a better sense of pacing and plot/character arcs. I note any inconsistencies or trouble spots.

3. Small changes. Armed with the beta readers’ feedback and my outline notes, I go through chapter by chapter, making changes and looking for any other holes I might not have noticed. When I change something relatively small in one chapter (e.g. the character now has a pet mouse), I make a note to myself to look for spots in other chapters where I can put in the new pet.

4. Large changes. Sometimes entire scenes or chapters need to be taken out or rewritten. This usually results in large changes that need to occur throughout the book. If the main character’s motivation suddenly changes, for example, I focus on that one element and go through the entire book fixing just that one thing. This may take a long time, but I find it’s worth it.

5. Polishing. When I’ve gone through the entire book, making all the needed changes, I read through one more time looking for things to polish. This is when I look for smaller issues like repetitive wording or weak phrasing.

6. Rinse and repeat. Once I have a draft that feels complete, I send it to some more beta readers and start all over again.

Throughout the process I ask questions to keep myself going: Are the stakes high enough? Is there enough tension to keep the story moving forward? What do I want readers to think/feel in this scene?

Of course this is a very simplified breakdown of how I approach revision, but overall I find that it’s a balance between getting good feedback and giving yourself enough time to sort out problems. It can be tempting to rush revision and tell yourself that what you have is good enough. But giving yourself some extra time to think and reflect can work wonders.

In a way I think writing is a lot like wood carving. You start with a block of wood and you give it a rough shape. Then you bring in some outside viewers and ask them what they see. If what you intended isn’t what comes across to them, you have to go back and start shaping again. You repeat the process until every curve of wood conveys what you want it to convey, or at least as close as you can get it.