The Revision Process

Yesterday, I got a huge gift from a friend. Leiah has a background in publishing and I had twisted her arm into reading my manuscript. I can’t imagine how nerve-wracking this must be for a friend. “Okay, you want me to critique this? Are you SURE? Will we still be friends afterwards?”

So, yesterday we sat down and walked through the book from beginning to end, discussing her thoughts. I could tell she was a little nervous about offending me. But, I was part of a critique group for years and I am used to having people critique my work. That was not a problem. She had great suggestions and caught numerous typos and missing commas. It never matters how many times a writer looks at their work, some of those little mistakes always seem to make it through.

But there were some big issues, too. These issues have to do with my narrator’s age, timing and “tenses” (present/past, etc). I knew immediately that she was right (is right, will be right, has been right…). I have major work to do – my words, not hers. And I want to do it. I am thankful for her insight.

Now, as I stare my laptop screen, I am mulling over how to go about doing this.
Revising is a lot like ironing, I’ve learned. I’m not very good at ironing. I can be diligently working on one wrinkle, only to have two or three more appear because of what I’m doing. I just read a great discussion on revision where the author remembered feeling like the “train was about to go off the cliff.” I’m feeling more like I have a loose thread in my favorite sweater. What do I do? If I pull on it, the whole thing might unravel around me, leaving me standing there in my underwear. (Oh, great. I’m going to have THAT dream tonight!) And yet, I can’t leave it alone.

My mom is a knitter. She knits these amazing Scandinavian-style wool sweaters. She will work on them, painstakingly, for weeks or months. Then she discovers a flaw and starts ripping out stitches — sometimes back nearly to the beginning.

“No one will SEE that!” I yelp. “Don’t rip it all out!”

Her answer is always the same. “I will see it.”

That’s what revision is all about. I want this book to be the best it possibly can be. I will rip it out and redo it as many times as it takes. But right now, as I sit here with the loose end in my hands, I am fighting a sinking feeling in my stomach. Can I really do this?

No I can’t. But, as my character learns near the end of Shaken — God can. After He was done creating, He stood back and looked at it, saying “It is good.” I can’t do that. Not yet. But with His help, maybe I will be able to soon.

So here I sit with the yarn in my hands. I guess it’s time to fold those hands in prayer. Then I start tugging.