Revising in the Digital Age

Okay, so I used to go through my manuscripts over and over (okay, I still do that!), and then finally when I thought I had it, I'd print it. The hard copy was the last version I went over to find all the little things I just couldn't see on the screen.

I mean, I couldn't print my 350-page novel every other day, you know?

But now, I find that I'm not printing anymore. The goal was always to see the manuscript in a different way.

I'm using my Kindle. I can email any document (PDF or simply a Word doc) to my Kindle email address and ba-bam! It shows up, ready to read. I can change the font, the size, the background color. And I can see it in a different medium -- anywhere!

Not only that, but I recently discovered that I can HIGHLIGHT things in the text. I used to keep a notebook with me as I read my manuscripts on the Kindle. I'd take notes on what needed to change/be fixed in each chapter.

Now I can highlight those things -- and it's easy to find those notes, because Kindle keeps them in a list for me!

It's a match made in heaven. Not only that, but I can email myself a new version of my book every day if I want! I even sent myself my launch day speech. No more printing for me!

Have you used an e-reader to actually edit before? Did you know you can highlight the things you need to fix in the manuscript?? I mean, seriously!

When in Doubt, DELETE

Okay, so if there's anything I've learned over the past five years, it's this: The delete key is your friend. There's nothing "darling" about words that don't work, and if you're not sure if they're working or not, chances are, they're not.

My philosophy in this situation? Delete.

When my critique partners start asking me questions about a specific sentence or passage, and I can't answer? Delete.

When my plot is feeling too heavy and convoluted? Delete.

When a chapter needs to be rewritten? Delete it all, and start from blank pages.

I have deleted entire portions of many of my novels in the past. In POSSESSION, I completely wiped out several chapters, creating a Point A and a Point B. I then rewrote a new way to get from A to B.

And you know what? It was better. It worked.

In another of my as-yet-unpublished novels, I deleted about 25,000 (that is not a typo) words--the last 1/3 of the novel. I can hear some of you going, Why? Why would you do that? Didn't you save some of them? What if there was a particularly brilliant sentence?

The truth is, the ending wasn't working, and I couldn't see how it could work with all that black on the page. So I deleted it.

As for combing through the work to find that one awesome piece, I guess I just don't care. I suppose that if I did write one brilliant sentence that might be worth saving, I could write another equally fantastical sentence to take it's place.

In fact, I'm not going for just one sentence. I'm looking to make each word the right one, each sentence more compelling, each scene vital to the overall workings of the book.

And if it's not working... Delete.

So yes, whenever I'm in doubt, I delete. Have you done this? How do you feel about the delete key?

Am I a Work-in-Progress?

Okay, so I'm in the throes of a major rewrite/revision. I think it's the biggest one I've ever done on one of my novels, both published and unpublished--and that's saying something, because I did massive amounts of editing on my published novels.

So I was looking back through some of my revision/rewriting posts, thinking I'd "see how it's done" and maybe re-post one of them for today.

As I did so, I realized something. I don't revise the same way I used to.

Imagine my shock! My mind was suddenly buzzing: What's changed? Am I better now? Or worse? Oh my heck, am *I* a work-in-progress?

I think we are. And I think it's a good thing. The more I've been thinking about it, the more I've been realizing that heck, yes, I better have changed how I'm doing things! I've learned so much from being professionally edited. I've learned from reading craft books, and regular novels, and being entrenched in the business of storytelling.

I actually think it would be sad if I revised a novel now the exact same way I did three years ago. I'm happy to say that yes! I am a work-in-progress, and I have grown and changed.

My revision process now is done on a much more holistic level. I used to separate my novel into thirds and work on paper. I suppose I might still do that, if the novel required it. But I find that I haven't printed a novel to revise it for a long time. I simply work on the computer.

Three years ago, I had no idea what set pieces were, and now I meticulously check my percentages to make sure my midpoint moment happens at the midpoint, and my act breaks are placed appropriately.

I've also found that I go much slower than I used to. I have specific projects I'm passionate about, and they deserve the time required to get them right (this is pretty ironic, considering that the most massive rewrite/revision I'm currently doing is on a time travel novel. Time... get it... the time travel novel deserves time... Okay, nevermind).

So tell me. Are you a work-in-progress?

Cleaning Up the Puke

Okay, so a few weeks ago, I blogged about my disgusting habit of throwing up the first draft. It's how I roll, pantser-style, yo.

Of course, you can imagine the mess my document is in by the time I get back to it. Hey, I just realized something! Maybe that's why I have like, eight novels on my hard drive that I've never looked at again. They're just too stinky, too much upchuckage. Or something.

But the ones I do get back to opening, oh man. They're beyond mess.

Here's how I go about cleaning up the puke:
1. Print the MS -- divide it into thirds.
2. Read and make notes on tiny post-its. This sounds fancy. It isn't.
3. NOTE: I don't line edit. I don't rewrite -- yet. I'm simply reading to see if things work. They usually aren't even close.
4. Take the first third. Put on the headphones. Pick up a red pen. Sometimes purple. Whatever.
5. Begin massive rewrite. Focus on A) character B) world and C) the writing. Plot points have been addressed on the tiny post-its.
6. When a tiny post-it comes into play, I turn into a decision-maker: Delete? Rework? If so, how? (Yeah, I'll admit that it's easier for me to delete and completely rewrite. My pages bleed purple on both sides when I'm finished. At least it's pretty.)
7. Begin the second part. Repeat steps 4 - 6. And again for the last third.
8. Transfer to the computer.
9. Beg people to read for me.
10. Repeat steps 2 - 8 based on CP feedback.

I can throw up a first draft in 6 weeks, give or take a week. But the clean-up process is much slower. Sometimes up to 4 months, and that's after I've let the vomit cure for a while.

How do you clean up your puke? Do you work on paper? What color is your pen? How long does this usually take you?

Magic? Did Someone Say Magic?

I love magic. Love it. I love reading about it. I love stories that have magic in them. Because the possibilities are endless. The spells, the words you can use, the places you can go. Just thinking about it gives me a little shiver. Man, I love magic.

So it makes sense that I would write a story about magicians. Yeah, except writing a society with magic is really hard. There has to be a price for everything. Specific laws. That kind of thing. So while I've decided to rewrite the entire book from blank pages, I've learned that I still love my magic system.

Here's a little snippet from the newly written first chapter in my book that used to be called Shadows and then The Mirror. It's called something...else...now, but I don't know quite what. I have about 11,000 words rewritten.

Jon shook the troubling thoughts of his parents away. They weren't allowed in his circle of wheat. The wind rustled the stalks, whispering things only he could hear. He ignored the taunts, the hisses of darker magic and more power.

Ever since he'd been able to speak, the voices had been there. Teasing. Enticing. His father said it was the burden of a magician with Jon's talent. Jon didn't know what that talent was. He couldn't perfect the spell his father wanted.

No one could.

Humans weren't meant to be immortal.

Carolyn did a blog post about magical rules last week. Be sure to check it out. And the fine folks over at The Literary Lab have a short story contest going on right now for all genres of fiction. So check that out too.

Do you like magic? Or are you more into something a little less speculative? If so, what keeps you away from the paranormal? The magic? I'm drawn to it like stink on a skunk. What are you drawn to in reading and writing?