Revisions, and why we do them

It's that time of year again, where teachers and students get down to the business of learning.  As many of you know, I teach writing.  And part of writing, and of teaching writing, is revision.  I have a fairly short assignment that I'm doing with one of my classes, one for which I asked students to submit a draft last week so that I could go through and suggest changes.  Only about half the class sent drafts to me originally, then I had a few stragglers submit theirs after the initial ones were returned.  I still have yet to see about a quarter of the assignments.

After the first batch of suggestions and edits, I told students several times to re-submit their work so that I could go over it again.  Less than half of those who submitted have done this, but more are trickling in now that I've begun to hand those back.

Those that haven't submitted drafts by now are out of luck, as the assignment's due next week and I don't see them again until Tuesday.  Of those who've only submitted a first draft, several have asked why they'd need to submit again, considering, as they put it, "You've already corrected all the mistakes, so why bother?"  Then there's the third group, some of whom are horrified to receive a second edited / commented draft that seems to have more writing on it than the first.

I think I'm going to have to put a handout together on the stages of editing, explaining what instructors (and editors) are looking for in the various drafts of a document.

Personally, I like to do at least four sets of revisions.  The first set focuses on larger problems, the most significant of which are barriers to reader comprehension.  The second set focuses on logic, flow, and (for technical writing) accuracy of content.  The third set involves a closer look at document flow, and a first-pass detailed edit.  It's not until the fourth set of revisions that I'm looking to do a detailed copy edit ... and that's if we've managed to get to this stage, as sometimes I have to do two or three passes looking for and fixing barriers to comprehension.

The long and short of it is that multiple edits are needed, especially if you want to produce the best possible document, whether it's a technical report, a poem, or a novel.

Rejections

I'm in the process of making final selections for the upcoming issue of Wolf Willow Journal.  It's been an interesting process, and one that I'm really enjoying.  But I'm fast approaching the point at which I'm going to have to send out a bunch of rejections.  And I'll admit that there's good work that's been submitted that I likely won't accept because it just doesn't fit with where the issue is going.

I was reading a post on one of my Facebook groups yesterday, where an author was bemoaning the fact that she'd sent a particular piece out five times, and received five rejections.  She was ready to give up.  There were the usual "editors have no idea what they're doing" responses, and there were the "I had to submit 200+ times to get x published" responses.  I've had work accepted the first time I've sent it out, and I've got other work that's been submitted numerous times, to no avail.  That seems to be the way it goes, with publishing.

So, what next for the poor writer?  Perseverance and belief in yourself are one key.  Making sure to do thorough market research is another key.  Submitting the best work you possibly can is another, and one that I harp on again and again because, well, it's important.  But none of these guarantee publication.  That's up to us fickle editors, unless you choose to self-publish.  But do remember that a rejection isn't necessarily a critique or comment on your work ... sometimes, it's excellent, but it just doesn't fit.

Perception and misperception

I'll admit it.  I'm a bit of a grammar snob.  Okay, more than a bit, but seriously people, if the first impression you're going to make on someone is through the written word, would you mind proofreading what you're sending out before you hit ?  The source of my ire this evening is a tweet from a popular provider of literary services, a tweet that suffered from a case of plural/apostrophe confusion.  I'm sure they're nice people, but I certainly wouldn't want my work edited by someone who gear's up for things.  

Snarking aside, there's a reason people suggest time and time and time again that your cover letter--whether for a poem, short story, article, book, or whatever--should be perfect.  This is the very first impression that people have of you and your work.  And, perception being what it is, we tend not only to favour first impressions, but also to hang on to negative first impressions.  Not what you want to be doing, especially if your intention is publication.  

So while a typo might be an oversight, the resulting misperception on the part of the reader about your grammatical prowess (and thus your overall writing abilities) is going to be difficult to change.  Take the time to carefully proofread everything you send out, otherwise you might find yourself the victim of misperception.  

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: Where the People Are

It's been a busy, busy summer so far, and I'm just beginning to reach the almost caught up stage, just in time for things to get busy again in a few weeks.  In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of reading and editing, during which one thing has stood out:  where the people are.  I don't mean missing characters, or where they are in relation to your setting.  What I mean is where they areas the action's happening.  

I've read a few books lately where characters seem to teleport into and out of scenes on a regular basis. You think you left so-and-so back in the restaurant, and suddenly they're in the thick of the action ... but where'd they come from?  Were they there all along, or did they just appear?  Readers need to know.

So, when it comes to self-editing, take a close look at each scene and/or chapter, and at the characters who appear in it.  Is it obvious that they were present all along, or are they lurking in the corners, doing their best wall-flower impressions, only to leap into the action when they're needed most?  Continuity is important, as it prevents readers from being pulled out of the story by awkwardness, and a little bit of attention to detail in instances like these can go a long, long way.

