Committing to Manuscript Improvement

Recently, Rach Writes posted a quote from a post written by Mary Kole titled Big Revision on Kidlit.com. One line (two, for those of you who want to get technical) in particular, clarified the difference between sort of being committed to revising a manuscript and complete commitment to manuscript improvement.

“Let me say it here once and for all: unless you make big changes, a revision isn’t worth doing. If you go out on a submission round and get roundly rejected, you’re not going to solve your problem by going back to the page to tweak a few words here and there.” – Mary Kole

During the first rounds of the editing process, writers:

fix typos
correct grammar errors
correct punctuation errors
ensure characters are believable and consistent from beginning to end
double-check for plot holes
make sure readers are well-oriented with the setting
include the senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch [and where applicable sixth sense]) into each scene
etc.

This process yields a polished manuscript ready to submit to agents, editors, or publishers depending on the authors career goals. Sometimes, even after the daunting task of revisions, fundamental changes to the manuscript are necessary.

This is where Mary Kole’s advice comes into play. It takes total commitment to improve a manuscript. Writers have to be willing to let go of carefully selected words, beautiful prose, even entire pages for the good of the manuscript. When something in the story isn’t working, we can’t just change a few words in hopes of making it better. We must put in the effort and do the hard word to fix it, even if that means throughout portions of the story and starting fresh.

This week, DearEditor.com is hosting a Revision Week where eight prolific, bestselling, award-winning authors give insight to their revision process. One of my favorite questions the Editor asks is about the most drastic thing an authors have done. Some major thinking outside of the box. I’ve learned much through their interviews.

Has your work ever needed major revisions? Care to summarize why and how you fixed it? How do you know when to put down the proverbial red pen?

Bonus Post: Dear Editor Contest (writesbymoonlight.wordpress.com)

14 comments on “Committing to Manuscript Improvement”

melissamaygrove.blogspot.com says:

March 8, 2012 at 7:07 am

Very good points, Natasha. I’m not to the query stage yet, but after getting several critiques that said the same thing. I had to totally rewrite chapter 1 of my first ms. The old chapter 1 didn’t get deleted, just tweaked and buried deeper in the story. It was hard to do – I had grown fond of that chapter as the opener – but the story is so much better for the change.

I’ve also had to cut lots of phrasing during the crit and edit phase. What I do to make ‘killing off my little darlings’ easier on myself (besides saving a copy of the old version) is keep a file of the phrases and paragraphs I cut that I thought were especially well-written. I can always go there to pick one for something else or use them as inspiration.

Hacking up your work is hard, but if you save a copy of the old version, you’ll find chopping away in the new doc a much easier task. ; )

Natasha Hanova says:

March 8, 2012 at 7:23 am

Glad you were open to hearing and applying feedback. I have the same rule, no matter how much I love a word/paragraph/page/scene, if it doesn’t work for multiple critique partners, I have to let it go.

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lbdiamond says:

March 8, 2012 at 3:10 pm

Mary Kole has a good point–sometimes you gotta rip and tear to make the best changes.

Nice post!

Natasha Hanova says:

March 8, 2012 at 3:24 pm

Agree 100%

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Vicki Orians says:

March 8, 2012 at 3:45 pm

This is why critique partners and beta readers can be SO helpful. They can see things that you might not have noticed otherwise, and they can give you honest feedback on what works, what doesn’t, what makes them bored, and what makes them excited.

Natasha Hanova says:

March 8, 2012 at 6:31 pm

I find an outside perspective invaluable too. My critique partners have helped me improve my work exponentially. We learn by being open to applying feedback from critiques AND by critiquing each other.

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kelworthfiles says:

March 8, 2012 at 4:59 pm

I’ve definitely done some big revisions – like page one rewrites. Figuring out when I’m done revising is still something that I’m having trouble with.

Maybe by the time I’m at the end of the ‘How to Revise your Novel’ course I’ll understand a bit better 🙂

Natasha Hanova says:

March 8, 2012 at 6:36 pm

I had to completely let go of my original first pages for my YA paranormal BLINK. It hurt. And it’s so much better now.

Putting down the ‘pen’ still alludes me because I learn something new about this craft almost everyday and I’m eager to apply those techniques. 🙂

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Kelly Hashway says:

March 11, 2012 at 9:33 am

I had a manuscript that a CP told me was the wrong genre. She was right too. I rewrote the entire thing and it made so much more sense when I got the genre right. A lot of work, but definitely worth the effort.