Revision Read Aloud

A couple weeks ago, I posted about how a good verbal narrator can influence the listener’s enjoyment of a story. But today I want to talk about using the act of reading aloud as a revision tool.

When you’re revising your story, especially if you’re on draft ten or so, you know what’s on the page so well that you can miss little details here and there. In a MG I recently revised, I altered the story such that the main character no longer had a mom. Instead, he had a close aunt. I went through the whole manuscript to remove all references to the mom, but missed a few. I never did catch them—my agent did. :) And, even as I was staring at the sentence with the mom reference, it still didn’t register completely. I’d read that sentence so many times that my brain had stopped noticing it. Even when it was pointed out to me directly. :)

So, after I’d gone through another round of revisions, I decided to read my story aloud, just to make sure everything sounded like I wanted it to sound. Aaaand, I caught another revision remnant (not the mom, something else) that was left over from an earlier draft.

When you read something aloud, your brain seems to go to a different place than when you’re reading silently. My brain does funny things when I read aloud. As a kid, whenever I was called on in class to read, I couldn’t ever read and comprehend at the same time because I was too nervous. No one wants to be that kid that mispronounces a word and says something ridiculous in front of everyone. :) So the only thing I focused on was pronouncing each word. But when I read my novel aloud without an audience, I found myself listening to the sound of my voice. The awkward sentences were suddenly obvious. A missing word, or an additional word, presented itself. Repeated words popped up, arms waving and screaming ‘here I am again!’ It’s really astounding.

All this said, there are times when it’s not useful to read aloud. For example, when you have a first draft. :) In this part of the revision process, you’re still looking at big picture issues. Does the plot build tension? Is it resolved with a satisfying conclusion? Are my characters likeable and believable? Do they grow? Does the story flow well, or does it have moments when interesting things don’t happen?

When you’re investigating these kinds of questions, reading your work aloud isn’t going to help you much. But if you’ve got a solid draft and you’re ready to polish the language, then reading aloud is incredibly useful.

Writing a Story vs. Telling a Story

I think everyone has had the experience where you’re with a friend, and you turn to them and say ‘so, I was on my way to (somewhere), and...’ or ‘you’re not going to believe what happened to…’ or something along those lines. And then we tell them what happened, which is basically an abbreviated story. In this scenario, the story works really well, especially for those who tell it with gusto. But if you were to transcribe those words onto paper, stick a title on it, and call it a story, it would read as flat and boring. Why? Because there are several key elements missing.

When you recount an event verbally in this way, it’s very linear: first this happened, then this, then that, and finally this. End of story. Basically, you’re giving your friend an outline of what happened. You’re not trying to immerse her in the events. If you did try to immerse her in the events, she would get bored and make that ‘get on with it already’ face. She doesn’t want to know what the room smelled like, or how soft someone’s skin is. Not unless that *is* the story. I.E., “Every time I walk by that spa on the corner, it smells like soap.” Or, “You have got to try this new body lotion. It makes your skin so soft!”

But when we write a story, our goal is immersion. We need to include all five senses in our prose, because we want the reader to feel as if he is right there in the world we’ve created.

Many new writers don’t make this distinction. I think it’s natural to sit down and write a story the way you’d tell it to someone. After all, it’s probably the only thing most writers have known up to this point. It’s all I knew when I first started writing, and that’s what my very first story looked like. :)

That’s not to say that verbally telling a story has no merit. It does. People read to their kids all the time, and there’s a huge market for audiobooks. And, most of the time, the people reading aloud can really get into it. Sound effects, altered voices, changes in pitch and speed, depending on the level of tension in the scene, etc. A great reader can turn a mediocre story into a fascinating one simply by telling it well. I’ve experienced this with audiobooks. I’ve also experienced the opposite, where the reader was not very good and made a great story sound annoying or boring.

