Excerpts from
Revision is a Process
Revision is a Process
Below are the Foreword followed by a few pages from the beginning of the book
FOREWORD
A first draft holds the possibility of what will be a great story. Revision turns that rough diamond into a spectacular gem worth a reader's money and time.
This guide reveals the most common and chronic maladies of writing genre fiction that prevent readers from thoroughly enjoying a story.
As promised to the readers who followed the 2015 Writers Cheat Sheets Blog, I've put those Revision is a Process posts into this guidebook. Based on two decades of research, reading, and trial and error in developing my own revision process, I'm sharing additional information, tips, how-to's, and why to's.
Although cheat sheets were at the end of each of the original blog posts, I've arranged them into one document at the back of this guide. The categories basically follow the main text.
Whether using this guide's cheat sheets or reading them as reminders of what needs editing, I encourage you to develop your own system for self-editing and make your story the best it can be for your readers.
To those who have found revising your work a frustration, may this guidebook help you learn the principles behind revision-as-a-process, which gets the job done with far more consistency and accuracy.
Persevere—and write the stories of your heart.
Catherine E. McLean
http://www.WritersCheatSheets.com
http://www.CatherineEmclean.com
http://tinyurl.com/WCS-Connect-With-Catherine
*******************************************************************************************
CLARITY TRUMPS ALL RULES — Catherine E. McLean ©2010
*******************************************************************************************
SECTION 1
AN OVERVIEW OF REVISION IS A PROCESS
When you race to get books up before they are ready or not care that the manuscript is not your best work, that stuff stays around forever—and hurts you.
—Susan Meier, Author
The rhetoric runs deep that fiction writers must shun analyzing their work because doing so will destroy the creative process. It's the old analysis equals paralysis theme.
Hogwash.
Knowledge is the power that enables a fiction writer to rise above the ordinary and commonplace.
Yet, nothing causes more aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration than having to revise and rewrite a story.
Revising a story means analyzing what's been written so it will generate 'a movie' in the reader's mind—the same movie you, the author, envisioned and strove to create with your words.
Editing in all its forms may seem like a never-ending torture, but here's the thing—clarity trumps all rules. If the story isn't clear to the reader, then you, the writer or author, have failed to share your stories, your views, your characters, and your plot's twists and turns with the reader's mind. And never forget that--
READERS ARE LOGICAL PEOPLE
Readers are judge, jury, and
executioners of books and stories.
Many writers realize that when their books don't sell. For others, it's seeing one-star reviews that basically say, "There's a story here, but it's not well told."
I can't stress it enough—readers only have the words on a page to go by to visualize a story and its characters.
Here's another reality—all manuscripts benefit from editing. Of course, there is the expense of hiring developmental and copy editors (who are worth every penny), but it is best to hire a copy editor after you've self-edited your story and made it the very best you can.
If you have recently completed your first manuscript, you likely will not be familiar with many of the terms in this guide that deal with aspects of writing good fiction. If so, take the time to educate yourself and broaden your knowledge base. Learn all the craft techniques and devices of good fiction that you can. How-to books on writing fiction, storytelling, and craft techniques abound. Interestingly enough, I've found the best treasure troves of information come from how-to books by teachers who are also authors.
Notice I said books. Reading Internet blog entries and essays will give you a glimpse of a topic but they don't delve deeply into a technique or device. However, a book by an expert can.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge helps your work stand out to readers and gives you an edge when submitting to publishers. If self-publishing is your goal, knowledge gives you a far better product to market.
Yet, there's another essential kernel of information that can minimize the aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration of self-editing. And that is--
Change your mind-set
about self-editing and revising.
Adopt the mantra of--
revision is a process.
That's right, revision is a process. A logical, straightforward process where you don't try to find and fix everything at once. Instead, you break the monumental task into component parts and focus on only an item or two at a time.
Okay, so the reality is that creative people, especially writers, hate logic and straightforwardness. And it's a fact that logic and creativity have always been at war with each other. After all, creativity gives a writer a high like no other. It's the fun part of writing and storytelling.
On the other hand, revising, rewriting, and self-editing are linear, logical, objective—and not fun.
But necessary.
Ever so necessary if one intends to be commercially successful in the writing business.
