Strategies for Revision

Revision gets a bad name. Most people think of it in terms of copyediting: "correcting" grammar, spelling, and other surface-level issues.

Fiction writers understand that writing is revision, and revision is writing. Revision is re-seeing. Taking a new look from a new perspective.

That's what you're doing with the "show-and-tell" story. That's why I want you to actually print out the new versions (at least some of them).

Here's how I suggest you proceed from here on out:

1. Read what you've got in your latest version. Just read it, without taking pen(cil) to paper. The whole thing.

2. Think about the areas you've worked on so far. Have you addressed them to your satisfaction. Are there things you missed? Note them in the margins.

3. Pick your next area of focus. Make notes in the margin, cross things out, add things.

4. Go and make those changes on the electronic copy. Allow yourself to add and riff, but only focus on that area. Even if you see something that's driving you crazy in another area -- you can address that next.

5. Return to the most recent printed version, this time focusing on a new area. Again: make notes in the margins, cross things out, add things.

6. Make the changes to the electronic copy.

7. At this point, print it out again.

8. Lather, rinse, repeat. Focus on two distinct areas, then print out and "re-see."

9. A word of advice: save "Voice" and "Intention" until the end. Even if you've already addressed them, you're going to do it at the end again anyway.

10. At the "end" you're going to have to revisit all the areas anew. Have any of your changes required changes in other areas? If not, you may not be re-seeing things as dramatically as you could.

You're going to turn in your latest version (wherever you stand on it) at the end of class tomorrow.