So, basically, you can’t rely on a good reader. :) Your story has to stand on its own and generate images, feelings, sounds, and smells without the help of a good reader. That means you need to go far beyond the linear nature of this-happened-then-this-happened-etc. and the best way to start is to look at a moment in your own day. What do you notice? How do things feel or taste? What puts you in that moment and makes you feel like you’re there? Those are the details that need to go into your story.

Revision: Less Is More

So, you’ve written a book and you’re ready to polish your words until they shine. And then you hear the phrase “Less is more.” But what does that mean? This is one of the mantras all writers have heard, but it’s not always explained.

The short answer is that you don’t write three words where one will do. Okay, but doesn’t that risk making your writing flat and lifeless? Possibly. It all depends on which words you choose, and that’s pretty much the key to all good writing. You choose the words that work hard to convey exactly what you have in mind. This means that you don’t use three sufficient words if you can use one perfect word.

For example:
1) He quietly went up the stairs, so afraid that Dad would kill him if he knew what time it was.
2) He slunk up the stairs. Dad would kill him if he knew what time it was.

The words in the first example don’t work very hard. They convey the same meaning, but not as sharply. The second example does the same job in fewer words, and they bring us closer into the story.

The first sentence also has a filler word: ‘so.’ Words like but, and, just, really, very, like, so, etc. aren’t necessary most of the time. Sometimes they fit the voice of the main character, but should still be used sparingly. A little bit goes a long way.

There are also words that do double duty by describing something that’s already descriptive. Such as: tall skyscraper, whispered quietly, frozen ice, descended down, scribbled messily, etc. In each of these cases, only one word is required. The real difficulty is finding the exact words that work for your scene. In most cases, it’s finding the verb that conveys the action you’re looking for, *plus* the emotion associated with the scene.

Some of you may have noticed that, in the examples above, the first sentence is telling and the second is showing. If you did, good for you! :) It’s what exceptional writing comes down to, actually: words that show you the scene and evoke emotion in the reader. The best way to do this is to use fewer words so that the ones you do use work really hard to convey your meaning. It’s rare that you find these words the first time around, so don’t despair! Instead, embrace another mantra: try, try again. And you’ll get there in the end. :)

20 Great Writers on the Art of Revision

I thought this was a great article on revision.

http://flavorwire.com/361311/20-great-writers-on-the-art-of-revision

Enjoy!

What’s Revision Good For?

I know lots of writers who hate revision, and I know lots who love it. Including me. :) But, even if you love it, there will eventually come a time where you will want to scream if you have to revise one more word. :) It's inevitable.

I spent the better part of last year revising one draft of my WIP. Granted, it was a *huge* revision, which is why it took me so long to get through it. But I finished it, and then sent it off to my agent. After she read it, she called me up and proceeded to give me *another* long list of things that need fixing. So, I'll be doing yet another huge revision...oooooooh joy of joys.

But, you know what? I kinda knew it was coming. And it's not because I gave my agent shoddy work. Not at all. I worked my tail off and addressed her concerns to the best of my ability. She just came up with another list...something she's really good at doing. :) Which is exactly why I was expecting another revision. I mean, one can hope to be finished, and sometimes one is pleasantly surprised, but, for the most part, we end up going through our work over and over and over and over and...well, you get the idea.

Toward the end of our conversation, she said she knew how much work I'd put into this draft and was sorry that she still saw so much more that needed to be done. But I told her that I'd had no illusions that this was done, and kinda figured I'd be doing at least one more big revision. She paused, then said she was so glad to hear that because it meant I was willing to do what was right for my story, no matter how hard it might be. She said she's seen other writers take the easy way out, and it really shows in their work. Then everyone suffers.

With each passing day, the publishing world gets more and more competitive. We writers need every possible advantage, which means we need to work ten times harder than we think we do. It will show in our work, and it will be noticed by the professionals in the industry. So, when we hit that wall and run screaming from our stories, we still can't give up and let it be 'good enough.' Because it won't be.

I don't know about you, but I intend to start 2013 off on the right foot, and then I'm going to keep that momentum going--starting with this next revision. Anyone with me?

