Revisions, Revisited
One more word on revisions.That sound you just heard? Joan running screaming for the hills.
I have to admit I'm fascinated by her revision methods. I can't do it the way she does, and that's part of the allure.
My personal style of revising comes from the strategies I teach my students in Writers Workshop. I use something called "Picture Framing," which I adapted from Writing to Win by Dr. Warren Coombs. I have to do this with a hard copy of my manuscript, and it involves breaking the work into "frames" -- anywhere the picture changes. Then I go through and mark it with A for "add," D for "delete," R for "revise," M for "move" . . . along with minor notes on what changes I need to make. This method allows me to work on both big and minor level revisions at the same time.
I also revise by doing a "circle and add" technique (also borrowed from Coombs -- the man is a genius). I go through the hard copy and circle sentences where I need more detail. In that pass, that's all I do -- look for places to "circle and add."
I've tried highlighting, etc., but it simply doesn't work for me. But give me my frames and circles and I'm just fine.
What is your favorite revision technique?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 6:00 AM
7Comments:
OMG - you had me going, Lin. My stomach contracted when I read the word...I can't even write it.
I've decided I'm going to have to learn to love revisions. No way around them in this biz. Kinda like vegetables...although I've gotten around that one for about 40 years. No way around the revisions.
I'll let you know if I find one. :-D
Joan, I'm trying to get myself excited over revisions too. LOL, I never compared them to vegetables, but I will from now on. I'm telling myself it's exciting turning a blah middle into a page-turning one. If I tell myself long enough, I might start to believe it.
Linda, your way is a little ... anal for me, although what I did for my wip is probably similar. I wrote scene summaries, decided what to cut, what to move, and what new scenes needed to be put in where.
There's a process to revisions?
You girls scare me.
OMG, Edie. You think she's anal...you'll think I'm a frigging fruit basket!
:-D
Tee hee hee...
Yes, it's true. I'm the only sane one in the group.
Bwahahahahah!!!!!
Y'know, as many times as you've described that process to me, it just doesn't make sense. Maybe it's the visual learner in me - or maybe my mind just refuses to wrap around it.
Guess I'm stuck with perpetual revisions as I go. :-)
Linda, my method is really simple and uncomplicated. I write. I sub to my CPs. When I'm finished, I got back and look at my CPs crits, and change what I think works (this is the easy part of revisions), then I let the ms sit for a week. I print out a hard copy and mark up. Then put those changes in and print again. Let it sit another week and then do a final read through. But I do a lot of revision as I go. I go back regularly and clean up and change while I'm writing, so I like to thing things are pretty clean by the end.
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