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I'm facing a major revision right now, so the topic's been on my mind.

Right now I'm rewriting the last 2/3 of a completed book. This isn't the first big rewrite I've done on this book, but it's going to address several new issues, change the focus of the second half, and probably cut out a character while increasing the importance of other characters.

I revise best on paper, so I printed out the manuscript (so glad I have a laser printer). I usually read through it, make notes with a red pen, and take down more extensive notes in either a notebook or on my laptop.

When I can excuse the expense, I'd love to have an e-reader of some kind (leaning toward the Kindle Sony Touch at the moment) because it would let me take my revisions with me without lugging around a huge stack of paper. (And it would mean I don't have to waste as much paper, since I'll likely be printing it out more than once.)


So:

How do you revise?

Any organizational tips to share with everyone?

What's the biggest revision you've done?

I'm just coming up to having to edit my novel now. I'll finish it tomorrow (relief, yay!) and then I'll let it sit for a week or so and work on a short story or two, or maybe even just work for university and getting fit. That way when I come back to it, it'll be fresh.

It's been a while since I started writing it, so I don't think I need to give it much longer than that. Plus, I want it edited in full by July at the latest. Anyway, I've been contemplating how to edit it. I'm tempted to print it out, like you said, but the problem there lies in the fact that I'm a poor student and can't afford ink or paper other than what I absolutely HAVE to use. My other alternative is to rewrite/edit on the computer, and then in the Easter break get my step dad to print it out at work. By then, hopefully, I'll have a second draft to work with, and so having it printed out will enable me to look at plot holes and bigger things than spelling/grammar that I can do easily enough on the computer.

I think that's what I'll have to do, since I can read more when I'm reading on paper. I get horrid migraines if I'm on the PC for too long reading. @_@

I don't know about giving tips, other than to break it down into manageable chunks. If you're reading for too long you'll get numb to all your errors, so it's better to do it in small chunks with fresh eyes than get more done but still miss silly mistakes.

I've never really edited seriously before, so this will be my biggest revision project, but I've worked on short stories for my creative writing class before, so I suppose they count. ;3

XD Don't we all wish.

This is my hm... I think third major rewrite of the book at this point. xp Just haven't gotten it quite right yet, but this should hopefully be the last time. Well, to get it submission ready, then there will be more edits if that goes well. Always more edits! But honestly, I like editing, so it's okay, and I've stalled on the current project anyway.

Taking some time away from it is so helpful. Right now I've been away from my book for a couple of months, so part of the obstacle is refreshing my memory. But it's also good, because it's letting me remember what I love about this book, and I got some space and time away to work on something completely different.


Ah, I take it you don't get any free printing at your school? When I was a grad student, we got 1000 free pages a semester. ninja Not that I ever used nearly that many, but I will admit to printing out two novels. I just catch more when I edit on paper, plus it's really satisfying to scribble and cross out entire pages.

Line editing I usually just do on the computer, reading out loud so I don't miss anything. I save that for last, though, because there's no point fixing the little fiddly issues when I might end up cutting that part anyway.

Racheling: Nope. At university we have to pay something ridiculous like 3p or 6p to print one page, so that'd probably end up working out at like £9 just to print my novel, and I just can't afford that. >_o

Printing out my story has always been a problem too. I've been sneaking around in school computer labs for years.

I'm really bad at revising, cause I can't just fix what I've already done; I pretty much have to rewrite the entire thing. Uhg.

Racheling, I am so jealous of your Chantilly Lace. Just you wait three years... then I'll have the money I need to throw into gaia.

I'm working on revising a story right now that seems never ending. rolleyes

I'll try to explain my method, and hopefully it'll help someone out. Apparently I'm incapable of writing something short. redface So strap in, here we go!

The first thing I do when I'm working from a barebones story is revise from the beginning to the end, one section at a time. This way I can stay on track and feel like I'm accomplishing something rather than drowning under the word count. I personally feel like you can't really start your story until you know how it's going to end, and (personally) the beginning always needs the most work. So I make sure the beginning and the end "match" (no radical character traits disappearing/appearing, consistency in the writing itself, etc.) and can add in adequate foreshadowing without leaving gaping plot holes. It helps if I can keep in mind that I've already finished the story, and thus I know that there is an end in sight. (Try not to start editing before you finish the story. I did that and now I'm in an endless loop of revision. gonk )

As I get ideas for things that I need to fix or change in other parts of the story, I write out post-it notes and stick them to my desk. So I have notes from source materials that I'll eventually need, and ideas littering my desk while I'm writing other parts. When my desk area get's full, I dump them into a bulleted list called "Notes" which I keep in the folder with my story files. I've got a semi ordered list going. Whenever I start writing a new chapter, I keep the Notes doc open as a refresher. Generally, I start thinking/planning what's going to happen two chapters ahead of where I'm writing, which can be extremely frustrating since I want to write about what I'm thinking about now.... I have (no) self control! I swear! xd

That said, if I have ideas for the next chapter, that are the "effect" of some previous event, I write that "effect" in the draft I'm working on of that chapter, and Note that I have to write the scene that is the "cause" in the next round. It just saves me some time to think of each chapter as it's own story.

Hopefully this means that I can go back and edit specific chapters out of sequence as they're needed, but I'm not quite at that stage yet.

The other thing I've found helps me, is to have a "rejected pieces" doc for the large chunks of text that get cut. That way, when I remember writing a segment that I erased just a bit too hastily, I have easy access to it. No more wishing I had that segment to rewrite, but alas it's lost to the ether.

I also keep a copy of each completed draft. The chapter's themselves get the newest version of the revision, and pasted into the new draft's document as they're finished.

I've found that having a beta reader (even if it's a friend or roommate or sibling) to read it and give me feedback works well. I have long discussions about what needs changed, these discussions generate post-it notes, and then I add them to my Notes and the next revision.

Lastly, I don't revise right away. I'm too close to the story right after I write it to accept harsh critique (which is all I ever hear, even if the first 90% of the discussion is about how "awesome" it is). It takes me between a week and a month to forget the details of what I've written down. That way I can read it with open eyes and really pick apart the details. Fortunately my story is so large at this point, by the time I'm working on the middle, I've forgotten the details of the end.

Now that's while I'm doing a second draft/rewrite of the story. I find that editing it is a completely separate process.

When I edit, I like to have it on paper in front of me so I can mark my changes in pen. Something about computer screens make me skip over the errors in my work. Print is much harder to avoid. Printing it out all at once would be a nightmare. I've even resorted to doubling the pages printed per sheet, and the amount of paper I use is still ridiculous. But having the words on paper helps me analyze things like individual word choices and the sequence of the paragraphs. When I'm writing it out, I just want it on the page. I edit as I go along of course, but the true in-depth look, where I scrutinize every word is the very last step. Again, I do this step with friends and get in-put as I'm working on it, because there's just as much (if not more) guesswork and nerves in editing as writing.

I do a final read through out loud, before I post it (or call it done) to catch any lingering typos and awkwardness, because despite all my efforts, there will be lots of lingering "oops's".

And then after I post it I go back and get the ones that still somehow slipped through. xd

I hope some of that helps someone. heart .