22 Rules of Storytelling, Part Three

I thought I'd scheduled this post! I've been hunkered down revising and am almost finished with this draft, so I haven't been coming up for air very often. Soooo, here's today's post--apologies for the lateness...

Last week, I went over the plot-related items from Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. Today, I want to focus on the rules related to revision.

Rule #2: You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

Losing your audience is the kiss of death. That’s the first step in losing your fan base, which will end up killing your career. That’s not to say you have to always write for your audience, just that you have to keep them in mind as you write. You can still do what’s fun as a writer, and you can take time to explore fun stuff for yourself in exercises and such. But in your finished work, don’t forget about the audience.

Rule #3: Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.

You might still have the same theme when you reach the end of your story, but it should at least have more depth. And, you should have some sub-themes to go with it. If you don’t, then you missed some key exploring points along the way. Even the best planners can’t see everything from the start. Explore your story in great depths—you’ll be surprised at what it can become.

Rule #5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

YES. Streamlining doesn’t make your story boring. It makes it easier for the reader to follow what’s going on. You can still have lots of depth and a complicated plot, but don’t bog your story down with the unnecessary.

Rule #8: Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

It’s easier to revise than it is to write perfectly the first time. The perfectionist in your head will always point out mistakes and shortcomings, and you will never finish. Give yourself permission to write crap and you’ll get farther, faster.

Rule #11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.

Exactly! It can be scary to write that first draft, especially for new writers. If it helps, then don’t tell anyone what you’re writing, and write with the intent that you’re the only person who will ever read it. It’s okay if it’s crap (see above rule), because you can go through and revise to make it better. Then, you can find a few trusted individuals to share it with.

Rule #12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

More brainstorming! Brainstorming is a writer’s best friend. It’s a really useful tool for truly exploring your story and seeing where it can go (see rule #3). If you do it right, your story and your characters will surprise you—and your reader will be surprised as a result. If you can’t surprise yourself, you won’t be able to surprise your reader.

Rule #17: No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.

YES. Some scenes refuse to be written the first time, and that’s okay. Make a note as to what is supposed to happen, then move on. After you’ve finished your draft, come back to it and I’m betting you’ll know how to write it.

Next week is my last post on this subject, and I’m pulling out the rules that apply to the general craft of writing. If this interests you, please stop by!

Tell Me First, Then Show Me

You’ve finished a manuscript, and now you’re sitting down to the daunting task of revising it. You page through your text, tearing your hair out because you realize it’s chock full of telling! Where’s all the action? The depth? The showing?

You know what? This is normal. So let your hair stay where it is.

Early drafts often consist of the main character telling the author his/her story. The very nature of this act generates a lot of telling, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Later drafts consist of converting all that telling into showing. But how do we do that? Well, let’s take a look at telling vs. showing.

Telling.
Telling consists of words that replace action with a description of the scene. In other words, there is a person telling the reader what’s going on (instead of simply letting them see the story for themselves) and saying things like “She feels sad because she’s missing her husband” or “She’s mad because her best friend stood her up” or “She sees the locket that her husband left for her” (these are extreme examples, but you get the idea).

This analogy works for all words that tell us that the characters are doing/thinking/feeling/seeing/etc something, instead of showing us how they are doing/thinking/feeling/seeing/hearing/etc something. That vs. How, this is the main issue.

Here are some examples of classic telling:

1. Jana heard the wind chimes outside the door.
2. I saw/noticed/perceived the diamond on her ring finger, and felt angry that she’d agreed to marry that scum. (another form: I realized she had a diamond on her finger...)
3. Theresa was a teacher’s pet.

All of these sentences describe something that would have much greater impact through action. That is the essence of telling.

Showing.
Showing consists of action. Plain and simple. It’s in the character’s physical actions, AND it’s in body language, habits, possessions, clothing, hobbies, voice, etc. It’s in how the characters do something, not that they do it.