Suggestions for new writers: Read, read, and read some more.

I've spent some of the morning reading through submissions for the fall issue of Wolf Willow Journal, and am, in between virtual meetings, trying to get submissions for novels and poetry chapbooks ported to my iPad so I can read them (and make notes) while we spend Thursday and Friday travelling to our summer house.

I'm currently scarfing down lunch, with a chaser of scalding hot espresso, while weeding through a pile of submissions.  I'm also adding to my list, which I'll post later this summer, of things poets (and other writers) should not do, under any circumstances.  But I've gotten sidetracked, which is wont to happen when I'm multitasking, so I'll rein my thoughts back in and set them back on their proper course.

Probably the single most important thing I can suggest new(er) writers do is this:  READ.  And don't just read a little.  Read a lot, an awful lot, then go read some more.  Read within your genre, read outside of it.  Read the good, the bad, and the ugly.  You'll learn something from all of it.  Now, go read even more.  Yes, I probably sound like I'm standing on a soapbox, preaching.  I am.  For a reason.  Reading will help you improve your writing!

One of the reasons that I suggest this is that reading gives you a broad perspective on how other people choose and use words, and to what effect.  It's one thing for me to tell a fledgling writer to broaden his or her use of language.  It's quite another to send them delving through various genres of literature, to see what others have chosen to do with language.  I can tell a new writer that Milton's language is full of vivid imagery, but that same writer is far, far better off to actually go read Milton (including Paradise Lost) and make notes on the passages and phrases that really strike a chord.

Now ... go read a book (or five)!

Self-editing for fiction writers: Character sketches & character continuity

It's been a busy week around here as I'm winding up a couple of editing projects, getting some of my own writing organized, and getting ready for summer holidays.  Part of my organizing was creating extensive character sketches for one of my works in progress.

I haven't always been a big fan of character sketches.  After all, the sketch doesn't end up in the finished work, so there's part of me that looks at it and thinks it's a waste of time.  As an editor, however, I can say that these are one of the most valuable things you can write for your work.

Writing is, for many of us, an organic process.  Many fiction writers eschew outlines, and those who do use these find that sometimes characters develop minds of their own and go off in unexpected directions.  This is one place in the editing process that character sketches can really help.  If we know that we're dealing with a 100-year-old vampire, are we going to expect that same character, on a whim, to start behaving like a whiny teenager?  Likely not.  If we have a complete sketch of that character, we're going to have a far better idea, as writers and editors, of (1) how to identify when a character is behaving "out of character" and (2) how to fix that behaviour so it is in character.

My best suggestion, to improve character continuity and ensure that characters behave and react appropriately, is to make sure that you know what is appropriate for that character.  It might be as simple as creating a one-paragraph character sketch, describing the character from his/her own point of view.  Or it might be more complicated, involving a character "interview" using a tool such as the Proust Questionnaire or one of the many other character questionnaires available online.  Regardless, it's time well spent.  And anything that decreases editing time is a good thing, in my books!

Staying out of the slush pile: Cover / submission letter hints

I've been going through submissions to both Fish Creek Press and Wolf Willow Journal this morning in anticipation of doing a bit of reading over the weekend.  If you're like me, you've done a bit of reading about covering letters, synopses, and the like before submitting your work.  Or maybe you've ignored convention altogether.  Regardless, I'm quickly beginning to see why some work doesn't get read, and a lot of it has to do with covering letters.

Just like a job application, for many editors and presses, the cover letter (or email) is the first thing we read.  In a job application, the purpose of the cover letter is to get your resume read.  In publishing, there's little difference, because your cover letter's entire purpose is to get us to read the first page of your submission.  So please, put a bit of effort into it.

Personally, I don't particularly care what your publishing credentials are, what you've published, where it's been published.  These are nice to know, but because I'm an editor by trade, I'm not even as concerned with polish as some other editors and publishers might be.  What I am looking for, however, is a spark of *something* that I just can't define, that little *pop* that makes me want to know more about your character / topic / whatever.  Without that, a work falls flat and, as an editor, there's only so much I can do, which is why a slightly rough manuscript with verve has a far better chance, at least with me, than a perfectly polished one that's lifeless.

I'm digressing a bit, but it's because I'm passionate about books, about writing, and about stories, above all else.  So how does this help you write a cover letter?  Well, you'll need to make sure you've covered the basics (the who, what, why, etc.) of your submission.  Then edit your letter.  Please?  I received one the other day where the word "editors" hadn't even been spelled correctly.  Then give me a reason to keep reading.  Just as with a job application, I want to know what's in this for me as an editor, as a publisher, and most importantly as a reader.  Why should I read your manuscript?  What's there that I won't find anywhere else?   

