What Is Revision But
a State of Mind?
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Writers often ask themselves “What is revision?” as they attempt to level up their writing craft. And, indeed, revision can be a bit hard to define. To some, it means polishing things up at the sentence level. To others, it means throwing everything out and starting over from a blank page. To most, it’s something in between these two extremes. So what is revision? Every writer gets to make their own definition, but here are some thoughts to get you started.
What Is Revision?
Many of you who are reading this may think that revision is a drag. It’s not as buzzy and energetic as the heady drafting phase. It’s sometimes called editing, sometimes rewriting, sometimes self-editing, and sometimes second drafting, even though revision can span multiple drafts. Writing the initial draft can be time-consuming and frustrating at times, especially compared to that freedom of the first draft, when you are pouring out your words onto the paper. You are creating. You are allowing your imagination to take over. All in all, you're wearing your "first draft goggles" and everything looks amazing.
Then revision shows up to ruin the party.
When you take a look at your manuscript in the harsh light of day, the typos, lackluster dialogue, obvious telling, and flat character development become all too apparent. Five pages of detailing the love interest's glimmering blue eyes, and yet we still have no idea of what the protagonist looks like? It's a tough pill to swallow, but you can still dig into the question of “what is revision?” to turn things around and make your manuscript the best it can be.
A Personal Take On What Is Revision
Many writers take many years (and drafts) to realize that crafting a novel involves structural and organizational labor. It has very little to do with the beautiful sentences until all of the other major components of plot, story tension, dialogue, setting the scene, and characterization are in place. Sure, getting all your ideas in one place (ideally with a novel outline, but with a first draft as well) is a great start, but now it's time to really knuckle down and make it into something coherent and engaging for readers. What is revision? The hard work of putting all those pieces you created into the right places (and some into the garbage as well).
Most writers haven’t come to see it as such yet, but revision can actually be a delightful aspect of writing. It’s generally daunting to approach a first draft manuscript at first, but then it gets fun, like piecing together a complex jigsaw puzzle.
Every character must have motivations and objectives, backstory and interiority, thoughts and actions. Every scene should teach us something about a character or story element. Every chapter must move the plot and character arc forward. Every sentence should serve a purpose in the story—rather than providing a showcase for overwriting or purple prose. The main plot and any subplot should culminate in an exciting and tense climax, and a satisfying resolution. There really is no quick and easy answer to the question of “What is revision?” because there are so many moving parts involved.
In fact, while some writers recommend three phases of revision, such as Matt Bell does in Refuse to Be Done, that’s actually misleading, as even within three main phases of revision, there are many different reads and layers involved.
What Is Revision Really About? Revision and More Revision!
No matter how grandiose or humble, your characters must evolve and progress. They must experience ebbs and flows in their protagonist personality and confidence as the plot wreaks its havoc on them. Yet they must always keep moving forward and being proactive, as their decisions sustain the plot in a cause and effect way. If you’re still trying to get a handle on what is revision, you should recognize that the components of a strong revision are the same as the components of a good story, but separated into layers and pressure tested.
There’s one last trick I suggest if you’re wondering whether you’re done revising: change the font, print it out, and read through the project again. What is revision, after all, if not seeing again. Even if that means tricking your brain, which is probably already very used to every sentence, word, and comma. Doing so will help you to view your work with fresh eyes and you may even be surprised by the glaring errors and inconsistencies that jump out at you. So next time you’re stuck, give this nifty trick a try and see if it helps you get your piece up to scratch!
Most published authors tell me that the revision process can take up to five times as long as the initial draft stage, and that is completely natural. In fact, a lot of writers spend all that time revising just so they can give their manuscript to their critique groups or beta readers… and revise some more! Guess what? You’ll have to revise if you score a literary agent and a book deal, anyway. What is revision? Simple—it’s anything you want it to be, as long as it keeps you moving forward in a relentless pursuit of craft.
(There is no real answer to the question of how much revision is normal, either. It’s very individual, but if you’re just moving commas around, I’d venture a guess that you’re not going deep enough yet. Feedback from a trusted writing buddy or freelance editor might help jumpstart your rewriting process.)
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Click here to purchase Writing Irresistible Kidlit, my book on fiction craft for MG and YA novels, out from Writer's Digest Books. This will show you my writing craft philosophy and give you lots of valuable advice, including tips for the novel revision process and self-editing. There are over 35 example novels cited and discussed throughout. It’s a valuable resource for any writer’s toolkit.
Click here to purchase Successful Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.