When you ask someone to show you how to do something, do you expect that person to give you a list of steps and then send you off? No. You’re asking them to get up and Do Something. The same thing applies to writing. Give your characters action, and you will be showing them to the reader.

Let’s convert the above examples of classic telling into showing.

1. The wind chimes tinkled, high and beautiful. Jana opened the door, and a soft breeze cooled her hot skin. Finally, a break from the unbearable heat.
2. The diamond glinted on Mary’s ring finger. What? How could she agree to marry that man, after he’d ‘accidentally’ put her in the hospital?
3. On the first day of school, Theresa was the first one to class. She chose the seat right in front of the teacher’s desk, like always, and arranged her books and pencils on the desk. She pulled a silver pen from her backpack, polishing off the smudges from her fingertips, and attached the “From Theresa” tag to the top. She carefully set it on the teacher’s desk, then slid back into her seat.

When your main character hears, sees, feels, notices, realizes, etc something, we assume it’s the main character because that’s who’s story this is. So, we don’t need to know that she hears something. We need to know what she hears/sees/feels/etc, as well as how it affects her as a person. All at the same time.

For example, don’t tell us that your character is peeling potatoes. Show us how she does it. Is she slow and meticulous? Is she quick and efficient? Does she slam things around? Answers to these kinds of questions show us what kind of person she is, as well as what kind of mood she’s in. We don’t need to be told that she’s angry if she’s slamming things around. We can see it for ourselves. Just like we can see that she’s in a good mood if she’s humming.

All that said, it’s totally fine if your first draft is riddled with telling. The first draft, sometimes called the ‘zero draft,’ is really to get the story sorted out on a high level. Once you have that done, then you can go through and convert your telling to showing. It usually takes me three drafts to get to this point…

After you’ve gone through your manuscript to eliminate the telling, go through it again. A common mistake writers make is to add showing, but not remove all of the telling – i.e. showing anger, then telling the reader that the character is angry (or vice versa). That may take more than one pass, because trusting your reader to understand what you’re saying is really hard.

But, trust me, it’s worth it. :)

Revision Broken Down Into Multiple Drafts

Last month, we heard from several different authors about how they attack the first draft. So, today, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at subsequent drafts.

Personally, I think it’s impossible to write a really good story in just one draft. Okay, there are some people who can do it, but they aren’t the norm. And, some people can revise as they go, but I’d still argue that, technically, they’re still writing in more than one draft—it’s just difficult to know how many. :)

My writing process is done in layers, because that’s the easiest way for my brain to keep track of everything. I used to try to do everything at once, and ended up so overwhelmed that I usually wanted to throw the whole project out the window. So, now, I break everything down into manageable chunks, doing the real work in revision.

Draft 1: Raw Materials
For all my first drafts, I consider this to be the equivalent of slapping a big ol’ lump of clay on a table and preparing to mold it into the shape of my story. Nothing more. I’ve tried doing more than this in first drafts, and I’ve always ended up getting myself lost and frustrated.

Draft 2: Voice
Voice is extremely important, so this is something I try very hard to nail early on. I will work on some of this before I even write the first draft, when I’m getting to know my main character. I do this through journaling from the character’s point of view, and that usually gets me directly into her head. After I get the first draft down, I’ll go through the entire manuscript and make sure that everything sounds like it’s coming from my characters and not from me.

