When Revisions Bite Back

By: Meradeth Houston on 8:18 AM

(Side note to plug my ongoing giveaway--have you entered yet?)

Okay, so I've mentioned this here and there, but I'm in the middle of revisions for my WIP An Absence of Light. Aaand it's kicking my trash. To top that off, I just received my first round of edits from my editor for Sary book #2, The Chemistry of Fate. Yay. So, I think I will probably be editing until my fingers fall off. Fun image, right? Writers out there, you totally know what I mean :)

While thinking about this this morning I started making my Plan Of Attack and thought I'd share it here, mainly in hopes of hearing your battle strategies on how to go about handling the mass of revisions that may get handed your way.

1. To start, I read through all the comments I have. This will either be from my beta-readers (I love you guys, you have NO idea!), or my editor (who is fantabulous. Yes, that required using a made-up word--appropriate, yes?). I like to have a sense of everything I need to fix before I start.

2. Make a list of the biggest things that are going to need to be changed. I have a notebook to do this in, or my whiteboard, but it needs to be written down somewhere so that I can check it off at some point. I *live* for that check-mark of "done-ness."

3. Go through the whole thing and fix the minor things, misspelled words, horrible turns-of-phrase, and get a sense of where to start. Sometimes I can't help myself and I start in on one of the bigger changes that needs to happen at this point, thought I should probably wait. This also helps to refresh my memory on all the little plot points and things I may have forgotten since I wrote the thing.

4. Start in on the list. I usually tackle the biggest things first, like deleting a character (I'm so sorry Eddy from my WIP--but you had to go. I will miss you in all your awesome hottness, but you weren't working out). I usually try to stick to one or two major things at a time, get those working, then move on. This way I don't end up with a jumbled mess that can't ever be pulled back together (because I've never done that...no never *whistles and looks around all innocent*).

5. Once the main things are done, I go back through looking for places that are too bare, need a pretty word, or better description. Also, I live in fear of paper-thin characters, so I do my best to ensure they're okay at this point too.

6. One last read through to make sure it all makes sense.

7. Usually another round of beta-reading if I can connive convince them to read it again :) Then start the process all over again.

Oh wow I'm tired just thinking about doing all this right now. Again. Thank heavens I love it!