Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: How Do You Revise?

I read it out loud. It is humbling, mortifying an...

2009-06-17T12:38:39.105-07:00

I read it out loud. It is humbling, mortifying and enlightening all at once. You realize the faults in your dialogue, the gaps in your descriptions, the absence of tone. Or you get really excited that you nailed the moment.

What did we do before computers? It's not that di...

2008-05-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

What did we do before computers? It's not that difficult for me as I am not in love with every word I write. I can toss a paragraph, a page, a word, a chapter. But rearranging chapters like I'm doing now is causing me to re-think my career choice.

My mother called herself a "pre-writer", not a re-writer. She didn't use a computer and would think and think and think, and write the story in her head until she could sit down and dash it off like Mozart with few revisions.

Print the whole draft, apply red pen, enter change...

2008-03-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Print the whole draft, apply red pen, enter changes in the computer. Repeat at least 20-25 times, until I can read it without picking the pen up.

Then I submit it to my editor for comments, and after that I start the real revisions.

As for wasting paper, one government department kills more trees changing their letterhead on a whim than all of us writers put together will use in our lifetimes.

All of the above. I write the story to get it out,...

2008-03-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

All of the above. I write the story to get it out, work with my critique partners/plotting partners, listen to their opinions, advice, and feedback, and then start at the beginning either changing, or slicing scenes and adding new stuff that needs to be there.

I've gotten to where I can get the story written andtightened in 2 sweeps. The third sweep is where I check for missed typos and continuity things like hair color, the spelling of names, do they have three hands all of a sudden. That fun stuff.

I write young adult fiction so there are no 'unnec...

2008-03-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

I write young adult fiction so there are no 'unnecessary' scenes; everything is critical to the plot. That said, my current novel is over a hundred thousand words.

The first draft was horrible, written in a plain-text editor (on purpose) so that I did not fall victim to the thesaurus effect.

For the second, I edited each chapter in Word, one paragraph at a time; I don't believe in rewriting more than a single paragraph, it is that 'flow' of initial creativity that I think always needs to remain.

Once each chapter is revised, I print it, and my significant other reads it aloud; then, I edit the paper copy, and enter those changes into the computer.

The second draft completed, the entire manuscript is printed two times, and one copy each is read by myself and my partner; we make our notes (both small and large,) and then all of that is revised in Word.

This final draft is then printed and sent to several people, who then make their own notes and suggestions; they are then, hopefully, returned to me. I employ their ideas to my own personal taste, and then the novel is declared finished; as I am obsessive-compulsive revision could go on forever if not terminated with prejudice.

One thing I've started doing that hasn't been ment...

2008-03-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

One thing I've started doing that hasn't been mentioned already is running my text, usually a chapter at a time, through a word counter that gives me a list of most frequently used words, with numbers. (A recent chapter yielded 28 uses of the word 'back.') Then I go back (See? Impossible to avoid!)and make changes to the ones I have used too often. As David Long (writing teacher and writer) says, never repeat words except on purpose.

From having my writing looked at by many people, other writers, my husband (world's harshest critic) and teachers, I know what my bad habits are. With that in mind, in addition to reading for sense and grammaar, texture and flow, I look for examples of my own foibles. For example, I'm a 'just' queen, so I go through and get rid of the word 'just' in my dialogue.

1st : just going through myself once and adding / ...

2008-03-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

1st : just going through myself once and adding / deleting needed scenes/ prose. checking for grammar, dialogue, etc.

2nd : using one crit group's notes and comments. i don't incorporate all advice, only what makes sense to me and my story.

3rd : using second crit group's advice.

4th : another revision for flow and consistency.

5th : final revision by reading aloud.

This is exactly what I wanted to read about today!...

2008-03-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

This is exactly what I wanted to read about today! Thanks.

I'm revising my first finished novel right now. I started out clumsily; revising as I went. That was a mistake for me because it took over 2 years to get past 24,000 words. I finally sat down and finished the novel adding 40,000 words to it in one month. I got a lot down on paper and it really helped my brain start to function in the fiction realm of writing.

So how am I going about it?

1. I let the novel sit for a week.

2. Researched how others revise a novel

3. I read it from start to finish making notes (in a separate notebook about scenes, character inconsistencies etc) and small edits.

4. Now I am hands-on editing and revising. I’ve taken out a lot and added or enhanced parts of my novel that needed work. I never delete, just cut and paste the parts I don’t want to use and put it in another document.

