Revisions
Thanks for hosting me today! I’m excited to be here.
Let’s talk about revisions. For me, the first draft is the fun part. It’s the part where anything and everything is possible. As a firm believer of sucky first drafts, they are for my eyes only.
The real work begins with revisions.
I try to let the manuscript sit for at least two weeks before I go back to read it. During revisions, I concentrate on larger issues such as:
Plot- Am I connecting the dots? Do things fall in place and make sense? Is there enough risk?
Character Development- What was the image of my MC in the beginning, middle, and now at the end? Has there been a significant change? Was this change fluid? Or is it forced? Are all characters relevant? Are they likeable? Real?
Scenes- Are all scenes showing what I want them to show? Is the transition narrative from scene to scene written well? Am I developing characters in scenes? Are the scenes moving the plot forward?
Dialogue- No talking heads. Is there a balance between movement and speech in dialogue? Is the pacing right?
Everything research related has to be complete at this point.
It helps to change mediums for revisions.
I make changes on a hard copy of the manuscript. Once I’m done, I format a pdf version and read it on my kindle.
What does your process look like?
About the author
Elizabeth has worked in the community for the bulk of her professional career. She enjoys quiet moments, action flicks, and dancing with her four-year-old. THE SECOND SIGN is her debut novel. You can find more information about Elizabeth at www.elizabetharroyo.com.
THE SECOND SIGN
Dark YA Paranormal Romance
By Sapphire Star Publishing
When a demon guardian comes to collect seventeen-year-old Gabby’s soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.
As Gabby and Jake—her almost boyfriend—begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.
Thanks for hosting me! =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post!
DeleteI'm a big fan of changing the medium with each revision. I've used the Kindle to do a read through, but it's not my favorite.
ReplyDeleteKindle is the only way I can keep from line editing!
DeleteI have yet to do revisions in a different medium; have heard even changing the font helps. I suppose I have done that; I use Scrivener and I can export over to Word and use a font I don't usually read. I never thought to put it on my ereader... I would go crazy not being able to edit though!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of changing mediums. Strangely enough I was just telling myself to print out my manuscript when it's completed, and go through it by hand. Since I have a kindle I can also send it across to myself if I want to get a better idea of what it would read like as a finished product.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Elizabeth and Beth.
I use the kindle notes option to jot down areas that need attention. I love it because it retains the actual page of the pdf file. =)
ReplyDeleteRevision is my fave part. I'm reading a draft of mine on my Kindle and it is quite helpful as a revision tool.
ReplyDeleteI love using a hard copy to edit. I think it's the former teacher in me, but bring on the colored pens and post it flags! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good plan for revising. :-)
ReplyDeleteyou've got a great revision plan! something I need to do adopt, versus what I do- editing while I write!
ReplyDeleteWhatever works best! I still use the red pen and stickys. I wish I can edit as I go sometimes, but I probably won't move from that spot.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas for revision. Like the changing mediums especially one you can't edit as you read.
ReplyDelete