Revision is a Part of Life

"Writing is rewriting...Nothing creative ever takes shape exactly the way it’s planned."
—  Deb Lund*

Black bird and apple book plate from Pinterest

*Via Meg Miller's ReviMo

ReviMo Revived

Fabulous news!

Meg Miller has cooked up a continuing scheme to ReviseMore. Who doesn't need to add a little revision to their monthly writing goals?

My experience with ReviMo was very profitable, so I look forward to the monthly camaraderie.

Join Meg for ReviMo part 2, February 15 & 16. No sign-ups, just hop to her blog to read her motivating posts, then pull out a manuscript and get down to business. Subscribe to Meg's mailing list so you don't miss future announcements.

Here's a useful list of tips to get your stalled manuscript moving in the right direction.

Find the original here.

Be honest. Don't you have a couple of gems collecting dust? What are you waiting for? This weekend is the perfect time to polish them for submission. See you there!

Revision Recap

Winner's badge designed by Meg Miller

As you probably know, I participated in Meg Miller's ReviMo this month. The event was, for me, an astounding leap forward. I made significant headway on several stalled manuscripts and even solved a serious ending-problem I'd been avoiding.

I'm convinced there were multiple factors which contributed to my success:

• Purposeful preparation (I unearthed 6 old manuscripts and drafted 2 new ones to curtail writer's block (Thanks to Tara Lazar for teaching me how to prep)
• My super-supportive family (including out-of-town guests. Thanks for understanding.)
• An inspiring community of writers (Thanks, Meg and all ReviMo participants)
• The members of my new critique group (M,R,and W!)
• Revision-minded guest bloggers (Thanks to Ame, Miranda, Deborah, Linda, Shirley, Jim, Lindsay, Simone, et al)

In the spirit of continuing revision, I dug up this recommendation from the talented Lauri Meyers. Dated January 2013*, Lauri offered some feedback to readers of The Write Routine, Marcie Colleen's informative blog.

Regarding revision strategies, ask yourself

. . . what are the three strengths and weaknesses of your other ms?

 Try to write a question for each strength/weakness - how can I make this ms more gross? What would really make the reader cry?

Each morning focus on that question and make a list on a blank piece of paper of answers - like 7 things for each question. When you're done then you can open your ms and edit with your list in mind.

I can't wait to give these ideas a try during my round of revisions in February. Thanks, Lauri and Marcie.

How profitable was your ReviMo? What did you achieve? What obstacles did you face? How do you plan to overcome them in the future? I'd love to hear your successes and learn from your shortcomings. Why not share them?

*Find the original discussion here.

ReviMo Prep: A Bit Drafty

We all know Anne Lamott's advice on getting your first draft written. Then comes the (sometimes) harder work of rewriting it.

If you are planning to participate in ReviMo, you'll need a stack of manuscripts, right?

I've put aside six stories needing revision, from changing reader level to new endings. The new year is a great time to pull out those ms that have stalled and give them a fresh go. There's just one problem. I can't think of an easier way to fail than to plan to revise one of those stalled ms each day for 7 days! My easily-bruised ego will never survive! What a way to kill the New Year adrenalin rush!

Courtesy 123RF

I need some fresh manuscripts. I fully intend to give that stack I've been procrastinating over a hardy try. However, my goal this week is to come up with at least two completely rough first drafts. That way, when I hit a wall, there will still be an escape hatch.

How about you? What challenges do you face during the revision process?
How do you plan to conquer them?
Have you made a game plan to get the most of ReviMo?
What tricks do you use when you hit a dead end?

If you participated in PiBoIdMo, there's no better time to turn one of your fabulous ideas into a first draft.
If you are looking forward to ReviMo, why not dredge up some moldy manuscripts?
If you want to further your writing goals, then sit down, and don't get up until the bones are on the page.

Happy Writing!

ReviMo Reminder

'Just a reminder to sign up for ReviMo, January 12-18, 2014. It's a brand-new event, and a brilliant way to to make the most of your PiBoIdMo momentum. So get on board for Meg Miller's week of intense revision and jump-start your writing in the new year!

Sign-up from now until December 23, 2013