the definition of revision
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Adding layers to your writing is, to us, the very definition of revision. In my own attempts at writing, revising manuscripts has been a tricky and complicated task. A lot of writers feel the same way when they come down from the high of creating the first draft. Now it looks like a mess! It can be hard to know what changes to make or what is and isn’t working. Even understanding the definition of revision can be daunting … much less knowing how to bring one about.
Our Theory on the Definition of Revision
The most recent novel revision I read with an editorial services client got me thinking about whether drastic rewriting was better than making tweaks at the sentence level. I think it is. The literal definition of revision is “re-vision,” or “to see again.” Revision is not about tinkering with individual sentences or moving commas around.
You often hear about writers saving passages they have written in a separate file because they can’t bear to part with them, but most writers never get around to using them after the initial attraction wears off. This makes sense: every time you sit down to write, you are growing your craft and adding to your writing toolbox.
Words are an abundant resource—what you wrote last week that seemed so great may not be appealing this week or work within the new context of your story. The definition of revision means that what you wrote six months ago will probably not delight you now, or in a year, because you’ve grown. You are well on your way to getting those million bad words on the page, per our novel writing tips.
The novel revision I read that made me think about this, for example, had taken an entirely new path—the plot shifted, there was character development and another subplot (how many subplots in a novel? was added.
In fact, pretty much each and every sentence was rehashed. The writer took all the feedback they received on the manuscript and started over with a blank page. Drastic? Perhaps. But for those willing to take some risk and get a reward, that’s the definition of revision.
Reaching a Certain Word Count Is Not the Definition of Revision
I used to be like this, until I let the definition of revision sink into me. I was so fixated on the number of words I could churn out in a single day that I wouldn't even pause to think whether those words were good and worthy of being in the story in the first place. But this is wrong. All those words I wrote in the first go will likely change drastically when it comes time to make the manuscript ready for prime time.
Don't just get comfortable with your work and avoid changing things around, no matter how long it takes you to write it. Don't just accept the fact that it might have a few mistakes and expect an editor or agent to take care of those (reality check: they won’t, especially in this tight and competitive market). Times have changed, and agents and editors will only take on your work if it's already really excellent. So instead of filling up space with words, try instead to fill it up with quality words. This is the definition of revision as well.
So … Just How Much Editing is Normal With This Definition of Revision?
A lot of editing is normal. A LOT! Many authors rewrite their entire novels completely from scratch, and doing that (or even thinking about doing it) takes guts.
Too many writers just make the changes their agent or critique group suggest without considering their own opinions. They don't go beyond fixing the issues and line editing they have. They don't add any of their personal touch or take the time to add depth and more layers to their manuscript.
The definition of revision doesn't just mean quickly making some corrections, or making corrections to appease someone else. Revision is a revolutionary practice, and not for the faint of heart. In other words, it means taking a second look at the whole book and creating a new vision, then executing a complete overhaul. Now that’s a definition of revision that I can get behind!
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