Revisions - doing holly Lisle

Hurray! You're acting, which is the most important thing.

Just a quick note of warning - Holly's process wasn't for me, at least not in its entirety. (I went through the HTRYN course.) I took snippets from it, and modified into my own system, which relies heavily on beta swaps.

So don't be afraid to take what you learn and make it your own. Of course, you can completely disregard this if you find that her system works well for you.

I also found I couldn't go whole hog Holly Lisle, but I got an awful lot out of her editing articles nonetheless. Especially the bit about "if you find a great plot twist, or a new character, write it all down and put it in the next one, because you have to finish this book, not fiddle faddle around with it forever." (to loosely paraphrase, of course.)

bombergirl69 said:

Thanks for that! I have betas lined up,but I got tired of tweaking things, not really knowing what I was doing, andn I have a few scenes that I don't like (it's a plot problem) but haven't figured out how to fix. I don't have a solid process so am grateful for one but I am NOT a color in the lines sort of girl, so I also plan to take what I like and leave the rest!

I DO NOT want to be fiddle farting around with it a year from now, twenty versions later. I like the book, I want to fix it and have it be the best I can make it (at that point) then move on. This is NOT my life work (I keep telling myself!)

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I'll be interested to hear how it goes. My reward to myself, eight chapters from now when the first draft is done, is to take that course. My reasons for taking it are identical to yours.

Fitch

Is this an actual workshop that Holly does or are you referring to the article on the one-pass revision here:

http://hollylisle.com/one-pass-manuscript-revision-from-first-draft-to-last-in-one-cycle/

I'm just wondering because people keep referring to the workshop. I've seen the article but not an actual workshop where you sign up and have a support forum, etc. (which is kind of what I think about when I think about an online workshop ).

I'm working on revising a novel now and I'm using a lot of Holly's suggestions but I find it's way too overwhelming for me to do all of them at once, as she suggests in Step 2. So I basically took the ones that make sense to me and made a revision plan where I separate each one according to revisions. So I'll be doing 6 or 7 revisions. I know it seems like a lot, but the later revisions are going to be less intense than the earlier ones, since I'll have all the story and character elements in place. I'd rather isolate specific revision elements for each draft I do, as I just can't focus on too many revision elements at once or I'll feel too overwhelmed and I'll miss out on a lot. But that's just me.

Djuna

The workshop is a paid class (about $50 USD a month, looks like) linked at the bottom of the article, or here:

http://howtothinksideways.com/shop/how-to-revise-your-novel/

I second what Cathleen says. Having a roadmap is a wonderful thing, even if you decide to go cross-country now and again. I've taken bits and pieces from all sorts of sources and made my own roadmap, but I had to hammer through other peoples systems first and I'm very grateful to them for putting them out there.

If it hasn't already been said...

Once you set out on a path for revising, whether it's your own path or someone else's, always make room for adding/subtracting what works for you. If you struggle to keep to the path, it ain't the path for you. Allow for detours, side trails, shortcuts. I never thought much for people who put forth a plan and say 'this is the answer!'

But I do like people who say, 'Try this; see if it works for you.' Be open to modifications, is all I'm trying to say. Make the shoe fit you; don't bend and twist yourself to fit inside the shoe. Writing - and revising - is never a one-size-fits-all process.

^ What Jaksen said.

jaksen said:

If it hasn't already been said...

Once you set out on a path for revising, whether it's your own path or someone else's, always make room for adding/subtracting what works for you. If you struggle to keep to the path, it ain't the path for you. Allow for detours, side trails, shortcuts. I never thought much for people who put forth a plan and say 'this is the answer!'

But I do like people who say, 'Try this; see if it works for you.' Be open to modifications, is all I'm trying to say. Make the shoe fit you; don't bend and twist yourself to fit inside the shoe. Writing - and revising - is never a one-size-fits-all process.

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When one signs up for a $300.00 class because they don't have a system to do review, don't know what to look for, and want to learn, the best thing is to follow through on the class. Struggle through it, including the hard parts, or the parts that initially feel wrong. The learning is in the struggle. Learn what the class has to offer. Then, with that knowledge and experience, make changes that tailor the process to the individual.

Fitch

bombergirl69 said:

Yes, I can totally appreciate that people develop their own revising strategies based on their experience and what they know works for them. I am brand new though, so I don't have any experience from which to draw! i'd be line editing and fiddling around with whether sentences sound good or not when there are much larger problems!! So, I am definitely going through the course as designed and I am finding it fantastic!! It is definitely one way of revising, figuring out what works and what does not, and what you want your work to be. Totally self paced and yes, one can take what works and leave the rest (but I'm taking it all!! ) Again, this is from a newbie!!

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Right on.

I'm eight chapters from enrolling in the same class.

Fitch

I'm new to the whole revising process and I'd never come across this process before. It's really interesting. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

bombergirl69 said:

Yes, I can totally appreciate that people develop their own revising strategies based on their experience and what they know works for them. I am brand new though, so I don't have any experience from which to draw! i'd be line editing and fiddling around with whether sentences sound good or not when there are much larger problems!! So, I am definitely going through the course as designed and I am finding it fantastic!! It is definitely one way of revising, figuring out what works and what does not, and what you want your work to be. Totally self paced and yes, one can take what works and leave the rest (but I'm taking it all!! ) Again, this is from a newbie!!

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It sounds like you're doing wonderfully. I think taking a class of any kind means you do exactly what that class demands, when it demands it. This is the best way to learn. trying to do things differently while in teh class will just confuse you, and knock you off course.

You can make changes, decide what works for you, after the class ends.

Revision… revision….revision. When does it stop???