How to Revise Your Manuscript Out of the Slush?

A Simple Guide to Leveling Up Your Revision Work

So, you wrote a book? Big deal, right?

Nah, just kidding, IT’S A HUGE FREAKING DEAL!!! Let me tell you, you’ve hit a milestone so many writers never hit. You didn’t just talk about the idea, the concept, the dream, YOU DID IT! First off, before we get into the nitty-gritty and back to the grindstone, give yourself a round of applause, a standing ovation, or at the very least a compliment or two…

Take a big deep breath, sigh with satisfaction, now find the deep part of you that’s ugly and spiteful. Yeah, you’re gonna need it. That’s what revision looks like. It’s one ugly beast. And if you want to get noticed, learning how to revise will help set your manuscript apart from the slush.

So if you’ve written a book and you’re asking now what, then you’ve come to the right place. It’s not time to query or to publish. It’s time to REVISE! Strap your boots on and let’s get to it.

Revise or Edit?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the word editing when it refers to revision. I only bring this up to make the distinction clear. If you’re trying to publish traditionally, you know that you’ll have an editor at some point. Yes, that’s true. And there are different types of editors out there. Some work on big picture while others work on line edits. Also, true. But a line editor is doing more “editing” work while a big picture editor is doing more “revision” work.

This is important to note because revision uses the creative part of the brain while editing uses the more logical side. With editors, these types of editing jobs are often done by separate people entirely, or at the very least during different passes. The reason for this is because the brain struggles to compute the two tasks, which are left brain and right brain. Creating that bridge is nearly impossible and while it can be done, one of the two is likely to be the weaker. It’ll end up showing in your work in the long run. And therefore, not recommended.

Below, you’ll find a quick overview of revision vs. editing. Choose which to work on and please, for the love of all things holy in the this world, do one or the other, not both at the same time.

How to Revise in a Way That Gets You Out of the Slush?

Step 1:

First, stop editing. Stop it. There’s no point in specifically looking for editing mistakes (line edits) because with all the work yet to come, you’ll end up repeating yourself. That being said, if you see it while you’re adding the wonderful revision layers then quickly change it or, even better, mark it with red ink to fix later.

Hint: When I’m revising, I’ll highlight in red or circle in red ink (whether on paper or on my computer). I do this even when I can’t think of a certain detail like a character name or place. This helps me continue to write, not slowing my creative juices, while remembering to fix it later. It’s worked really well for me, so I hope you find it useful.

Step 2:

Second, choose what you’d like to work on. As seen above, I’ve listed many different ways to revise. All of these are important! So don’t go picking and choosing then leaving some out. You can, however, pick the order in which you revise. Let’s quickly look at each revision I’ve mentioned (this is not a master list but strong and simple suggestions).

Step 3:

Next, use critqiue partners and beta readers to see if you need to make more revision passes. Choose wisely here as some will offer bad advice. Even great ones can still give advice that isn’t right for your story. So when sifting through all that wonderful positive and negative feedback, settle on what feels right.

Hint: Don’t be a snob and ignore negative feedback. Let it sit. Think about it. And if it’s a common thread throughout your feedback, consider why that is and be willing to change or at the very least question your story.

Step 4:

Ah, you’ve made it through the bajillion revision passes! Congrats. Now, think proper and get to editing. Just as reminder, here is a brief list of some things you should be looking at while editing.

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Eliminating crutch words
• Sentence structure
• Capitalization

Hint: This is the very last thing you do before submitting. I don’t care if you’ve already done it, DO IT AGAIN. Trust me, you’ve missed something. And please, don’t do the spell/grammar check on your computer and call it a night. That will not work properly. Even the fancy programs like ProWritingAid which I absolutely adore, will not always correct perfectly. Maintaining your voice and mood requires manual line edits. These machines are merely tools.

Hint Hint: As you edit, read your story aloud. This will totally change your game. Trust me, how a sentence sounds will send alerts to your brain in ways reading silently cannot. Plus, our brains are extra clever and when we read silently, they’ll often fill-in missing words because it “knows” what we’re “trying” to say. We can’t try. We must do!

You Did It!!! You Revised!

This is a simple explanation of revising, but, nevertheless, it should give you a good place to start from after you’ve finished that lovely first draft. Remember, most books take multiple drafts till they’re considered ready. The process is slow, but that’s okay. Before you know it, you’ll have a polished manuscript leaps and bounds above the rest.

Hint: Don’t forget to make goals, even during revisions. This will keep you on track and make you feel like you’re making progress, albeit slow progress.

Last Minute Revising Tips:

• Don’t rush!!!
• Take a long break between first draft and revision work (1 week minimum is recommended)
• Revise with one lens at a time (i.e. character arc, consistency, pacing etc.)
• Edit last then edit once more because a polished makes a world of difference in the slush pile
• Read aloud
• Use programs as tools, not the be-all-end-all
• Take breaks between revision passes
• Use red ink for line edits; blue or black ink for revisions.
• Do edits yourself. If you’re really bad at grammar, find a trusted friend or critique partner to help.

Wishing you the very best as you revise and edit your work. Let me know what your favorite part of revising is in the comments below. Or if you have a favorite platform for editing, please comment as well.

Until then, happy writing!