5. After I finish my first revision I’m going to hand it over to 2-3 people for their editing expertise and then I’ll revise one last time before I send it out.

My goal is to send it to at least 30 agents, 10 publishing houses directly, and if no one bites within a year, I’ll probably self-publish.

I’ve already started another manuscript, a novella, and hope to have that published soon after my novel. Or maybe it will happen the other way around.

http://hubpages.com/profile/zannr

On good days: with a workshop.

On bad days:...

2008-03-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

On good days: with a workshop.

On bad days: with two hands and a flashlight.

During the first draft, I always start the day's w...

2008-03-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

During the first draft, I always start the day's wtiting by re-reading what I wrote the previous day and making any edits that come to mind. This tightens up the story as I write it, so in effect its already been editied once by the time the first draft is finished, and it gets me back into the story for the day's new writing.

I usually keep a separate Notes file for major revision possibilities for the 2nd draft I'm not yet sure about during the first draft.

Thanks, Nathan for asking. Revising my almost 74K ...

2008-03-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Nathan for asking. Revising my almost 74K novel, at least for me, is akin to plucking unwanted, excessive, body hair. (Do you feel the pain?) After completing the first draft, I went straight into the second, believing the work needed only "minor" revision. (Sigh)! Alas, the poor manuscript necessitated a TOTAL and major overhaul. Arrrgghh- Kill your darlings! Arrgghh!

Reading it aloud to myself (and my dog that now sleeps much better), begged the question,- What drugs was I taking when I wrote the first draft? (The answer, of course, is none.)

Still, I take comfort in knowing, that in the end, my novel (or novella) should turn out all the better-and didn't you mention that shorter novels are now in?

the easiest question posed to me in months. how do...

2008-03-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

the easiest question posed to me in months. how do i revise? compulsively, endlessly, repeatedly.

Nathan, for those of us debut authors who are just...

2008-03-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

Nathan, for those of us debut authors who are just partnering or about to partner with agents, what would you say are the top agent-author newbie mistakes to avoid?

The invention of the desktop computer and the word...

2008-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

The invention of the desktop computer and the word processor completely deserves honorable mention, if not complete credit for 99.99% of ALL the editing I have been able to accomplish.

Man, I just wasn't that good of a typer!

Now a days, I reread what I wrote the day before and then begin writing. As I write, I edit, improvise, invent, change things as I write.
A missing element, chapters back, can occur to me and presto, I can go to it!
I am completely in love with spellcheck as a saving grace.

However, I just cannot SEE my own typos on a computer screen.
At some point, I have to print it out and look at it on paper. Usually at least three times.

Draft 1 - Print out - red flair - read aloud - red...

2008-03-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Draft 1 - Print out - red flair - read aloud - red flair - edit - print out -etc, repeat several times. Save each version in separate files. Lots of red flairs, printer ink & tons of paper. A tree hugger's nightmare - but then, we also drive big ass SUVs that have V8 engines and get 14 miles to the gallon - 7mpg when we pull the big ass boat. Oh well.

I love to revise! I put my manuscript aside for a...

2008-03-13T09:44:00.001-07:00

I love to revise! I put my manuscript aside for a few weeks to a month. Then I start at the beginning and track my changes. Then I go back through and evaluate my changes and either accept them or change them again. Then I go back through just to read it. Then I go through to make sure the chapters are where I want them. Somewhere in the middle, I may hand it over to a few betas to get their oppinions.

The hardest thing for me is knowing when to stop and trust that it's the best I can make it.

All this coming from an unagented/unpublished author. :-) so it's very possibly my methods are useless! haha

I write the first draft, print it, red-line it, ma...

2008-03-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

I write the first draft, print it, red-line it, make notes for scenes to rewrite completely, notes for scenes to add.
Take that document with me back to the computer and start with a blank document. I make a lot of spur of the moment changes to language and sentence structure in re-typing the whole thing, adding scenes as I go if needed.
Red-line it again for grammatical mistakes. Take that document back to the computer and make those changes in the existing draft two.
Send to betas - consider their comments and make appropriate changes.

I trust my betas, who are mostly writers themselve...

2008-03-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

I trust my betas, who are mostly writers themselves. I believe in several rewrites until the book is polished. I've thrown out thousands of words and went back in and added more. It has to be done.