Look at examples (and there's lots of those available), but make sure that yours is uniquely ... well ... yours.  Put some personality into it, and don't (heaven forbid) just copy and paste something from the Internet.  Editors do know when that happens.  Really.

Best of luck with your submissions!

Self-editing for writers: Don't edit while you write!

You've got an awesome idea, and have only to get it down on the page.  So you sit down, pen in hand (or fingers on keyboard) and you start writing.  Only you don't like the look of your first sentence, so you go back and revise it.  Then you look at the next two, which aren't stellar either, and revise them.  You write another sentence, then discover another error with your *first* sentence, so you go back and revise that, then an error leaps out from the sentence that you've just written, so you fix it.

STOP!  This kind of writing leads to two things:  a perfect first paragraph, page, chapter ... and nothing else because you haven't written anything else.  Too busy editing, you've forgotten about writing.

I know it's difficult.  We all want our writing to be perfect, but that doesn't mean it has to start out that way.  Words on a page (or series of pages) first, then revise and edit.  Please, please, don't edit while you write.  That way lies madness (and a heaping pile of unfinished manuscripts)!  So don't forget about your writing.  Do it first, and fix it later.  There'll be plenty of time for that when your manuscript is complete.

Self-editing for fiction writers: Starting over

Have you ever had one of those moments, when a manuscript gets rejected for what seems to be the umpteenth time, with a short form letter, and you think:  but I *know* this is good?  I think most of us have, and if you haven't, you're pretty damned lucky ;-)  Yes, there are famous writers whose work was rejected many, many times before it was published, but there are also those who went back to the drawing board, redrafting their work time and time again.  And that's where I'm going to suggest that you start again, from scratch.

I have a couple of short stories floating around in the moment, both of which were finished at the last minute (yes, even I don't follow all of the rules all of the time), which did manage to get shelved for a few days before that final edit, but something about each doesn't quite sit right with me, even now.  The one has issues primarily with the final scene, so I'll revisit that one another day, but this week's major writing project is the revision of second of these two stories.

This second story's premise is sound, the plot line is good, but it doesn't quite strike home the way I'd like it to.  My solution?  Rewrite the whole thing, from scratch.  I've got my notes, there's no dithering around about what happens, but I need to tell this story in a different way.  I'll likely keep the perspective the same, telling things from the point of view of the protagonist, but there are other details that I think should change, and which will change, if I can keep myself from referring to the original draft.

It sounds a bit odd ... after all, you've already written the story, so why re-write it?  But it can and does work.  You may not keep the second draft, but you may find that there are elements of that second draft that, when pieced together with the original, make a much, much better whole.  Sometimes it's just a change in perspective, other times it's a change in tone, different details ... the myriad ways in which the human mind works.  So try it out.  See what happens.  You just might surprise yourself with the results.

Self-editing for poets: Kill your darlings

Okay, okay ... I know it's a cliche, but sometimes they're the best thing to use because they epitomize what you're talking about, so it makes sense to embrace them, at least once in a while.  I've been doing a lot of poetry editing of late, of both my work and my clients' work, and the one thing I'm really noticing, at least in my own, is that sometimes (okay, to be honest, it's most of the time) those lines that you think are just perfect ... they're the ones that have to go.

I'm not sure why this is, but sometimes I suspect that these lines are meant to be the behind the scenes essence of the poem, something that needs to be written, but which shouldn't remain on the page.  Sometimes, I'll write a poem that's darling-less, but not often.  Usually there are one or two (or more) lines that I look at and say to myself, "This, this is just perfect."  Then I cringe, knowing full well that those are the very lines I will likely need to cut.  It's amazing, too, the impact that these cuts will have.  Somehow, other lines and words that were good, but maybe a bit flat, spring to life.  Then, with a bit of pruning of the remaining lines, the poem shines just a bit more brightly.

So give it a try ... take those darlings and push them to the side, and see where your newly bereft poem takes you.  And if you can't quite bear to part with your darlings entirely, you can always save them for another day, another poem.  I have an entire section of my poetry journal that's devoted to poem-less darlings.  What I'll do with them?  No idea.  BuUt at least they're not entirely gone.  ;-)

Self-editing for fiction writers

     "It is wrong.  You should not do that," Jack says.  His arms are crossed grumpily across his frumpy suit.

