The Craft of Revising
By Allison Winn Scotch | June 10, 2010 |
So I know that it’s craft month here at WU, and thus, I’m going to discuss craft, but part of me shudders at the thought of opining on the subject because, well, I’ll be honest, four books into this shindig, and I’m still not sure that I’m one to be giving advice on craft! Why? Because I know – 100% that my pantsing methods – absolutely won’t work for everyone, and in fact, sometimes don’t even work for me. What I mean by that is that there inevitably comes a point in my writing process when I want to bang my head against the wall and wish that I were an outliner, that I didn’t have to struggle through the difficult process of letting my characters take the lead rather than figuring it out in advance. But I know that outlining also wouldn’t work for me, so I stick to what I know, and what ultimately produces the best book, as frustrating as it might be at times.
But one aspect of craft that I DO feel well-versed in is the revision process. Because I AM a pantser, I think the real work of crafting my books, of taking them from good to (ideally) great, comes in the second round of writing, not the first. With the first draft, I’m so busy figuring out what happens next that I sometimes (okay, often) don’t realize where I’ve veered off-course. And, let’s be honest, it’s also often not until the last third of the book that I realize what exactly the entire book is about. So it’s in the second draft (and third and fourth), where I really roll up my sleeves and start shaping the book.
This was never more true than with my novel, The One That I Want, which was just released last week. (Shameless plug: um, feel free to pick up a copy now!) This book went through six or seven different incarnations, partially because I struggled to pinpoint my protagonist’s voice but partially because the craft of writing this book was excruciating. It’s the story of Tilly Farmer who is given the ability to see into the future…but…here was the problem: as the writer, I didn’t know what her future would hold because (drumroll), I hadn’t written that part of the book yet! So I drafted and redrafted, each time getting closer, but never fully getting it right. Finally, on the sixth draft, I hit upon it: her voice, my connection to her voice, what the future held for her, and how I could write that honestly and organically.
Needless to say, it wasn’t easy. But – and this is a big but that I think some aspiring writers don’t want to see – it SHOULDN’T necessarily be! I’d argue that revising is as important, if not MORE important, to your overall process of crafting a strong book than the initial draft. Revising is the time that you cut out exposition (puts readers to sleep), axe scenes that don’t forward the action/plot (drags down the actual action), change things that aren’t working, and add in new characters who invigorate your pages. One of my main – and most important characters – in The One wasn’t even in my initial draft! I can’t even contemplate the book without her now, so thank goodness that I was open to taking the book apart, adding in what needed to be added, erasing all the unnecessary elements. This character, Ashley, took the book to an entirely different place – a much better place, and set the book off in a totally different direction.
So that’s what craft is to me. It’s starting with your skeleton, and being willing to smash it and piece it back together. Revising isn’t as glamorous as writing the first draft, and to be honest, it’s probably less fulfilling on some sort of emotional level, that one that is so gratifying when you reach the last page. But of all the things you do for your book, I’d argue that it’s the most important. Don’t neglect it, even when – and I speak from experience – that sixth draft feels like it might kill you.
Photo courtesy Flickr’s Roberto Verzo
Allison Winn Scotch is the bestselling author of six novels, including IN TWENTY YEARS, THE THEORY OF OPPOSITES, and TIME OF MY LIFE. Her seventh novel, BETWEEN ME AND YOU, will be released on January 9th, 2018. In addition to fiction, she pens celebrity profiles for a variety of magazines, which justifies her pop culture obsession and occasionally lends to awesome Facebook status updates. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. For more about her and her books, go to allisonwinn.com or follow her on Twitter at @aswinn.
I am so glad to read this. I wrote my manuscript, 60,000 words, in a month. I am now in my 5th month of revisions and haven’t made it out of my first ten chapters yet.
I’ve felt like I was doing something wrong because I couldn’t easily see where everything was going or supposed to go. You’ve made me feel 100 times better by simply sharing your own experiences.
Thank you.
.-= Kali´s last blog ..A little bit of lace =-.
I’m an outliner, but I go through a similar revision process regardless of how much (hard) work I put into the outline. By the way, I just finished The One That I Want last night, and my experience was that it flowed flawlessly from your finger tips at the first sit down. ; ) So I guess that means your revision process was a success because the final product made it look so easy!
Thanks for the post, Allison!
