An Ode to Revision
Posted by annastan on February 22nd, 2012. Filed under: Revision, WIP, Writing the Sequel.If you heard angels singing yesterday morning, that was because I finally did it: I went from drafting to revising Book 2. Hooray!
It’s funny. Years ago, before I had any clue what I was doing, drafting was my favorite part of writing. In fact, I hated revising. I was convinced that I’d gotten it right on the first try. Um, yeah…
Now, after many years of working to improve my craft, revision has become my favorite part of writing. Why? Because I’m a control freak, and revising is the ultimate opportunity to put everything in order. The first draft is messy; revising allows me to vacuum and dust and scrub until the story starts to shine.
I was so excited about revising that I literally spent morning until night working on the book yesterday. I’d say that’s a good sign. I know I’ll run into stumbling blocks–I always do–but it feels good to know that every change I make brings me closer to making the story work.
Anyone else loving revision at the moment?
February 22nd, 2012 at 8:49 am
Woo-hoo! I’m loving revision right now! (Or I would be if I didn’t have three kids home from school this week!)
Your advancement is making me think I’m going to have to put the pedal to the metal with our challenge! I love that about writing–it can take so damn long, and then in one week, everything changes. Things accelerate from a snail’s pace to a lightning storm!
GO YOU!
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:01 am
That is so funny, because I feel exactly the same way! Well, not at this very second, since I’m revising a troubled scene. HOWEVER, I used to hate revisions, and now I love them. I used to think that revisions were a sign that I sucked as a writer, that if I ever finally learned how to write then I wouldn’t have to revise much at all afterward. A little polishing, maybe exchanging a few commas, but no big overhauls. Now, though, I’m seeing that revisions are fun because that’s when the book truly takes shape. They’re hard. They’re painful. They’re scary. But the story’s already there, the characters are there, the idea is there. Now I just have to perfect it. And since I’m a perfectionist, that works for me.
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:51 am
Good for you, Anna! The first round of revisions can be overwhelming for me so sometimes I dislike it. But once I get into the revision groove, it becomes exciting to polish and add and cut and change and make the story better and better.
Keep it up and have fun, Anna! And if you need some inspiration, here’s a Monday post I did last December just on revision quotes: http://lauramarcella.blogspot.com/2011/12/monday-quote-day-on-revision.html
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:43 am
I Writerland the big R is supposedly Rejection. I give little emotional weight to that inevitable part of the journey. My big R is Revision. I’d love to catch your spirit, Anna, and love that R.
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:31 pm
That’s awesome. Congrats on getting to the revision stage! I like revising too, because its when you can take your time getting the sentences right.
February 22nd, 2012 at 6:21 pm
I’ve always loved revision and am terrified of first drafts.
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:18 pm
I love the feeling of writing the first draft, the freedom, the toss my shirt to the wind kind of thing; but, like you, revising feels great too as we shape it into what we want it to be. Congrats!
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:43 pm
I hate drafts. With a passion. Boo!
I love revising. You can fix so many things. You can’t go anyplace but up from this point forward.
Good luck!
February 23rd, 2012 at 8:34 am
Yay, congrats! Enjoy it!
Though I have to say, I tend to be the opposite… I like the polishing of revision, and feeling like my draft is getting closer and closer to right. However, I hate the self doubt, and the worries that it will never be as good as it needs to be. Whereas in drafting, all mistakes are okay. Much less stressful for me!
February 23rd, 2012 at 5:07 pm
Wishing you the best for your revisions. I know you will whip this baby into shape and have a best seller out there