Yep, I’m back again today with some more writing tips for y’all… and today, I want to focus on a specific part of the writing process. A specific part of the writing process that we often dread, avoid, and dwell over… or, maybe, I’m the only that does that.

Well, in any case, I’m talking about revisions.

Yeah… revising is actually my least favorite part of the writing process, but it’s necessary nonetheless. I mean, if we were to skip it… our books would probably suck. Like, it’s that important.

So, let’s start off today’s quick tips guide with a definition of what revisions are when it actually comes to the writing process.

So… What ARE Revisions?

When it comes to writing, when we’re talking about revisions, we’re generally talking about the part of the process that involves reading, re-reading, and, most importantly, making changes to your own writing. Of course, every writer (including me or you!) has their own approach to revising, but it all kind of boils down to that.

The goal of revisions is to polish up your writing so that it can truly shine. You know, like a diamond, or whatever other types of rocks people polish. I don’t know; I’m not a geologist, guys…

Revising often involves adding extra content, taking out excess content, and rewriting what you already have on the page. And, again, this all is done with the end goal in mind–to make your writing look as good as possible.

Now, here’s a major point I want to make before we delve any further into things…

Revising and editing are not the same thing.

I feel like this is kind of a basic point that most writers already know, but if you’re still starting out in the writing game, you may not know this. So, to clarify, when we talk about revising, we’re talking about changing your writing content, and, when we talk about editing, we’re talking about changing the grammar of your writing.

For example, here’s what revising looks like…

• He walked around the corner.

…is a sentence that can be revised to look more in-depth, like this…

• He walked around the corner of the alleyway, taking in the stench of rotting fruits, which was probably coming from the overfilled dumpsters.

And here’s an example of what editing might look like…

• He walked the corner of the alleyway, taking the stench of rotting fruits which was probably coming from the overfilled dumpsters.

…is a grammatically problematic sentence that can be edited to look more like…

• He walked around the corner of the alleyway, taking in the stench of rotting fruits, which was probably coming from the overfilled dumpsters.

Make sense? Eh?

Now… HOW Do We Revise?

Time to get down and dirty, folks. Meaning… get your notebooks out and jot these tips down.

Read, Read, Read, Read… and Read Again

This is the part of revising that annoys me most… all the darned reading we have to do. Because, probably unlike most other writers out there… reading is just not my favorite thing to do, especially when I have to read my own writing!

However, we gotta do what we gotta do, and reading is pretty much the basis of any and all revisions. Because, honestly, there’s no other way to catch the parts of our writing that need to be revised unless we read it.

So, my advice to beginning writers is this: read and re-read your own writing at least three times, making marks and/or changes every time you do so. If you’re really new to writing, I would also encourage you to just read through your work once before you start making any marks and changes.

Now, it’s up to you whether you want to just mark where you want to make a change and then come back to it later or just simply make the changes you want to see as you go along reading. I prefer to just make the changes as I go because that tends to be quicker, but that can also get messy pretty quick. So, maybe try each method once and see what works best for you!

As you get more experienced with revising, you may be able to cut down the number of times you read through your work. Typically, I read through my work just two times when I’m in the revising process, but sometimes I just go through one time when I know I don’t want to make many changes.

Aim for Perfection… But Don’t Expect It

Where are my perfectionist friends at? Where ya at?

Because, as a fellow perfectionist, as many writers are, learning how to revise your work without overkilling yourself can be a real battle. Because… on one hand, the whole point of revising is to make your work look the absolute best it can look, but, on the other, you can only change so much before you start running around in circles like a chicken with its head cut off.

That being said, another reason I truly dislike the revising process is the fact that it requires us to find the balance between perfection and realism.

So, as you start to revise your writing, I still want to encourage you to revise as much as you can to achieve the best writing quality that you can… but I also want to remind you that true perfection is not realistic. And, honestly, when you think about it, each of your readers probably have a different definition of perfection than you do, so there’s no point in chasing one absolute “perfect” piece of writing.

Now, to keep yourself from chasing perfection, you need to know when to cut yourself off from revisions. This often means taking only so many times to read and re-read your writing… but, as mentioned above, this number varies by every writer, so you just have to experiment and find your own happy number.

For me, two rounds of reading and revising is enough per chapter/book that I write. After that, I start to get a little loopy… and extremely frustrated. And it’s not pretty when I get to that level of frustration. Like, there will be broken dishes in the house, if you know what I mean.

Always, Always, ALWAYS Find Your “Fresh Eyes”

Maybe I should have mentioned this first (but I don’t feel like revising this blog post, so…), but you should always take a break between finishing your first/rough draft before beginning the revising process.

Your break can be overnight, over a week, or over a month, but, honestly, the longer you can make your break, the better.

This is because taking a break from writing physically gives your brain a chance to stop, breathe, and switch gears. I mean, brains don’t breathe, I know… but, in writers, they should, right?

Anyway, taking a break before you start the dreaded revision process gives you the chance to come back to your work with “fresh eyes,” that is, with a new perspective. And, ultimately, this perspective will be similar to that of your future readers, so you can really revise your work according to what you think they will like!

It can also be helpful to take breaks between each “round” of revising, too, like between each chapter, between each time you read a section, etc.

---

Well, that’s all I have for today’s tips! I really hope this was helpful for my fellow readers… and, honestly, it was helpful for me to remind myself of what the revision process should be and why it’s so important. Because, like I said, it’s my least favorite part of writing… and I’ve gotta give myself a push to get it done sometimes.

Let me know in the comments below what you think/thought of my tips… and if you have a suggestion for some future tips on writing that I can give!

–Kari