In order to really revise, you must immerse yourself deeply in the work, allow it to affect you as you hope it will affect your reader, release your preconceptions, and prepare to make significant changes.

Real revision is not tinkering. It’s as intuitive, exploratory, and risky as first draft writing.
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Revision is also analytical. In revision you can immerse yourself in the feeling of the story, then zoom out to examine the big picture—the story’s narrative arc, momentum, and meaning.

Toggling between these two states will allow you to make revision decisions that are both intuitive and logical, to create a work that will engage your reader emotionally and intellectually.
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Next time: How to talk to an editor

Reading as a writer is as different from reading for pleasure as it is from reading for scholarly or practical reasons.

Reading for craft, as writers do, is has more in common with the way curious children play than it does with other ways of reading. Reading for craft is like disassembling a small motor to see how it runs—there’s no better way to understand the workings of literary machinery.

Of course you can still read for the joy of it. But if you love a sentence or a scene on your first reading, why not reread it carefully to see how its author achieved the effect they created?

You can learn a lot by simply observing the language of a piece, its phrasing and sentence structure, the way the sentences are combined into paragraphs, and the way they sound and feel when you read them aloud.

You can learn by writing, too. Copying a sentence or paragraph out by hand will amplify what you understand about its method and effects.

As you read, make a record of what you discover. Devote a notebook to passages you admire and writing discoveries you make. One day it may be your most valuable writing tool.

Next time: How to revise

To self-edit you need two things: a grasp of the rules of grammar and usage and an appreciation for the music of a sentence.

Rules can be learned from a book or acquired during a manuscript edit. We often include some notes on how to self-edit in our editorial package.

If you would like a general guide to grammar and usage, check your local library first. Style guides vary by voice, tone, and intended readership. It’s worth trying a few before making a commitment.

A sense of rhythm or cadence can be acquired by reading good writing. If you already have this facility, you know that you can rely on it to make many intuitive editing and revision decisions. To strengthen it like a muscle, simply read.

Of course, it matters what—and how—you read.
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Next time: How to read

To begin a writing project, write a word, then a sentence.
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Or, do not write, but walk. Some writing projects seem impossible until something inside you is ready.

Which kind of writing project is yours? In order to find out, you can try to write, and see what comes out. If you’re unhappy with the result, you can revise—or you can wait. Later, you can revise again—or you can begin again, which is the same thing.

Until it’s complete, all writing is continual beginning again. So do not be afraid--begin!

Next time: How to self-edit

Why revise?

The first draft is for you—it’s an experience of exploration, discovery, and play. The revised manuscript is for your reader, because publication is a form of communication.
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Initially, we revise out of a desire to make the work better—clearer, more compelling, beautiful, meaningful, and satisfying—but revision is also rewarding for the writer.

The shift from writing for yourself to writing for a reader demands a huge change in perspective. In revision, you become a reader. This is part of what makes revision fun—in revision you get to see what you have made.

In revision your understanding of the work will be transformed, and so will you.
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Next time: How to begin a writing project

You must know your work is ready before you send it out. You must have resolved your doubts, and feel certain you would be proud if it appeared in print just as it is. Many publishers no longer edit much, but even those who do so prefer to receive writing in a polished state.

Another clue: you may have been changed by the work, and have watched it change profoundly. Most writing transforms in some way when it reaches a state of full development.

It’s hard to resist the temptation to send a book or story out, to see how a professional reader (an editor) would respond. Every stage of revision is so gratifying—it’s easy to mistake that feeling for a sense of completion. Try to take your time, let the manuscript rest between rounds of revision, get good advice, and wait until you’re certain it’s really, truly done.

Next time: Why revise?

The words “editing” and “revising” have different meanings for editors than they do for many writers.

When we’re writing, we’re not worried about definitions—we’re often working in a state of flow, engaged in an intuitive practice of rewriting and recasting our sentences with the simple goal that they sound more more like themselves. Working this way is an essential part of writing—but it isn’t all editing and revision can be.

To an editor, editing is three essential jobs—copy editing, stylistic editing, and substantive editing—and revision is what a writer does after an edit.

A quick breakdown:

Copy editing and stylistic editing attend to the fine details of words and sentences.

Copy editing is mechanical. The goal of copy editing is to achieve clarity, consistency, and correctness by adhering to established rules and conventions. Trained copy editors correct common errors and know where to look up the answers to uncommon questions. Their guidebooks are heavy enough to serve as doorstops.

Stylistic editing is more creative and exploratory. The goal of stylistic editing is to achieve clarity of meaning, coherence, and flow by finessing the language, structure, and cadence of a sentence or paragraph. When an editor suggests that a piece of writing needs a stylistic change, a writer makes an adjustment by recasting a phrase, rewriting a sentence, or reordering a paragraph.

Substantive editing attends to big-picture elements of a work such as plot, structure, or narrative arc. Editors make substantive suggestions after carefully reading a work and thinking about its elements, the reading experience, and the writer’s intention. Substantive commentary is meant to serve as a guide to a writer in revision.

We specialize in stylistic and substantive editing, but we try to include commentary and guidance on all necessary aspects of a work in order to help a writer with self-editing as well as revision.

Revising is the exciting part of writing. It is everything a writer does after the first draft, from reimagining a character to changing a word to drafting a new paragraph, chapter, or scene. In revision, one change usually leads to another, which leads to insight or discovery, which may lead to a new understanding of the work itself. In revision a writer often discovers they know more than they thought they did.

Revising with guidance from an editor is more challenging and comprehensive than solo revision and can enable you to take your manuscript further in a shorter period of time. This can be thrilling, because it’s in revision that the writing comes to life.

Next time: When to submit?

We want to help writers write and revise. We approach the work in alignment with the writer, not in opposition. That’s why we read first, then figure out what you need in order to take the writing further.

Reviews and critiques consider a work complete. We are writers too, so we know that a manuscript is not likely to be magically complete and fully developed after only one or two drafts. We know the work has a future self that may not yet be realized.

We know from experience that when the work is finished the writer no longer has any niggling doubts—and we know that getting to that point takes far longer than anyone ever anticipates at the outset.
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We don’t want to waste your time. That’s why we aim to get straight to practical guidance in craft and technique, inspiration, and suggestions for constructive ways forward.

Next time: What’s the difference between editing and revising?

Writers come to us with all kinds of questions.
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Everyone has different skillsets and aspirations. Some people need editing help, some need revision help, some need process guidance, some need encouragement and advice about next steps—many would love all of this. Other people need help with just one thing—dialogue or sentence structure or point of view. Others do not know how to begin—or they don’t know what they don’t yet know.

This is why we write comprehensive editorial commentary tailored to individual writers, and why we also lead workshops. We’re here for what you need.

Next time: How is an editor different from a reviewer or critic?

We can help you understand how your work reads, what it accomplishes, and where it is not yet fully developed.

We can suggest approaches to revision and offer specific guidelines for self-editing. We can help you address problems with process and suggest ways to move forward. Later, we can help you determine when your manuscript is ready for submission and offer advice for next steps.
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What we can’t do is tell you what to write. If your writing is going to affect readers, it has to be yours. But we can help you figure out how to ensure that the writing you set down on the page corresponds to your dream for it—to the brilliant, ethereal story or narrative you hold in your head.

Next time: What do you need?