PYRAMID STYLE NOVEL REVISION

Hot Spring Bliss!Lately I've been afloat in what seemed a vast sea (hot spring, actually) of a novel rewrite.  I've been reading Gabriela Pereira's article The Great Revision Pyramid, in the September issue of Writer's Digest, and using her system. It has changed the way I rewrite and edit a novel.

I have found it very helpful and will certainly use it from now on. I enjoy how I am able to pop from one section to another, following a thread of plot, to sharpen and hone that aspect of the whole. Let me explain.

Using Ms. Pereira's system, I divided the novel into sections. Every time Brisker, a character, is present, for example, I have a sticky on the manuscript page. I have done that for all characters, and for all plot threads or aspects, so that I can pick one and follow it from beginning to end.

I used to get bogged down and lose track of the plot points because so much was going on. This system makes it easier to follow and sharpen and develop. Once again, Writer's Digest has come to my aid with the professional assistance I need. I write for up to twelve hours a day and keep their magazine beside me, with a sticky marking the article I am using that day. They have helped me develop my craft.

To writers seasoned and beginners alike I say utilize Writer's Digest as a tool. It is one of the best investments I have made in my writing career.