Draft 3: Subplots
Subplots are always in the back of my head when I’m planning and writing out that first draft, but I consider them too important to tackle along with something else. I will devote an entire draft to them to make sure they’re being introduced in the right place, as well as resolved appropriately before the story ends. I often have several subplots, many are subtle and some are more obvious, so I find that giving them my undivided attention is the best way to keep track of them. (in case any of you are wondering why Plot isn’t in this list, I go through an elaborate Plot process before I even write the first draft)

Draft 4: Character and Dialog
Character is not one of my natural strengths, so I usually wait until I’m close to the end before attacking this. If I feel that everything else is in good shape, then, somehow, that gives me the confidence I need in order to tackle character and dialog. Often, I don’t have enough of how my characters think and feel in vital situations, so I painstakingly go through each chapter to look for that...and it usually take more than one draft to get it all. :)

Draft 5: Polish
Once I feel that all the big pieces are in place—the voice is strong, my characters are solid, and my subplots make sense—then I will go through the manuscript with a fine-tooth comb and look at every single paragraph, sentence, and word to ensure it’s in exactly the right place. This always takes more than one draft, because it’s easy to miss a detail when you’re focused on the one above it.

The order of these drafts always varies depending on what story I’m writing. Some stories pull me in one direction. while others pull me the opposite way. Certain aspects of one story may come naturally to me, but, in the next story, I may agonize over it. But I do keep these areas broken down like this, because it helps me get my head around the concepts. It also means I can’t write a story in less than five drafts. If I did, my story would be incomplete.

Have you found your revision process? What is it?

Discovering and the Revision Process

I’ve been revising a lot lately, so it’s been on my mind. Because of this, I think I’ve been noticing all the revising stuff that have been coming up in the virtual world lately. It’s funny how the brain takes notice when it sees something relevant, isn’t it? :)

Anyway, a lot of writers are asking about the best way to revise. They’re looking for specific ways of doing this, like cutting X number of words from the first draft, skipping over the first few chapters to where the story supposedly starts, or how to spot spelling and grammatical errors. And, really, it’s great that writers are looking for information. It shows a desire for growth. I just think they’re looking in the wrong place...

First of all, not everyone needs to automatically chop off the first three chapters. Some writers are very good at identifying the story’s true beginning. So if they cut out the first three chapters, they’d be cutting out essential pieces of the story. On that same note, some writers are sparse with words in their first drafts, focusing only on the bare bones of the story. Therefore, setting a goal of cutting words in the next draft is going to hurt rather than help. Instead, that writer needs to add flesh to the bones. Because of this, you need to identify what kind of writer you are before you start taking everyone’s advice.

Next, let’s look at what revision is, as well as what it’s not. Revision is looking at the content of your story to see if it’s telling itself in the best way possible. Once you’ve got that down, *then* you look at your choice of words, sentence structure, and spelling and grammatical stuff. In other words, once you’re finished revising, you polish your manuscript. It doesn’t make sense to polish before, or even during, revision.

So, how do you do this? Well, it’s not easy. And to make things even harder, there’s no formula, or exact way of doing it.

Just like your writing process, your revision process is unique to you – it depends greatly on what kind of writer you are. Do you just sit down and let your words take you on a ride? Do you plan meticulously, knowing every detail before you start writing your story? Somewhere in between?

I’m an in-between kind of writer, probably smack in the middle between ultimate exploration and ultimate planning. I need to know where I’m going, but I don’t want to know the details of how I’m going to get there – except for the beginning. Everything flows downhill, so I have to make sure I’m flowing from the right place, and that I have everything I need. I don’t like to be on a journey, constantly checking my pockets for stuff, and then getting mad when I don’t have it. So, I revise the first chapter heavily before I even move on to the second chapter. After that, I don’t revise much (only big stuff) until I’ve finished the entire draft. I guess you could say I’m sort of a revise-as-I-go kind of writer. With some exceptions.

But what if you’re not that kind of writer? That just means you have a different set of parameters when it comes to revision. Those parameters will be determined by how you wrote your first draft, so it’s impossible to create a comprehensive process that will work for everyone. Fortunately, there are parameters that everyone needs to incorporate in some way, shape, or form. Most are in the revision checklist I wrote last year, but here are two more.

Time.
All writers need distance from their work. Without it, we can’t obtain the necessary objectivity to see our work for what it is. Is it truly the masterpiece we thought when we wrote the first draft? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth fixing. Putting time and distance between you and your manuscript will let you see the areas that need work, as well as the areas that don’t need much work.

