#amrevising

[jennadevillierwrites]

Revision work this morning! I finally finished my scene list and I’m ready to get started on my opening chapters once I write my new synopsis and query letter 😌

[morganhazelwood]

Space Fantasy Revisions Are Done!

Sure, I need to run a couple grammar checks and do some cleanup. But the revisions. Are. DONE!

[franticallypsychichologram]

[anthonysol07]

I am no longer me

The road forward is forever clouded

And the road back is broken glass

All along the road, even when moving foward i walk backwards

[sometimesrosy]

Holy shirt balls. Thanks past me.

I need this now as I am doing a second (third sometimes?) of another book and I get gloomy over a chapter ending without tension or the switcheroos I have to do with timelines, or my lack of an ending because what I thought was an ending is not, actually.

I recognize the comments I made here in the book that I wrote which are now actually all fixed and wrapped up with a pretty little star spangled bow. Actually, those problems are fixed, but new problems were discovered in querying (too long, the beginning is too passive, I want to break it up into two books) but while I'm letting that one breathe (I take long breaks when I revise which isn't bad because it gives you a perspective) I'm writing a second draft of a different book, set in the same universe but two generations down the line.

This is a reminder to me and everyone who needs it:

In revision you get to PLAY with your book.

You are SUPPOSED to have flaws in your first draft.

Revision is DESIGNED to add depth and layers and craft.

When something BUGS you about your first draft, absolutely one hundred percent stop and fix it. Even if it's just a minor doubt. That doubt is a flaw. Your readers will definitely see it.

There is no such thing as perfection. You CANNOT make a perfect book, so give up the attempt and instead go for authentic and human and well rounded.

Only YOU can tell your story. And you know what? The world needs your story, so let your revision make it the best story you can.

Respect the story. Respect your audience. Respect yourself as a human being.

Okay that's it for now. I have some revisions to work on.

Fun Things To Do During The Second Draft

I’ve spent a lot of time in my life writing first drafts. Sometimes they get finished, sometimes they don’t. But I’ve learned a lot from it.

The next phase, The Second Draft, is a comparatively new phase for me. Do not be fooled. Your book isn’t done after one go. And maintaining that energy long term, past the first blush of getting the story out, is part of writing.

Each time I do a second draft, I get better at second drafts. And this time… I’m kind of having fun with what used to be a torturous process of OHMYGOD WHATDIDIDO? HOWDIDIMESSTHISUP? HOWDOIFIXIT?

Now I understand that the first draft was me telling the story to myself and getting to know my characters and discovering how things happen. So the second draft is going back over it and detailing, expanding, hilighting, and fixing the comical mistakes that happened when I didn’t know my characters quite so well. Which are NOT a flaw or a sign that i can’t write, but part of the writing process and a sign of how much the story has grown and I have grown as a writer.

So. A list of fun things you can do while revising your first draft:

Toss in foreshadowing. that’s a hint, y’all. it’s gonna come back later. I know because i can’t wait til you see it.

Switch someone’s character description, gender, hobbies, personality traits, etc. Because some of my secondary characters went from little to big, or male to female to non binary, or from alive to dead. Shut up. don’t @ me. I kill people in my stories. Anyway, it’s quite a shocker to be reading my first draft and find a character I decided to kill off walking around and talking. No no. It’s not quite as bad when I misgender a character or have them speaking as a tough guy when they’re really quiet and spiritual. Or make them a tiny delicate girl instead of a physical force to be reckoned with. No no. Fix that. Ew. Gives me the willies.

Take out the “blah blah” OMG, shut up MC. I don’t want to hear you go on at length about how you feel about your sister. You know how when some boring person won’t shut up and you have to listen to them? Second draft. Don’t have to listen. Shut them up. Interrupt them. Have another character butt in and point out their mopiness. Make them take action instead of ruminating. BRING THE SISTER IN AND HAVE HER SHOVE IT IN HIS FACE. 

Laugh at how cardboard the MCs are in the beginning and then add in some details that you know from later to make them vaguely foolish… or maybe sad. Sometimes both. Both is good.

Come up with subplots for the secondary characters who were ignored the first time around and sprinkle that in throughout the whole story, so that by the time they get to the end, they too have had a transformation that we only realized in passing because it wasn’t the main plot.

Realize how small scenes through out the first draft connect to the larger universe you have created and realize that if you tweak this or that, you can set up BOOK TWO. Like, from the very beginning.

