lynn d. jung

Part I: Brainstorms & Bibles
Part II: An Outline of How I Outline
Part III: Drafting & The Secrets of Time Management
Part IV: CPs, Beta Readers, & Alpha Readers

After a long, long, long break, here is the fifth and final installment of my writing process series. Am I tired? Yes. Am I running out of appropriate writing/reading themed gifs? Also yes. But revising is my favourite stage of writing, so here we gooooo.

#1: rereading the manuscript

This step is actually misleading: your first order of action after typing ‘The End’ should be closing your document, stowing it in a folder in the furthest reaches of your computer, and leaving it alone for as much time as you need. By which I mean a MINIMUM of three weeks. Do NOT open your Word Doc!! I see you!!

Once you’ve given the manuscript some time to rest, open it and reread it with fresh eyes. Take a page from a method actor’s book and put yourself in the head of a reader. You will notice mistakes—do not touch them. (Putting your Doc on Read Only mode helps.) Pull out a little notepad and start jotting down thoughts as they come—typo on pg. 6, secondary character disappears, plot thread is dropped, hey this one fight scene is good!

It’s okay to be proud. It’s also okay to despair. Whatever it is, you can fix it later.

#2: revisiting the outline

Dig out your outline and look over it. What’s changed? Does your current manuscript match your original vision for your story? (It probably doesn’t.) It might help to pull up your manuscript as well and go beat-by-beat, trying to find any deviations or sections where you didn’t quite pull off that big emotional moment your MC has in Act 2.

The purpose of this stage is to start thinking big picture. How has your story changed since the outlining stage, and have these changes been for better or worse? Does it all make sense when pulled together into a story?

#3: using your plan of attack

Hey, remember Part IV of this series? That plan of attack you made compiling all your glorious, glorious reader feedback? Pull it out again and take a hard look at it. Start figuring out what major revisions you’re going to be making, if any, and consider the following questions:

– Are my characters’ arcs well-developed? Is there a starting, middle, and end point for each relevant characters’ development? Is it too heavy-handed or perhaps too flat?
– Does the plot make sense? Is there clear escalation? Are there any stagnant moments in the middle (second act sag) or does the conclusion to the conflict not pay off as satisfyingly as expected?
– What loose ends persist at the end of the story? Were there any dropped/forgotten plot threads?
– Are there any extraneous plot points, characters, or scenes? (Doesn’t relate to the primary conflict or further the plot/character development, or is just boring.)

#4: revision one: story & character

Your first revision should be massive.

My first revision after signing with my agent was adding 30,000 words to my manuscript and basically ripping up the ending. (It was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done.) By this point, you should have a clear idea of what’s working and what isn’t, and you have your handy Plan of Attack at the ready!

Make sure you’ve got the following nailed down with these large scale developmental edits:

– Your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts. [GMC! GMC!!!]
– Antagonists? What are they about? What do they want, and are they present enough in the story to pose a proper threat?
– Are there any points where the overarching conflict is forgotten or set aside for no good reason?
– How do the themes of the book tie into the character’s journey and the plot? [They’re two different things.]

The point of this revision phase is to really tighten your story as a whole. Therefore, it’s important to know exactly what your story is about, who your characters are, and how the conflict plays out.

#5: revision two: scene-by-scene

Yeah, that’s right. READ IT AGAIN. Process your changes, and make any additional ones you see fit. After you’ve perfected your story as a whole, it’s time to get a step more precise.

Scene-by-scene editing is analyzing each scene as if it’s its own microcosm of story. To maintain tight pacing and reader interest, GMC should be present in every scene. Every scene should work toward something, should challenge your characters in some way, and also inflict a degree of change.

But Lynn, you might say. I like quiet, emotional moments. Not everything has to be a big dumb fight!

Emotional moments contain GMC as well. Say you’re writing a contemporary romance, and have gotten to that ever-so-important First Kiss scene. The heroine and her LI have snuck into their old elementary school in the middle of the night and are sitting on the swings, reminiscing about their childhood. The LI leans in for the smooch. The heroine hesitates, but ultimately goes in for said smooch. They both want to kiss, and are motivated by their not-so-secret love/desire for one another, and for what they believe a relationship will offer them. But there’s conflict in that moment. Does the LI feel the same way as the heroine? Does the heroine even want to kiss them, right here and right now? *Insert pre-establish personal conflict here.*

Imagine how tepid and dull the same scene would be without some degree of GMC. Two childhood friends kissing on a swingset. No build up or conflict of interest. There’s no spark, no story.

I don’t write much contemporary, but you get my drift. While doing scene-by-scene edits, also keep a look out for consistent characterization, clear worldbuilding/set-laying, etc. etc.

#6: revision three: line edits

A final read through to catch typos and grammatical fallacies shouldn’t take too long and is always a good idea. Try to catch your own stylistic errors, too—for example, orcs in your high fantasy world probably aren’t calling each other ‘bro’ and fist-bumping. Unless they’re very cool, hip orcs. Orcs with the times.

I’m sleepy, but you know what I mean. This is also where I’ll try to spice up the prose a bit, since that is not something that comes naturally to me. Throw in some pretty descriptors and break up sentence structure and I’m golden.

#7: i’ve finished my novel. now what?

Fun fact: This was my senior quote.

So, here’s the thing: a book is really only finished when you, or in some cases, the people who pay you, decide it is. But there is definitely a Point where you realize the manuscript is ready.

Ready for what? you may ask. Well, that depends on you. Querying is step one in the traditional publishing route, of course. But there is also indie publishing, ePub, and endless other options in this weird and glorious era of books and writing.

There is also another option entirely: trunking your finished novel and moving on to the next. Not everything needs to see the cold light of day—plenty of books were meant to serve as learning experiences and nothing more. It’s not a waste of time to move on. Your next book will almost definitely be stronger, and you can always revisit that elusive cyberpunk Jack and the Beanstalk retelling you fell in love with in college.

OKAY. The series is done! I’m officially RETIRING. Thanks for sticking it through, and I hope this was of some help!

xx

twitter: @sweater_giraffe
instagram: @lynndjung