Mar 19 2010
How I Revise a Novel
Dear Rachel,
I’m getting ready to revise the first book of a story of mine, and I’d like your advice on the subject. My plan was to read through my draft and just enjoy it as a story, and then I would read through it again with pen in hand. Do you have any other suggestions?
Sincerely,
Elisabeth
How can I turn away one of Inklings’ faithful Elisabeths? I can’t, so I wrote her back with my usual revision process. I hope you find it helpful as well!
Hi Elisabeth!
When I revise I usually read, as you said, just to enjoy it as a story. But things WILL jump out at you that need fixing, so I write notes on the pages or keep a notebook beside me and write them there. For this first read I try to focus on story issues–characters that need deepening, scenes that aren’t working, continuity problems (like plot threads I started and forgot about), anything that doesn’t make logical sense, new ideas that come to me–all that sort of thing. I don’t get bogged down in the wording on that first read-through.
Once I’m done that, I make a master list of all my notes, and then I go through the book and work on each thing. Sometimes it just means rewriting a scene, sometimes it means checking every scene that involves a certain character or plot thread and tweaking it so the character or thread is strengthened. This is usually the longest and most involved part of revising.
Then I read the book again to make sure the changes are working.
After that, I read through again to tackle the words themselves. I usually stick earphones in my ears, turn on some kind of soundtrack music, and read the book out loud to myself, editing as I go.
Once that’s done, I send the whole thing off to a handful of beta readers who tell me what they think is wrong with the novel and what they like :). I make any changes I’m going to make based on their suggestions, and then I proofread the whole book one more time. A new trick I’ve just learned is to change the font for that final proofread. It will help you see the words differently so that errors will jump out.
Congratulations on reaching this stage of your writing! That’s exciting :).
Blessings!
Rachel
Thanks for posting me e-mail! I like the way you referred to the commenters who share a name–”Inklings’ faithful Elisabeths”!!
Thanks also (again) for answering my e-mail. :-)
How lovely to share this, Rachel! Hehe. I wonder how many of your readers are writing their own novels. I am. Probably quite a few! Thanks for letting us see your process! Most helpful.
~Rael~
Rael, I suspect most are :). Glad you found the post helpful — every writer does things differently, but that’s my overall approach. I find it works.
I agree with the other Elisabeth:
“I like the way you referred to the commenters who share a name–”Inklings’ faithful Elisabeths”!!”
:)
And thank you for the ideas!
I have a question. Do you print each version as you change it? My stories are quite a bit shorter than your SW Trillogy novels, and I can’t imagine the amount of paper and ink you could potentially go through! I’d love to know at which stages you think hard copy is beneficial to be worth the trouble printing, and if there’s several stages at which it is, how in the world you keep everything organized!
~from an oft-unorganized lass~
[...] a comment on my recent “How I Revise a Novel” post, Rael asked, I have a question. Do you print each version as you change it? My [...]
Ok, I am a 14 year old writer….. my first real book I have written and finished, and I really, REALLY, want to get it published. I have no idea where to start first. I am re-reading and editing parts of it, making this or that make sense, correct a word, but after I edit the story, where do I go from there? Do I look around for a publisher, I found a website that can help, but I don’t know if there are any steps to take that may (or will) increase the chances of my book getting published.
Please help,
and God Bless,
the aspiring writer,
Jen Alley
Hi Jen! It sounds like you’re really starting at the beginning, so I recommend looking in your local library system for books on how to get published. They will explain the general process and help you get started. Basically, if you want to be traditionally published, you’ll be entering the query process: finding a list of agents or publishers you want to submit to (do your research), writing a good query letter, and sending it to each person on your list. You could also attend writer’s conferences–it’s a good way to learn more about writing and publishing and also to meet with editors and agents. But it’s a lot pricier than querying!
Then you can follow publishing blogs (such as those by agents, editors, and writers) to keep up on the publishing industry these days. If you want to self-publish, check out April Hamilton’s “Indie Author’s Guide.”