Thank you! I’m glad to know others work in a similar pattern to mine. Outlining does not work for me either. My first draft is very basic and gradually evolves as I revise, and revise, and revise. I’ve lost track of what draft I’m on, but I feel closer to being in the “sweet spot” every day.
I am struggling with the last third of my book and I cannot wait for revisions. They sound so sweet and innocent compared to the turmoil of getting these fresh words onto the paper right now. Of course, I know I will struggle when I get to revisions too. The thing I keep learned is that no matter where I am in the process, I always decide that THAT part is the hardest part of writing. ;)
.-= Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist´s last blog ..Six Things I Learned From Writing This Week =-.
Given that my debut novel’s main character *is* a skeleton, I enjoyed the analogy! I am also a pantser with an inclination to write with a rough outline in mind, but I was uncertain how that might work when I started getting not only critique feedback for revisions, but professional feedback for revisions. I have since tried storyboarding and colored post-its and plot arcs graphed on poster paper…but so far the only thing that has worked is taking a step back and learned from the awesome wisdom of my editor.
She knows what she’s doing, even if I’m not sure! ;-)
“Don’t neglect it, even when – and I speak from experience – that sixth draft feels like it might kill you.” – I do feel like its about to kill me, so thank you for these words. I also feel like without this process, yes, my book was exposition-driven, etc. I would also recommend picking up a book about self-editing or taking a class – I can’t say how much this was important for me in helping to find my voice, cut repetitive imagery and create more dynamic scenes.
.-= Meagan Lopez´s last blog ..Returning to The List =-.
That’s so interesting that Ashely wasn’t in the first draft, because she was so important to the story. It almost makes revision exciting, just knowing that a whole new character could pop up at any time. Of course, the domino effect of that is not so fun, but worth it in the end.
Thanks for the insights!
.-= Erika Robuck´s last blog ..Interview: Hyatt Bass =-.
Great, honest post. Revision is different for every writer. I think we all have to take our tools — often a sledge hammer– and pound away until something snaps and we see the light.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
.-= Lou Belcher´s last blog ..LIfe… Punch it up a bit before you write about it =-.
I was just talking to my critique group last night about this — how different The Kitchen Daughter was when I first wrote it. Different characters, different plotlines, different vibe, different everything. And it’s only through major (and painful) revision that it’s become the book that it is: one I’m very proud of, and very happy with. It wasn’t a bad book before, but it didn’t sing the way it does now.
Like you, I kind of wish I could hit it this head-on on the first or second draft instead of manhandling the manuscript through successive revisions! Maybe next time…?
.-= Jael McHenry´s last blog ..wordless wednesday xli =-.
I’m glad you gave your advice — it may NOT work for everyone, but it likely WILL resonate with someone. I personally am thrilled to hear what a struggle revising is for you. I find it physically gruelling, and if I was told I didn’t have to do it, I’d be the first one on that bus!
However, when I do finish revising. . .what a euphoric feeling. I’ve gone through an epic struggle like my characters have, and I’ve emerged a stronger person, surprised that I could do something that seemed nearly impossible when I started.
So thanks for sharing your experience. It’s nice to know it’s not a solitary journey.
.-= Donna Cummings´s last blog ..Cricket in the Bathtub =-.
I, too, am an organic writer, letting the characters walk me through their story.
And I know it’s going to make me sound like a masochist, but I rather enjoy the pulling apart and putting it back together, at least, most of the time. There are times I want to bash my head against the wall and I gnash my teeth and wail through the process.
I am halfway through The One That I Want and one of the things I’ve noticed is the seamless flow. It is beautifully written. So, it’s good to see how much sweat and angst when into making it seem so natural.
.-= joannmannix´s last blog ..This Is Not Really A Post But I’m At A Friend’s House Today =-.
This is so true, even for those of us who pre-plot a little. I consider myself a Let’s-Build-A-House-er, which is a happy medium between an all-out plotter and an all-out pantser.
I can’t take credit for coining that phrase, though. That honor goes to Janice Hardy. :)
https://storyflip.blogspot.com/2009/10/get-up-and-get-out.html
What I love the most about revisions is that you really do know your characters at the end of a first draft in a way you didn’t at the beginning, and the questions you ask yourself become less of “what’s going to happen next?” and more like “what would he/she really do or say here?” It is definitely more analytical/less emotional than a first draft, which is why it can seem more like tedious work at times.