Big stuff before the small stuff.
Once you’ve finished a draft, take a good look at the overall story. Does it flow well? Is everything absolutely necessary? Is there enough tension? Does the story have the appropriate shape? Looking at these big pieces before you agonize over word choice will save you down the road. What if you spend weeks perfecting a scene, only to have to cut it in the end? After you’re happy with how the story fits together, then you can work on the smaller pieces.

There are other things you need, of course, and it depends greatly on what kind of writer you are. That said, no matter what kind of writer you are, your revising process is probably going to vary widely depending on your current project. I’ve written and revised four books so far – though it feels more like six, since I’ve rewritten and revised one of those books three times, basically starting from scratch each time. And, with each book, the writing and revision processes have been different. I imagine the same thing will happen with my next book, and the next, and the next, and so on. And, to me, that’s part of what keeps writing so interesting. :)

Is It Ever Really Done?

Is the story every really finished? Or do writers just keep working on it until time runs out?

This question is commonly asked among writers with a good amount of experience (after we realize that a first draft does not equal done). :) If someone asked me this question a year ago, even six months ago, this would have been my answer: "I would like to think so, but no matter how hard I try I keep finding things to change. And I'm always left with a niggling feeling that something isn't quite right. So, maybe it'll never really be finished."

I've had this sentiment for pretty much my entire writing life (since age sixteen). It's only just recently that it has changed.

I've been working on a story, called ROYAL ROSE, for the past two and a half years. It's the hardest story I've ever written, hands down. It's not a story I would typically read, and it's so far out of my comfort zone it's not even funny. And yet, it was a story that got into my face and demanded to be told. So, I sat down to write it. But, everytime I thought I was done, a feeling that it wasn't done followed me around everywhere.

No matter what I did - let the manuscript sit, ask others' to read it, etc - that feeling never went away. Until recently.

I just finished my fifth draft for this story, and it's done. There might be better ways of executing certain aspects of the story, or a better way to say certain things, but the story itself is done! I've said everything I want to say in a way that's consistent with the characters and the setting. In other words, I knew the story I wanted to tell, and i finally figured out how it needed to be told.

Other stories I've written are still not "done," in that there is still something niggling me about them. Either something is missing, or an aspect of the story is bothering me, or something. I can't look at them and get a satisfied smile on my face that says all is well. And, it's now glaringly apparent that I wasn't absolutely sure of the story I wanted to tell, except in a general sense.

With ROSE, I have known her story since day one. I think this concept is simiar to an idea being "fully formed," like JKR said about Harry as she was sitting on that delayed train. Rose's story fell into my head with a very clear direction and outcome, and for the past two and a half years, I've been trying to figure out all the details. Now that I have, it has made so many more things clear.

My writing process will need to be adjusted because of it - before I write a single word, I want to know my story. Inside and out. Backwards and forewards. Upside down. Everything.

So, there may be some stories that can never be truly done. But my answer to the opening question has changed: "If you truly know your story and where it needs to go, then, yes, it's possible for it to be done."

Make A List, Check It Twice

I recently attended the 4th Annual SCBWI Prairie Writer’s Day, with an absolutely amazing lineup of speakers. I tried writing up a summary of the day in one post, but just couldn’t do it. So this will come in a series. And out of order. So, for those of you who were there, sorry for the confusion. :)

Jennifer Rofe, an agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, talked about Revision. She showed us examples of submissions that had come to her, the kinds of revisions she asked the author to make, and also the number of revisions editors had requested of the author. One editor asked author Cynthea Liu to cut 20,000 words from her MG novel, PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE. 20,000 words!! The entire room gasped.

The examples Ms. Rofe gave were really interesting and useful, but they’re just one piece in the puzzle of Revision. There’s no way I could write an entire blog post on that, because it was one of those things where you had to be there...

Then, Gutsywriter asked a great question: is there some sort of Revision Checklist that writers can utilize?

