Revision at first
It is time for How I Write, a series about writing sponsored by Ansha. This series has been an incredible learning experience for me. Go now and check out how other writers do it, too! Just click on the link above to find the list of participating writers.
When I teach revision to my eighth graders, I use Play-do to introduce basic concepts. First, they create a picture using Play-do. Once the pictures are "finished," I lead them in revising their pictures. They get one minute to add something to their picture. Then they get a minute to take something away from their picture. (You should hear the protests at this point--taking away is hard.) Finally, they have to change something on their picture. After they have a chance to admire and comment on each others' creations, we discuss how it all relates to writing. This lesson becomes one I refer to through out the year as we write together.
I find myself going back to these basic concepts as I work on my novel this summer. I also find myself going back to the other bit of basic advice I give my students: read and reread what you've written. I haven't finished my first draft yet, but as I reread what i've written, I will see sections that bother me. Most of the time I see I need to add more--more description, more thoughts and feelings of my MC, more tension and conflict, more action. Just like my students, I find it hard to remove sections I've written, even when I know it's better fo the piece as a whole. Right now I know my Prologue is too long at fifteen pages. I needed to write all of it to understand my characters, but I don't think my readers will need all of it, at least not at that point. As I keep going, I will also find things that just need to be change...did I start at the best point, or is there a better beginning?
Since I haven't finished the entire draft yet, most of the revision I'm doing is on one scene at a time. It's what I can handle right now since my experience is with writing and revising short pieces--poems and short memoirs. The thought of revising an entire novel still scares me. How do I wrap my brain around something so large? Come back next week, and I'll share the advice I've learned from some of my favorite authors. How do you begin revising your writing?