One down, an unknown amount to go

15 August 2011

Revision #1 is done! I finished late Friday night and let me tell you, they should bottle up how I was feeling and sell it in bulk. Holy crap, did I feel amazing. It was relief and pride and awesomeness and sheer joy all rolled into one. I pretty much felt like this:

And let’s be honest. It was fantastic to feel that way, because for most of the revision process, I was more like this:

But enough with the Anchorman references. Revision #1 is done!!! Hooray! Two months ago, Editor Erica, sent me a wonderfully challenging letter full of things to pull apart and rework. Now LAICOS is back in her hands, and I’m sure she will re-read it in just a fraction of the time it took me to address all her brilliant comments.

I’m really, really thrilled with how this revision came out. I know we are far from done – who even knows how many rounds I have left – but man, this made me fall in love with my book all over again. LAICOS is stronger because of these changes, so much stronger. The world is more realized, the plot tighter. I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

In the meantime, I’m excited to take a mini break as my editor reads things over. This was my first time working on deadline. For the most part I didn’t have any major issues, but I did have to shuffle a few things around unexpectedly. The Engineer and I have also had a ton of weddings to travel to this summer, so certain tasks got pushed off entirely. Cleaning the house, for instance. Staying on top of laundry. Doing OTHER creative things.

This has been the biggest struggle for me. Before my book deal or my agent, when I was writing just for me, I could fit it in whenever I wanted. With this revision, there were times where I was writing for four days straight. I already work Mondays – Wednesdays, so during these marathon sessions, my life consisted solely of the day job and writing. And I love writing. But I really, really believe that additional activities (reading, hiking, baking, seeing a movie, playing some music, etc) are pivotal to keeping the well of creativity full. So, yeah. I can’t wait to dabble in some other creative outlets over the next few days. I especially need to read for my wonderful critique partner, April, who has been sooo incredibly patient while I revised. (Thank you, April! Thank you!)

I’m hoping to squeeze in a bit more blogging, too. How I missed you, blog followers! I have a few ARCs sitting on my shelf that I’ve read. Perhaps I’ll throw a little giveaway. Or maybe I’ll answer some questions. Anyone wondering about the revision process or working on a deadline or writing in general? Leave questions in the comments and I’ll try to answer some in another blog post.

And lastly, because I’ve been wondering… How do you feel about revisions? I find them incredibly rewarding…When they’re done. Everything leading up to that mostly feels like pulling teeth and nonstop wrestling. So tell me, do you like revising? Hate it? Would you rather be drafting? Outlining? Writing a – gasp – synopsis? *shudders* (Even I wouldn’t want to do that.) Anyway, let me know in the comments. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Posted in Revising and tagged with , , , ,

  • http://emyshin.com/blog/ Emy Shin

    Congratulations on finishing revisions, Erin! I hope you’ll have a lot of fun working on other creative things — it’s always the nicest to indulge yourself in something different after a writing marathon. :)

    I have never done revisions on a full novel, but for short stories I’ve revised, I do adore the revisions process. It’s less “fun” than first drafting, but you’re right that it’s completely rewarding.

    Writing questions. Mmm. How long does it take you, on average, to write the first draft of a novel? Do you revise as you go along? How many revisions do you typically go through before sending the ms to a CP?

    • Erin

      Thanks, Emy! I don’t “adore” the revising process, but I don’t full on hate it either. I mostly tolerate it, because I can see it making my story better!

      Thank you for the questions! I’ll do a post later this week answering them :)

      • http://emyshin.com/blog/ Emy Shin

        :) I’m not sure adore is the right word for me, either. Every stage of the writing process is like pulling teeth. But so far, I have to say I do prefer revising to first drafting. (That is, unless I get sick of reading the same sentence over and over.)

        Looking forward to your post!

  • Mak

    I hate revising. I never learned how. Because most people learn how to do that in school, writing all those papers that were supposed to be done in multiple drafts so you learned to read critcally and fix and make better? Yeah, not me. I was one of the ones who could dash of a 5 page paper two days before it was due and pull an A. Seemed great at the time, but I wish I’d tried more then. Because I am not silly enough to think the first draft of anything I write (espeicailly if it is something huge like novel length!) is perfect. Far from it. But I have no idea how to approach revising. It’s the worst part of the whole process for me, and the part where I am most tempted to fall under the spell of a Shiny New Idea.

