Finding A Revision Process That Fits

 Quick note to talk about my revision process. Hopefully without screwing up the fact that it's finally working right now.

So I'm currently working on a tightly-timed, half-the-book-takes-place-in-an-afternoon, multi-POV manuscript. It hurt my brain soooo hard putting it together last fall, but right now I love it. But figuring out how to revise it was killing me this spring. Just .. how to organize it, how to manage my own workflow, how to make progress and not rearrange deck chairs.

I started back up a bit ago and I'm at 15K, on page 55, and it's rolling like silk. What did I do right, eventually?

So I set this manuscript aside and re-read it in March. I made notes and marked it up like an editor would, all in the word processing program so I could make READABLE comments. (I've done the paper notes. I can't read them after 30 days).

I was floundering a bit after that. Multi-POV books can be confusing. "Where and how to start" was breaking my brain.

I made a document I titled "outline" because I knew I was going to need to move some things around, and I simplified the existing structure with one graf for each scene. I played with it, followed character arcs, pointed out plot holes to myself, and worked on the timeline.

Once I had a handle on how the existing structure needed to change, I created a new document I called "outline as revised" and started copying simplified grafs over in the new arrangement, only including short simple notes about alterations. I kept most of the editing notes in the original manuscript. 

The outline document is four pages for a 240-page draft (which will grow).

Then I created a new rewrite document, and started copying scenes into it as I revised them. So: starting with scene one (well, scene two because scene one got cut), I copied that text into the new file, dealt with all the revision notes from the re-read, and made changes. Then I marked that scene done on my outline and moved the to the next one.

Some sections I've just cut and rewritten because it was easier; and I have a new scene I'll need to write when I sit down tomorrow. 

Had to walk away from the revision for a week for a trip not long after I started this. When I got back, I read what I had so far, fine-tuned it, added more description (I'm always shorting that) and caught a few errors, and then moved to the next scene in the outline. 

My Very Ambitious goal was eight scenes a week, and if the last two days are any indication, I'll be able to hit that. I'm... a little boggled. Revision has always been a bear for me, but this process has taken nearly all of the decision-making (which ALWAYS bogs me down) out of the equation by doing it in advance. And it simplifies the essential tasks enough that I can keep things in my head while I'm working. 

Knocking on wood; I'd like to get this to the editor early!