~~~end excerpt
A first draft holds the possibility of what will be a great story. Revision turns that rough diamond into a spectacular gem worth a reader's money and time.
This guide reveals the most common and chronic maladies of writing genre fiction that prevent readers from thoroughly enjoying a story.
As promised to the readers who followed the 2015 Writers Cheat Sheets Blog, I've put those Revision is a Process posts into this guidebook. Based on two decades of research, reading, and trial and error in developing my own revision process, I'm sharing additional information, tips, how-to's, and why to's.
Although cheat sheets were at the end of each of the original blog posts, I've arranged them into one document at the back of this guide. The categories basically follow the main text.
Whether using this guide's cheat sheets or reading them as reminders of what needs editing, I encourage you to develop your own system for self-editing and make your story the best it can be for your readers.
To those who have found revising your work a frustration, may this guidebook help you learn the principles behind revision-as-a-process, which gets the job done with far more consistency and accuracy.
Persevere—and write the stories of your heart.
Catherine E. McLean
http://www.WritersCheatSheets.com
http://www.CatherineEmclean.com
http://tinyurl.com/WCS-Connect-With-Catherine
*******************************************************************************************
CLARITY TRUMPS ALL RULES — Catherine E. McLean ©2010
*******************************************************************************************
SECTION 1
AN OVERVIEW OF REVISION IS A PROCESS
When you race to get books up before they are ready or not care that the manuscript is not your best work, that stuff stays around forever—and hurts you.
—Susan Meier, Author
The rhetoric runs deep that fiction writers must shun analyzing their work because doing so will destroy the creative process. It's the old analysis equals paralysis theme.
Hogwash.
Knowledge is the power that enables a fiction writer to rise above the ordinary and commonplace.
Yet, nothing causes more aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration than having to revise and rewrite a story.
Revising a story means analyzing what's been written so it will generate 'a movie' in the reader's mind—the same movie you, the author, envisioned and strove to create with your words.
Editing in all its forms may seem like a never-ending torture, but here's the thing—clarity trumps all rules. If the story isn't clear to the reader, then you, the writer or author, have failed to share your stories, your views, your characters, and your plot's twists and turns with the reader's mind. And never forget that--
READERS ARE LOGICAL PEOPLE
Readers are judge, jury, and
executioners of books and stories.
Many writers realize that when their books don't sell. For others, it's seeing one-star reviews that basically say, "There's a story here, but it's not well told."
I can't stress it enough—readers only have the words on a page to go by to visualize a story and its characters.
Here's another reality—all manuscripts benefit from editing. Of course, there is the expense of hiring developmental and copy editors (who are worth every penny), but it is best to hire a copy editor after you've self-edited your story and made it the very best you can.
If you have recently completed your first manuscript, you likely will not be familiar with many of the terms in this guide that deal with aspects of writing good fiction. If so, take the time to educate yourself and broaden your knowledge base. Learn all the craft techniques and devices of good fiction that you can. How-to books on writing fiction, storytelling, and craft techniques abound. Interestingly enough, I've found the best treasure troves of information come from how-to books by teachers who are also authors.
Notice I said books. Reading Internet blog entries and essays will give you a glimpse of a topic but they don't delve deeply into a technique or device. However, a book by an expert can.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge helps your work stand out to readers and gives you an edge when submitting to publishers. If self-publishing is your goal, knowledge gives you a far better product to market.
Yet, there's another essential kernel of information that can minimize the aversion, angst, depression, distaste, and frustration of self-editing. And that is--
Change your mind-set
about self-editing and revising.
Adopt the mantra of--
revision is a process.
That's right, revision is a process. A logical, straightforward process where you don't try to find and fix everything at once. Instead, you break the monumental task into component parts and focus on only an item or two at a time.
Okay, so the reality is that creative people, especially writers, hate logic and straightforwardness. And it's a fact that logic and creativity have always been at war with each other. After all, creativity gives a writer a high like no other. It's the fun part of writing and storytelling.
On the other hand, revising, rewriting, and self-editing are linear, logical, objective—and not fun.
But necessary.
Ever so necessary if one intends to be commercially successful in the writing business.
~~~end excerpt