    • Erin

      Revising is definitely a challenge. Sometimes I don’t know exactly how to fix something either, I only know that it is weak or not fully realized. And in these instances, sometimes no amount of brainstorming helps. You just have to jump in and start writing. Sometimes you write a bunch of crap to get to the right solution, but it’s always worth it. Power through!

  • http://katyupperman.com Katy Upperman

    Congrats again on finishing your revision! Isn’t it the greatest feeling to work so hard on revising and know that you’ve ended up with a much better story?

    I, for one, love revising. (First drafting… not so much. :)) I’d much rather tackle something I’ve already written. I like the character strengthening, the sentence tweaking, and the outside feedback. I love doing a final read through and knowing that I’ve addressed all my notes and come up with a better product.

    Here’s hoping your next round of revisions is equally successful!

    • Erin

      Thanks, Katy. It is fantastic to know this book is now stronger because of these edits!

      I prefer drafting. I don’t dislike revising, but initial drafting and preliminary passes tend to come most naturally to me. Revising is sometimes just pulling teeth. It’s always worth it though. Always :)

  • http://ricklipman.blogspot.com Rick

    How I feel about revisions? Since I’ve been in the middle of a massive rewrite since about April, “a glass case of emotion” fits the bill pretty nicely.

    I’m hoping to be done by the end of this month, but there’ just one problem. I’ve already identified a handful of things I need to go back and add/change once I finish. And then I will foist this damn manuscript off on my beta readers.

    (One of whom I selected specifically because she is the nit-pickiest, cruelest beta I have EVER met.)

    This whole process is like flames. Flames on the side of my face.

    But congratulations to you! For LIVING THROUGH IT.

    • Erin

      Just remember that sometimes you have to be done, even if you’re not “done,” if that makes sense. Get it to a good enough place, get feedback, then repeat. Easier said than done of course. I’m known to over-hash my work, and worry over the placement of commas for hours on end. Sometimes you have to hang up your sword, surrender to the MS, and move on to the next round.

      I am glad to be free of the glass case of emotion though. For now… ;)

  • http://www.sarahenni.com Sarah

    Yay for completing the first round of revisions! *high five*

    I’m with Katy—I could spend all my days revising and just love it. First drafts, however…. oy. The only problem with revisions is that I can sometimes get TOO excited. I can see how much the changes are improving my writing, so I get a touch obsessive and forget to eat, or talk to other humans. That gets problematic.

    Can’t wait to hear how Editor E liked the changes!

    • Erin

      *high five* back attcha! And thank you. It feels great to be done. I love drafting. They are messy and far from perfect, but I love the process of just writing and seeing where my characters take me. They surprise me so much in those first few passes. It’s still rewarding to revise and fine-tune, but by that point, all the wonder is gone. (for me at least)

  • http://jessicalovewrites.blogspot.com Jessica Love

    YAY! Congratulations! :-D It’s such a great feeling!

    • Erin

      Thanks, Jess! It is a great feeling, indeed. Wish I could feel this way all the time. I’d be the happiest gal around :)

  • http://www.jessicaspotswood.com Jess

    Yay! Congrats on finishing!

    I think I prefer revising, I love the click of knowing how to fix something, but that could be the grass-is-always-greener talking. Possibly I like whatever I’m not doing at the moment best. :) There are magic moments in both!

    • Erin

      You know what, Jess? I think you are absolutely right. There is magic in both. Right now I long to be writing. But I bet you, come January, when I start drafting b2, I’ll have wistful eyes for revision-land. Ha.

      Thanks for the congrats :)

  • http://agenevievetucholke.com April Tucholke

    I like revising better. It’s hard. Damn hard. But it DOES mean the book is done, the end is in sight, etc. Staring down a blank page, trying to fill it with words, knowing I am going to have to rewrite it 50 times before I am finished…yikes.

    And CP, your revisions ROCK. Erica is going to love them.

    • Erin

      You know me, April. I have little problem filling the blank pages. Revisions are so hard! I prefer drafting, I think. It’s amazing how different each writer is!

      And thank you for the kind words. I hope Erica loves it! And thank you for all your help reading, providing feedback, and serving as my endless sounding board. You are the greatest :)