Oh yeah, those secondary characters with subtle character development? They’re getting a romance in the sequel. And that leads to conflict and connects with the politics and the science fiction. And OMG I’m discovering something about my new plot by revising my old one? YAY. I’m outlining book two while revising book one. Oh, the foreshadowing. 

Enjoy the story. Read it like a reader. If something turns you off or makes you close the doc, take that as a sign that it won’t thrill your reader either. That troublesome passage/chapter has a problem, and you need to puzzle it out. It’s a puzzle. Figure out what bothers you. Take it out or fix it. For me, I’ve seen too much blah-blah, a character who doesn’t belong in the story, a flat character who is boring, too much backstory, a passage that needs more action or dialogue, a character who is acting OOC. Each time it’s a sign that I need to give attention to the problem. And when I figure it out and fix it, it’s SO much better and I get happy again. 

Have fun with your second draft! It’s like a game where you can rearrange things and see how that changes the whole picture. 

[charliejaneanders]

One of these days I'll be able to re-read the final chapters of The Prodigal Mother without bursting into tears #amrevising

[spazcool-blog]

The final scene of the rough draft. More posts from this piece may follow but not the fully revised version. I hope you've enjoyed the lovely mess. #horrorwriting #writingcommunity #writing #amediting #amrevising #writersky #horror #scp 🖊️📚💻

[spikewriter]

No matter your situation, I wish you warmth and love. If you find yourself alone, you are in my heart. I've been there, and I know how dark these days can feel. #ThursdayThoughts #AmWriting #AmWritingRomance #AmWritingHistoricalRomance #AmWritingMystery #AmRevising #RomanceWriter #Thanksgiving

[kit-campbell]

Dealing with Critiques and Commentary

#amwriting #amrevising

It’s been an interesting week, squiders. (And a tiring one. I’ve got a cold and so I haven’t been able to sleep much. Part of me wants to go take a nap, but it’s not like I’m going to be able to breathe any better right now.) Both my in-person critique group and the critique marathon got Chapter 13 this week, and to say there is a range of responses would be an understatement. At times like…

[words-after-midnight]

Tell me about your revision process?

Revision is my favorite part of the process! I love taking the rugged rock of a first draft and polishing it into a diamond.

My revisions for a novel or longer project are typically pretty extensive. This is what it's looked like for every version of Life in Black and White since the first version of the manuscript, including my current revision (yes, I made this diagram on MS Paint):

The first step in the cycle is always making a new outline for every version, which attempts to address areas of improvement and beta reader comments that I want to address in the new version. Revisions have taken anywhere between a few months to a year depending on revision goals and what major changes I'm expecting to have to make.

[colubrina]

Daily Word Count: 286

Look who’s in positive territory again!  That’s right, it’s me! 

[jennadevillierwrites]

Long time no post! I just realized I forgot to post a very exciting writing update here 😌

I’m now represented by Jamie Vankirk at Rainbow Nerds Literary! 🌈 Jamie just GOT my writing and my characters right away, and I can’t wait to go on sub with her in the new year 🥰

I’ll post my How I Got My Agent blog post here, too, if it fits. If not, it’s on my website! 👇🏻

[clarislam]

A small writing update: 

I just finished revising my NaNoWriMo project (the one I finished in eight days) and now I have two different drafts to read through later on.

To explain: I realized the "all is lost" section of the first draft of my project could easily come earlier in the story, so I made a separate copy and rewrote the story in that copy to test that out. When I read through both versions, I'll see which one works better narratively.

[radicalrevisions]

[authoraliwinters]

So week one of my class was mostly just intro, what to expect, when assignments are due, etc. So I decided to start reading ahead and taking notes for Lesson 1... I am about to start page/section/module?/dot 9 out of 23. And I have taken 17 pages of notes of terms, definitions, and examples. Granted, this isn't a full-sized notebook but a 5.5x8 notebook. I took 8 pages of notes tonight and stopped because my hand cramped up. lol My notes are pretty because I'll use different color highlighters to make terms, and keywords like "always" and "never" stand out. That way it's easy to find the term I want and refresh my memory. I may not need to take such detailed notes, but it won’t hurt. . . . . . . . . . . #authorlife #class #onlineclass #studying #notetaking #prettynotes #colorcoordinated #neverstoplearning #amwriting #amrevising #bookworm #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #author #bookaddict #booktok #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #writing #theneverendinglesson #bookish #notebook #bookpics https://www.instagram.com/p/CTd1HQBs7r6/?utm_medium=tumblr

[spazcool-blog]

The climax, in rough. Please enjoy. #horrorwriting #writingcommunity #writing #amediting #amrevising #writersky #horror #scp 🖊️📚💻