Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Revisions: The Good, The Bad, and The Surprising by Victoria James


This last year has been an absolute whirlwind for me.  Since pursuing publication, I’ve always been able to create my own schedule.  Finding the time to write in between moving houses (more than a few times), babies, ‘real’ work, friends, family, and of course, my DH, was always a challenge-but I didn’t have to answer to anyone. 
My first set of revisions for my first Indulgence landed last month-with a loud thud.  That thud was the sound of my heart as it dropped to the ground-I had 2 weeks.  No big deal, right?  Well, I was juggling a few other projects at the time so the thought of jumping back and forth was overwhelming, even though I knew that’s just part of the job.  Everyone does it, it’s about time I learned too.  Throw in kids getting sick, DH and I getting sick, another set of edits, and two different proposals on the go, I was *slightly* freaking out.
But, I sucked it up, held my breath and opened the attachment filled with lots and lots of red, and blue and I think maybe brown.  And then I shut it.  After a few minutes (and maybe a few panicked emails to Olivia and Jennifer) I opened it again.  I forced myself to read the comments and take deep breaths.  I did survive...and here's the rundown on what I’ve learned the last month:

1)   Revisions aren’t just about what you need to change or where you went ‘wrong.’  They are about deepening the conflict, making motivations clearer, and putting your best work forward.  This is it, your last chance to add, delete, or change something before your 'baby' goes out into the world.

2)   Don't delete your playlist!  I create a playlist for each book I write.   This really helped me get right back into the ‘zone’.  I wrote this book almost two years ago.  It sold last January-but the second I put on the playlist for this book I was transported back and visited with my old friends.  It happens to be a Christmas book, so it was even more crucial to get into the Christmas mood right away.

3)   Editors actually write some nice comments in the manuscript :-)  Since this is such a solitary business, and up until a book releases, it’s very hard to imagine what people will find funny, or touching.  Seeing comments in the margin like LOL, YES! or LOVE THIS totally made my day.  And at a few points during the revising process when I was totally stumped, I'll admit I went back to those spots in the margins where those comments were, and they gave me the confidence that maybe I did know what the heck I was doing.

4)   I loved ALL the revision suggestions my editors gave me.  Yup.  Every.  Single.  One.  Now, maybe not initially, but they were so good and so true to my characters and my story.  I felt like they really 'got' my characters.  I know the book is so much stronger-and had it not been for my awesome editors-I don't know that I would have thought to make those changes.

5)  There’s a lot less cutting, and a heck of a lot more adding than I would have thought.  I was able to write new scenes-and I had so much fun doing it.  It’s a lot easier to write a few scenes about characters that I love even more now, than having to write the entire book! 

Now I'm off to well, tackle another set of revisions for my January book! 

Now that my release is about a month away, I have a new focus for my anxiety-release day and reviews!!!  I break out into a cold sweat just thinking about it...Maybe I’ll be back to write a post on that-if I survive ;-)

10 comments:

  1. Great post, Victoria and such a great attitude. So true that revisions aren't about changing what is wrong, but rather about just making it even better than it already is. I can't wait to see the revised version of this story...or rather...BUY the revised version:-)I laughed because I too sometimes listen to Christmas music in the summer, should the WIP demand it...:-)

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    1. Thanks, Olivia! I forgot to say that I referred to your list about tackling revisions-came in handy!! And thanks for all your support
      :-)

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  2. I can't wait to read this revised book, either, Victoria. I just *know* it's going to be fab - how could it not be? x

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Rachel-and for the vote of confidence! I'm looking forward to reading your new book as well-that cover is mighty enticing! ;-)

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  3. Oh, you poor thing. Every time I receive revisions, my heart stops. It's SO much work, and it's not what I want to do, but you summed up the benefits perfectly. When the editor is good, the book is so much better. I also cling to the little pieces of encouragement sprinkled among the edits--aren't they the best? Brilliant suggestion to keep the playlist available.

    I cannot wait to read your debut! I'm sure it's wonderful. :-)

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    1. Thanks, Natalie!! Oh I'm so glad I'm not the only one who clings to the nice comments in the edits, LOL. And you're so right-great editors make the book SO much better. xo

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  4. So glad you made it through your revisions. I can't wait to 'buy' the sparkly, shiny version. :-)

    I've never made a playlist before for my books. I always just listen to whatever is playing on my favorite country station. But I think part of it is because when I dig into a story, I don't hear the sounds in the background. Maybe some day I'll give it a go.

    Thanks for sharing!!!

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    1. Hey Jennifer!! Thanks so much-I'm dying to see the sparkly, shiny version myself! Thanks for all your support, too :-)

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  5. Can't wait to read your book, Victoria...

    When I got my first revs, which was 5 page letter on the MS I sold, there was a para in the beginning where the generous ed included everything she liked about the book and my voice...

    I enlarged the font, bolded it, printed off that para and stuck it in on the wall where I would see it when I worked on them...It helped so much....

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    1. Hey, Sri! Thanks for stopping by :-)

      I love the idea of printing off the good comments and sticking it on the wall. It is so important to try and keep up the confidence-I guess it worked well for you ;-) I can't wait to read your book as well...:-)

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