.-= Lydia Sharp´s last blog ..52 Qualities of the Prosperous Writer: Number Twenty-Three, Vision =-.
Allison, thank you for this. Between Ann’s post of yesterday and yours, I’m learning my own expectations of a first draft have been so grandiose, it’s no wonder I’ve paralyzed myself at times.
Onwards and upwards.
.-= Jan O’Hara´s last blog ..5 Things to Know Before WordPress Freshly-Presses You =-.
I am a plotter and I also revise. An I kind of like the revision process – up until the 10th polish.
It seems to me the pantsing or plotting approach is all about how to get the first draft done. For me plotting is about knowing I have enough story to make a book. I learn things as I actually write that change the plot – I do a quick outline revision when that happens.
Revision for me is about layers of process. And I don’t try to get the final polish done until I am satisfied that the story is uncluttered and full of conflict and each scene moves the story forward.
Thanks for the post.
I’m delurking to tell you that I love this post. And thank you.
.-= shawn´s last blog ..Guest posting about Art + Spirtuality =-.
Great, great post! And I’d say this is true whether you are a pantser or a hopeless control-freak outliner (*raises hand*). Writing is re-writing, whichever process you chose.
Hey guys,
I’m so glad that this post resonated with so many of you! I try to be as transparent as possible about the writing process, and the bottom line is that sometimes, it just ain’t easy! And thank you Joann and others for saying that The One That I Want feels effortless. That is truly the highest compliment I can get about this book. THAT is what those revisions were all about: pulling off the slight of hand – making it look easy when it was anything but. Seriously, thank you!
Keep revising. It CAN be done! :)
Allison
I am very much an outliner, but let me tell you, sometimes things don’t go according to plan and you still have to wait for the characters to lead you. I try to let them do it a bit while outlining (so I can switch between where they want to go and where I want to go and hopefully create something coherent), but sometimes they don’t show up until the actual writing starts. With my last manuscript, I’m still not sure I found the main character’s voice, and if I did, it’s not what I originally imagined, so like you, most of taking the story from halfway decent to (hopefully) great will be in the revision stages. (And yes, I’m sure there will and should be more than one.)
.-= Kristin Laughtin´s last blog ..True Writing Stories (Part 1?) =-.
“Writing is rewriting.” I don’t know where I first heard this, but it’s been true in my writing life. Even the initial words on paper are really a rewriting of what I’ve already written in my head.
Currently, I’m working on the final revision of my novel as I look for agents. I’m working through the book “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Renni Browne and Dave King. Definitely recommended.
.-= Laura Droege´s last blog ..What home remodeling taught me about dealing with conflict =-.
Enormously useful post, thank you. I believe it will take me many more go’s to get it right because, yeah, I’m still finding things hidden in the eaves of the story. But, the hard part is, has to be, rewarding.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Just some random thoughts =-.
“It’s starting with your skeleton, and being willing to smash it and piece it back together.”
Love it. Thanks for a great post. I don’t think we want to hear that things are easy — we should know better by now, right? — but it’s good to hear that things can become great even when they feel like torture, that things can work out right, or maybe even better than we envisioned. We want hope, you know? And inspiration. And encouragement. You provide us with plenty of it all. :)
.-= Kristan´s last blog ..Scenes from a childhood =-.
I never could outline, you could point a gun to my head-I can’t do it! My characters rule the story. They do what they want, and like a mother with a bunch of kids, I let them mess up and come back and say, that they messed up and then I make them clean up.
Weard, huh?
I LOVE this site. My first time coming here and why did it wait to do this I don’t know! I’ll have your site on my “faves”!
Funnily enough, I find writing to be the more agonizing and less satisfying part. All those blank pages… Sure, during the rushes it’s good, but so often I end up staring at those blank pages and sighing. I much prefer taking a weak first draft and making it better through editing than facing that partially blank page day after day, creating new sentences.
.-= Shannon´s last blog ..Voyeuristic Explorers Unite! =-.
Wow. You know what the book is about by the last third! I wish I did that. My last novel, I didn’t know what it was about until two weeks after I’d finished it.
[…] yesterday, I posted about pantsing, and pantsing about pantsing. Today I found an article at WU on much the same topic, but the author’s focus was actually about revisions and […]