Revision Tips for Writers

Around the end of last month, I posted about the importance of revision, but I didn't really share any revision techniques. This post should help remedy that deficiency.

All writers have their own writing strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I tend to use the word "that" too often in my first drafts. As a result, I look for ways to remove "that" from my writing more than about any other word.

Here are some other big revision tips for writers:

1. Revise big stuff first, make small edits later. This doesn't mean you should not correct obvious typos and grammar errors as you notice them. However, you shouldn't be actively tinkering with word choice until after you've nailed down the structure of your piece. To make this process much easier, I recommend using an outline for your fiction and nonfiction.
2. Put the manuscript down and walk away. Writers need at least a little distance from their manuscripts before jumping into revision. Sometimes it takes a good night's sleep or a weekend-long vacation. Some writers require months of separation before they can look at a manuscript with fresh (and hopefully objective) eyes.
3. Scan the whole manuscript without reading. I recommend doing this at the beginning and at the ending of the revision process. Scanning can make big problems more obvious that a writer might not notice when reading closely. For instance, maybe most sections are the same general length--except for one section that is significantly longer or shorter than the rest.
4. Read carefully. Take your time and read every word. Then, read it out loud too. This will help you catch obvious errors. In particular, pay attention to transitions from paragraph to paragraph, scene to scene, stanza to stanza, etc. Check for repetition and consistency.
5. Look for ways to be more concise with your language. Can you turn a 15-word sentence into a 8-word sentence? Can you turn an 8-sentence paragraph into a 5-sentence paragraph? And so on. Less almost always means more for the reader.
6. Use active voice over passive voice. There may be occasions for using passive voice, but don't let yourself get drunk on the stuff. Passive writing makes for passive reading.
7. Vary sentence structure. Don't fall into the trap of always writing: Noun + Verb + Noun = Sentence. Even if it's grammatically correct, using the same pattern over and over again will make your manuscript boring. Don't feel like you have to get crazy creative with your sentence structure; just check that you're not falling into a monotonous pattern.
8. Save each round of revisions as its own file. Start with the first draft. Then, the second draft. Then, the third draft. Then, well, you get the idea. Saving these files may help if you realize a path you chose in revision ultimately leads to a cliff without a rope bridge to cross.
9. Have someone read the manuscript. The more eyes (otherwise known as "readers") the better, because they'll be more objective when reading, and they're less likely to make "leaps of logic" that a writer might. Ask them for feedback on how the piece reads (fast, slow, awkward, etc.) and if there are any places that didn't make sense.
10. Print the manuscript for a final edit. I edit Writer's Market, which is a huge book, and I love that I waste far less paper now than I did in the year 2000. Most of my edits are on the computer screen. That said, I do have a print out made for me and my proofers when it's time to do the final editing, because there are things I catch on paper that I don't on the screen.

If you use these revision tips, you'll be ahead of the game in your revision process. However, I'd love to hear any other tips or rules writers live by when tackling revision. Share them in the comments below.

*****

Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

Or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Or become a fan on Facebook.

*****

Need a little revision boost? Try these resources:

• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, by Merriam-Webster.
• Roget's Super Thesaurus, by Marc McCutcheon.
• The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White.
• The Chicago Manual of Style, by University of Chicago Press staff.

Good Writers Revise Their Writing

I've worn many hats throughout my life. When I was younger, I considered myself a runner--and a pretty good one at that. But I didn't start off good. In fact, I started off as one of the worst and would often be incapable of finishing races without walking. I got good over time by not "cheating myself," as many of my teammates did (and I'm sure these self-cheaters existed on other track and cross teams in junior high school and high school too). It wasn't my natural talent that led me to win dozens and dozens of races; it was my determination not to cheat myself (well, most of the time anyway).

While browsing Facebook earlier this morning, I saw a status update on the importance of revision from Michelle Obama, and it didn't take long for the unknown (at least to me) writers to start creeping out of the woodwork and refuting the importance of revision. Here are their main arguments:

• The first thought is often the best thought. This can be true, but there's a difference between a great thought and communicating that thought. Revision affords writers the chance to make their brilliant thoughts easier to see.
• Revision takes the "energy" out of the first draft. The energy in the first draft is felt profoundly by the writer. I know, I've felt it myself. It's comparable to runner's nirvana at times. But let me tell you: In most cases, the person who feels that energy the most is the writer. Don't mistake your elation in writing a new manuscript with the elation a reader will feel reading your first draft that hasn't been touched. For the reader, revision adds energy to the manuscript by making it easier to read.

There are two main reasons I can give for why some writers are so revision averse. First, I think some writers are afraid if they revise that they'll never get that first draft back again. This, of course, is easy to remedy--just save the first draft in a separate file. The second reason is even simpler: I think some writers are just getting lazy and cheating themselves.

Do I re-write every manuscript a dozen times? No.

Have I had some pieces published that were exactly the same as the first draft? Yes.

I don't think writers should start making changes just for the sake of making changes. That said, even those pieces that didn't change, I went over them probably a dozen times to look for imperfections that might make the poem better. Heck, I may have even tried re-writes and gone back to the original draft (I'm talking poetry specifically in these instances). But that's part of what being a good writer is.

You build something; you try to knock it down; and if it holds up, you try to find an audience for what you've built.

Now there may be writers who don't agree with this reasoning, but that's okay. They can decide to take the easy way out and avoid revision, but--as with runners who take short cuts or who don't finish off every run--they'll only be cheating two people: themselves and their readers (if they have any).

*****

Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

Or connect with me on LinkedIn

*****

Want some good references on revision? Try these out:

• Revision and Self-Editing, by James Scott Bell
• The Craft of Revision, by Donald M. Murray
• Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore, by Elizabeth Lyon
• The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide: How to Make Revisions, Self-Edit, and Give and Receive Feedback, by Becky Levine