     There's little question that editing, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it for you, is integral to the writing process.  But if you're like many writers, you enjoy the process of writing, but aren't so fond of editing, especially if it's your own work.  I'll confess that I struggle with self-editing, even though I work as a professional editor. 

     So arm yourself with these five strategies for revision to amp up your writing, and tackle the persnickety problem of self-editing.

Shelve it

You've heard it before, but if you're like me and often working to a deadline, you might wonder if it's really worth putting your project away (for a few days, a few weeks, even a few months) before you take out your editing pen.  Trust me, it's worth it.  Even if you only have a few hours, put it aside, go do something else, and come back to it later. 

Often, when we're up to our eyeballs in a project, we miss things because we've been working so closely with the material.  Some of these will be little things, like double words, protagonists who start off with blue eyes and have green by the end of the story, and characters who don't talk or behave quite true to their established character, not to mention plot gaps, things we may have forgotten to write, and other odd happenings.  Setting a work aside allows us to gain perspective and to look at it with fresh eyes.  And you'll catch far more awkwardness and mistakes than you would if you hadn't given the work time to percolate. 

Be a reader, not a writer

It's true:  writers think differently than readers.  When you're editing, make sure that you're thinking like a reader.  Don't forget to think about your particular breed of reader and why they read.  You want hook them, keep them reading long past the time they'd intended to stop.  So think about the things that draw readers in and keep them interested.  What might your readers think?  How might they feel?  How might they react to your character?  To the plot?  To the setting?

Do a close read and edit

     Oftentimes, writers skim through when they edit.  After all, they know their own work, they know who did it and how, and they know how the story ends.  While skimming is tempting, don't succumb to the temptation.  A close, line-by-line edit can be a powerful tool, and can help you to catch things that don't quite work, things that are easily missed if you're skimming to edit.  Break your work down into manageable chunks, whether by scene, by chapter, by section, or by stanza to make line-by-line editing more manageable.  Editing like this requires focus and time, but it's well worth the payoff:  a more cohesive and better-flowing product. 

 Read it aloud

     This sounds rather silly, and I know that people often look at me as if I'm a bit batty when I suggest it, but it really does work.  If you're uncomfortable reading aloud to yourself, read to someone else (or, even better, have them read it to you).  If all else fails, your dog/cat/fish can be a captive audience, and they really won't care if your writing falls flat. 

For some reason, we can "hear" some errors that we have difficulty seeing on the page, which is why reading aloud works so well.  We'll catch awkward turns of phrase, sentences that are too lengthy, and descriptive sequences that seem to go on without end.  So take the time to read it aloud, and make sure that you're truly listening when you do.

Read, lots

In my experience, writers who read a lot write better than writers who don't.  When reading others' work, take a look at what works, and what doesn't.  If a particular passage really strikes a chord with you, take the time to write it out, long-hand with a pen on paper, to get a feeling for how it was written.  When you come across something you really like, as a reader, take a look at it as a writer, focusing on the elements that went into it, and how those elements connect with the reader.  Read as much as you can, from a variety of sources, not just within your own genre.  After all, the more you read, the better your writing will get. 

Conclusion

There are many, many other suggestions out there--a quick Google search for "how to self-edit" results in 275 000 hits--but editing, whether you do it yourself or not, has a significant impact on your final product.  Just take a look at how a fairly minor edit changes our initial example.

"It's just wrong," said Jack, his grumpiness evident as he crossed his arms tight against the frumpy suit he'd insisted on wearing.  "You shouldn't do it."

It's still not perfect, but it's a far cry from the stilted original.  A closer edit, taking into account the five suggestions we've looked at, would help it even more.  So shelve your work, read others' writing, then return to your work, read it aloud as a reader (not a writer), and do a close edit.  See how a little perspective, and some elbow grease, can change something drab and mundane into the kind of prose (or poetry) that jumps off the page, grabs your reader by the throat, and drags them kicking and screaming into your fictional world.  

The Habit of Writing

Most writing advice you read tells you that the best way to write productively is to schedule time to write.

It's good advice, but anyone with small children will tell you that scheduling anything, never mind time to write, is like trying to climb Mt. Everest backwards in flip-flops.

The key is not that you write at a scheduled time every day, but that you write every day.

It might only be 100 words, scribbled on the back of a grocery receipt, or it might be, on a good day, a couple thousand or more.

What's most important is that you're writing. And if all you're writing about is how tired you are, how grumpy the baby is, how messy your house is, that's fine. Regardless, you're putting butt to chair and pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

It's developing (and maintaining) the habit of writing every day, no matter what, that is significant.

There will be days where you'll think you're too busy, too tired, too sick, too stressed, too whatever to write. Don't give in. Suck it up, take a deep breath, and write about it.