Tips for Tackling Edits and Revisions

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

When I finish writing a book, I follow a particular routine to get it into shape for publication.  In case my process helps anyone else, I thought I’d share it here.

First off, I read the story through once and make small changes as I go.  Small changes are typos as well as things like changing the age of a character or fixing an inconsistency.  I note on a separate document (Things to Fix) larger changes that I’d like to make. In a recent book, these larger changes included:  adding more scenes for a character, adding another suspect interview, following up on dialogue a character threw out in chapter two, and taking advantage of setting more.

Adding or Subtracting Scenes:  This is the easiest type of revision work. As I go through, I make notes on possible changes. Then I usually write those changes in a separate doc (if they’re additional scenes or) and weave them in.  It’s important to read the book through a few times to make sure that the additions and subtractions don’t mess up the timeline or create any other problems.

That’s followed by running the whole thing through editing software (I use ProWritingAid, shown below) and then submitting it to beta readers and my editor.

Changes Requested by a Beta Reader or Editor: When I get feedback or editorial comments from an editor… I think about them.  Are they right for the story? I give myself a little time to wrap my head around the changes that are being requested.  I know when I receive an email with a long list of ideas for revisions, it’s almost impossible to absorb it all right away. I always sleep on it and tackle it the next day. My initial reaction to the requested edits, which I keep to myself? It’s usually a very unprofessional, “Oh no. No, no. Please, no.” :)

The next day, I copy the email into Word and use track changes to brainstorm ways of incorporating the changes (if I make them).  I also do this for smaller changes, with a simple ‘fixed’:

After I’m done noting how I’d manage the more complex revisions, I review them.  What seems necessary? What improves the story? What seems like a lot of hassle for very little payoff?  Is there another way to make those changes without the hassle?

For the bigger changes, I write the scenes in a separate doc in order and then weave them into the story as I read the book through again.  Plus, I try to give myself a large block of time to do this: maybe 4 or 5 hours.  That way, inconsistencies and timeline issues seem to jump off the page better for me (others recommend letting the book sit for a while and coming back to it, but this doesn’t work well for my schedule…I usually release a book a month after I finish drafting it).

Then I read the book through again another time or two.

A note on organizing all this.  Now I do it all digitally. I didn’t in the past, but I had a tough time keeping all the bits together.  Now I have a folder for my book and put everything related to that book in the folder.  And back it up religiously.

This is what works for me, but I’m always interested in hearing what works well for other writers (sometimes I tweak what I’m doing).  How do you handle small edits and larger revisions?

Tips for Tackling Edits and Revisions:
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