It's probably best to use two sets of betas. The first after you've written and rewritten. And just when you think it's good, give it to the next set of betas who will eviscerate it and then you whip it into shape.

All of the above. First of all, at the start of ea...

2008-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

All of the above. First of all, at the start of each day's writing session I reread what I wrote the day before, and invariably do a little revision. Beyond that, I generally wait till I've finished the whole first draft--unless I get so stuck that I have to revise in order to keep going. Then I let the draft sit for a while, go back and revise the whole thing. Then I let some people read it, and revise with their comments in mind. That last step might be repeated any number of times before I decide the piece is ready to see the world. I also do separate passes through looking for different things--language, pacing, tension, etc. Inevitably whole scenes, sometimes whole chapters, will get the ax at some point in the process. I kill a lot of darlings.

I don't think I ever "vise" -- only "re"-vise!
...

2008-03-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think I ever "vise" -- only "re"-vise!

I use the (screwy?) screwdriver-method whereby I go back a bit before writing more, tweaking and editing along the way as I get back into the mode and then continue. Sometimes this involves going back a chapter or two, or all the way to the beginning -- touching-up and adding/deleting, killing darlings and hacking with impunity. That's BEFORE my critique partners ever get their hands on it.

And then, of course, the whole thing starts again!

I have a firmly-held rule of thumb that no manuscript goes forth into the world that hasn't been thoroughly ripped apart by 5 people who are in no way related to me, either by blood or friendship, first.

-- duskydawn

We shall revise until we have a sellable product. ...

2008-03-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

We shall revise until we have a sellable product.
First draft. Rewrite.
Read it all out loud so we can hear the flow. Rewrite.
Take to critique group. Rewrite.
Probably read aloud again before sending out for the final rewrite.
However advice only taken from those in the business. Other published authors (my critique group), agents, editors, etc.
Agents are gatekeeper gods
Editors super gods

I use a keyboard.

2008-03-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I use a keyboard.

I'm only guessing here, since I'm still on first d...

2008-03-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm only guessing here, since I'm still on first draft, but I'd think you have to get away from it for a little bit. Watch some bad movies. Drink some wine. Do something inspiring (watch a good movie? Watch The Wire?) and then get back to the little shit. Soft eyes?

This is always my greatest struggle.

I te...

2008-03-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

This is always my greatest struggle.

I tend to be better at rewriting when I see the whole thing printed out.

Then, I will literally start retyping, because EVERYTHING gets better...even whole paragraphs that I thought were brilliant before can be tightened up for sharper dialogue, expanded for a better sense of scene or frankly, I just forgot about an unnecessary character or plot tick.

But it's such a behemoth of a project, that I tend to NOT be rewriting unless I'm holed up in a hotel room for work for a week. :-)

Thanks everyone, that was interesting. I can see ...

2008-03-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone, that was interesting. I can see that a lot of people do what I do, which is "by any means necessary". Cut paragraphs, tweak, polish, slice and dice - it's all good for me.

I usually revise constantly, which means that the first parts of a story / book are heavily edited and the last parts less so. I think that usually shows, so I have to get better at it.

Also, no one sees a thing until I think it's at least readable.

Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: How Do You Revise?

I read it out loud. It is humbling, mortifying an...

What did we do before computers? It's not that di...

Print the whole draft, apply red pen, enter change...

All of the above. I write the story to get it out,...

I write young adult fiction so there are no 'unnec...

One thing I've started doing that hasn't been ment...

1st : just going through myself once and adding / ...

This is exactly what I wanted to read about today!...

On good days: with a workshop.On bad days:...

During the first draft, I always start the day's w...

Thanks, Nathan for asking. Revising my almost 74K ...

the easiest question posed to me in months. how do...

Nathan, for those of us debut authors who are just...

The invention of the desktop computer and the word...

Draft 1 - Print out - red flair - read aloud - red...

I love to revise! I put my manuscript aside for a...

I write the first draft, print it, red-line it, ma...

I trust my betas, who are mostly writers themselve...

All of the above. First of all, at the start of ea...

I don't think I ever "vise" -- only "re"-vise!...

We shall revise until we have a sellable product. ...

I use a keyboard.

I'm only guessing here, since I'm still on first d...

This is always my greatest struggle. I te...

Thanks everyone, that was interesting. I can see ...

On good days: with a workshop.

On bad days:...

I don't think I ever "vise" -- only "re"-vise!
...

This is always my greatest struggle.

I te...