ReVision is Where It’s At: It’s How You Make Your Book Great
11 Practical Ways to Layer Your Revision So You Can Call Your Book Done
Out in the field of ReVision: That’s where the real stick-to-it writers are made.
I have published eight successful books, including my memoir BOUNDLESS, because I was dogged about revision. I do it because I have a great work ethic—and I love the process.
When I revise, I see my book getting better and better.
But revision can feel like a hamster wheel—unless you have a plan.
The secret? Layer your revisions.
Think of revision as a multi-tiered layer cake, with delicious fruity jam filling between all the layers. Pretty nice, right? A reward for every layer.
On that note, let me share how much I like to write about food, with this Medium post, “A Recipe for Desire: Hummingbird Cake and Other Ways to Get to Heaven.” And I’ll be giving a talk on how to write about food at the Stories + Songs Writing Retreat in Italy: “Italian Food As Muse: Arousing Your Senses, Awakening Your Stories.” Subscribe to this Substack to get a taste of that!
But, ah, back to layering. Let’s make that cake—er, book.
There is a reason that Matt Bell’s Refuse to Be Done is one of my most-recommended writing craft books.
Like Matt Bell, I layer my revisions. Each pass through my manuscript has a distinct lens and a defined objective.
His book provides simple, accessible tips. And it will help you just get your book done.
Bell helps you summon all your resources to knock out a first draft, then gives you a clear road map for revision.
Revision is what separates the pros from the wannabes. Revision is the most important work you’ll ever do.
Here are my layers of revision:
Character. When you were writing the first draft, you were probably focused on the main character. For this layer of revision, map out a thruline for each character. This will help you get a gauge on what changes for each character along the way. It will inform how secondary characters push on the main character. And how the main character pushes back.
Trust me: This will make your manuscript even edgier.
Plot. Stepping back and mapping out the skeleton of your story will make several things clear to you. Does this string of events make sense? Does it move? Is there a natural cause-and-effect? Does it lag?
Trust me: This will help you end up with a well-paced manuscript.
Scene structure. Do an inventory of your scenes. These are your most fully rendered parts of the manuscript, the ones that bring home the meaning and are the most memorable. That was a long way of saying: These are your “beats,” to borrow from screenwriting. I like to think of “beats” as heartbeats.
This will help you make every scene work, weed out weak scenes and identify missing scenes.