Aha! :)

Using this question, I was able to go back through Ms. Rofe’s examples and pick out her more generalized comments (plus a few of my own).

OPENING HOOK. Does your story start in the right place? Is the main plot apparent on page one? Has the backstory been introduced such that it doesn’t slow down the story? Above all, is this interesting?

CHARACTERS. Do they seem real? Are they flawed? Do they know what they want, and is there something opposing this (i.e. constantly keeping them from getting what they want)? Also, are all of them necessary? That is, do they contribute to the story in such a way that there would be a hole without them?

SETTING. Is this vivid? Can the reader close his eyes and picture exactly where the characters are? Is it realistic? If it’s a fantasy/sci-fi setting, has the world been defined and adhered to, without paragraphs of info-dumping?

PACING. Is there anything that slows down or takes the reader out of the story?

THEME. Have you said what you wanted to say without preaching or being message-y?

PLOT. This is huge, but this is generally asking if you have a beginning, middle, and end. Also, does the reader react sufficiently to the story as a whole?

RESOLUTION. Does it fit the story such that the reader will be satisfied? For example, a story about a war building, with anger and anxiety on both sides, ending with peaceful negotiation – it’s a good ending, but can leave the reader feeling let down. Are all subplots resolved? All necessary questions answered?

VOICE. This is also huge, and generally asks about the voice of the story as well as the characters. Is it obvious who is speaking simply by the dialog (and not the tags)? Does the story have its own Voice (I.E. can the reader see an obvious difference in narration between this story and another)?

STRONG WRITING. This encompasses everything from word choice to evoking emotion from the reader – far more than I can put into this simple checklist. But, basically, are all the words you’ve used necessary? Both to the story and to the characters? Has each word been purposefully chosen?

OBJECTIVITY. This is the single most important thing when revising. Distance and objectivity allow you to see your work for what it is, not what you want it to be. If you don’t have this on your own, then find at least one critique partner who can be both honest and constructive.

It’s hard to put together a checklist for revising, simply because the things involved in writing are so huge. One could easily create checklists for each of these main points, but then we could get mired down in the details and not get any actual work done. :)

Revision and the Art of Glazing Over

I'm currently revising my latest YA project, Royal Rose, with respect to characters and voice. I'm going over each and every word, figuring out if it does its job. If it does, it stays. If not, it has to be deleted or replaced with one that does. And let me yell ya, this is an eye-straining, glazing over, mind-numbing job. It's no wonder many writers don't make it through the many stages of polishing a manuscript, because this writing stuff is really hard!

I've figured out some steps that help refresh me, mind and body. So I thought I'd share.

1) Drink ice, cold water. I used to gravitate toward sugary snacks and caffeine, but then I'd have to deal with the "crash" a few hours later. But a glass of ice, cold water gives my body that temperature-related jolt, waking it up, with absolutely no after-effects (except the inevitable trip to the bathroom).
2) Get up to stretch your limbs. I'm one of those writers that, when I'm in the zone, will sit for several hours at a time. Sometimes eight or nine, if I have it. I need an alarm to tell me when it's time to pick up my kids. :) So I need to occasionally get up and walk around the room, just to keep from getting sleepy or stiff.
3) Breathe fresh air. Especially since the weather is improving, I've been doing this more often. I'm not sure what I'll do once it's warm enough to work outside because I'll already be in the fresh air. Or, maybe I'll just be invigorated all the time. Who knows!
4) Write longhand. Sometimes I need to set the computer aside and pick up paper and pen. Especially if I'm stuck. I dump everything in my head onto paper, then sort it out there. I also find it helps to switch from a computer screen to paper if my eyes are suffering from strain.
5) Eat a healthy snack. I've found that eating fresh fruits and vegetables keep me better hydrated than water, and keep my energy level up as well. My favorites are cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, grapes, and strawberries.

Anyway, this is what works for me. And it makes me wonder, what works for other people? So, if anyone is reading this, please share!