Revise That Thing

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. For more about Shan, check out her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

A few of you have asked about edits and revisions. Before I get into what I do, I want to point you to Jill's and Stephanie's book, Go Teen Writers: How to turn your first draft into a published book. It's a phenomenal resource. In fact, I use it as my primary reference when I'm mentoring teen writers. I RARELY tell teens to go out and buy a writing book because there are so many free resources on the internet, but this one is worth it. Especially if you're ready to edit.

I won't be getting as detailed here as you can expect the Go Teen Writers book to be, but since I am currently working on revisions, I'm happy to walk you through my process. It's looked a little like this so far:

Using all the resources available to me, I made my book as good as I could make it. Oftentimes we think we're ready for outside feedback when the truth is, we haven't put forth our best effort. Now, feedback can be good at many stages, but for the purposes of editing and revision, you need to pass off your best work if you expect a helpful critique.

Again, this is where the Go Teen Writers book can help you. It will walk you through the basics including questions on point of view, plot, structure, novel tense, world building, theme, and character development. It's hugely beneficial to apply these things to your work BEFORE you ask readers for feedback.

I found educated readers. Note the word educated. I didn't just go out and troll the internet for possible readers. I asked four of my writing friends to read my manuscript and give me their thoughts. I did not want to be processing the thoughts of the masses; just the thoughts of a select few who understand the craft of writing and can help me get better.

If you don't have a writing friend you trust to give you solid feedback, I invite you to introduce yourself in the COMMENTS section of this post and throw out what you're looking for. The Go Teen Writers FB group is great for that sort of thing as well. Say something like, "I'm looking for a critique partner who can give me honest feedback on my first chapter." It's always best to start small and see how you gel as partners before you dump a 100k words on one another.

I processed the feedback I received. It took my beta readers about two weeks to get through my manuscript and get their thoughts to me. Once they did, I had a LOT of information to process. This is how I did it:

• I made my own list. I read all four emails with a notebook and pen at the ready and I made a list of the things they'd like to see addressed. If more than one reader noted the same thing, I only listed it once. This is how I condense all my feedback into one document.
• I eliminated some of the suggestions. Every now and then I'd get conflicting feedback. One reader liked something and another reader didn't. This is normal. I had to exercise my best judgment in these situations and that sometimes resulted in scratching off a suggested revision.

I started revising. EVERYONE does this differently. I revise in two layers: major revisions and minor revisions.

• Major revisions: Based on the feedback of my readers, I had two or three scenes that needed to be reworked. I did those first. Changes like this--BIG CHANGES--always cause a ripple effect in your story. Fixing one scene will demand you adjust other things in your manuscript as well, but that's okay. There's another round of revisions coming.
• Minor revisions: Next, I opened my manuscript on the computer and started at the very beginning. With my list at my elbow and my readers' feedback fresh in my mind, I moved slowly through my manuscript making the minor revisions as I went. I also paid close attention to the nitty gritty details. Every revision requires you to check your manuscript for continuity. This is a great time to do that.

Sometimes a minor revision turns major and I have to stop what I'm doing and focus more fully on that specific issue. Also, very normal.

Editing a novel is messy and hard to explain to someone who's never been in the thick of it. I'm always amazed when someone knows exactly how many drafts of a manuscript they've completed. Whenever I'm asked that question, I have to guess. I have no idea. After the first draft, subsequent versions of my stories are not counted. I simply do not work in complete drafts like that. I work in word chunks and scenes and things like counting are best left to the math folks.

Now, in my case, this manuscript was destined for my agent. After I finished my revisions, I sent it to her for feedback. And then, guess what? I processed her feedback in much the same way I processed the thoughts of my beta readers. I made a list, eliminating all her verbiage (her compliments, her suggestions, her pretty language) and making it simple for me to read. I am currently revising AGAIN using my two layer method.

So, that's me. That's how I do it. My process isn't the only RIGHT one, but it works for me. The only way you'll know what works for you is to give it a go and keep trying until the process clicks. It will be messy. Be okay with that.

Tell me, friends, where are you on your writing journey? Are you editing or drafting or giving others feedback? How's that going for you?

If you'd like to read more of my thoughts on editing, here you go.