Friday, November 20, 2009

Revision 9-1-1


You know you have one. Admit it.

A manuscript that’s sitting somewhere untouched with dust so thick you could etch your name in it. Maybe you shelved your picture book because the gaggle of geese which deftly honked out the meaning of life in iambic pentameter just didn’t fit the market. Or your YA characters dressed flashy, talked trashy but didn’t do much of anything else. For whatever reason you shelved your piece, it’s there, either waiting to be discovered post mortem or dying the slow death of manuscripts that just don’t work.

Enter Cynthea Liu and her Revision 9-1-1 Workshop.


When I found out Cynthea was giving a workshop in my area, I jumped at the chance to attend. So many conferences solely focus on networking and subbing your work that craft often gets overlooked. This was an opportunity to focus on revision for four delicious hours. I dusted off my beloved manuscript, the one that I shelved because it was “too quiet” (still wondering if in editorspeak it simply meant – it stinks!) and went, coffee in hand, to find out how I could revive it.

Cynthea began by having us go through our manuscripts and circling –ing words. Using too many -ing words can give your work an “echo” and make YOU, the writer too obtrusive. I have to admit I was a bit surprised at how many –ing words my ailing manuscript had.

Hmmm…really, I sent it out this way!!??

She also touched upon characters – and how to make the generic “Hot Guy” or “Soccer Mom” leap off the page. One word - specificity. (say that ten times fast, I dare you) Surely my manuscript didn’t suffer from that…oh, wait, eek! It did. While I know I saw my characters having depth and being unique, a quick read of my first ten pages didn’t exemplify that. How could I make my protagonist’s version of what was going on different than any other funeral scene? Seeing the world through her own unique filter is how and while I know that’s what I always try to do when I sit down to write, looking back over my work with an objective eye – really helped hit that lesson home.

There are far too many other tips to list in one blog post, so I’ll leave you with my favorite. One – which I suffer from a little bit more than I’d like to admit – is if you’re working on a scene and you feel like it’s something you could see on television, CHANGE IT. Turn it on its head – do we first meet “hot guy” leaning up against a locker? How can you make it different? Maybe hot guy rides a bicycle to school because he’s a budding environmentalist. Or we first meet him barfing up his lunch behind the bleachers. Anywhere but the locker.

I have to say, when I first left the workshop I felt a little bummed – very caught up in the “I really sent this out like this?” blues. Then something great happened. I got a vision of how the opening scene could work better, how my character could come to life – how I could turn my story on its head and work on it again to make it a truly unique. I’m once again psyched to work on it. So thanks Cynthea!

Cynthea Liu is so generous with her writing expertise and loves to talk shop! For more great tips you can visit her website.

And now – if you leave a comment, you will be entered in a drawing to win Cynthea’s YA novel The Great Call Of China. You have until Sunday to leave your comment. It will be random so don’t worry about being witty, just join in the conversation!

So what are some of your favorite tips when handling revision? And how do you feel about it – love it or hate it!

30 comments:

  1. Those are some great tips! Honestly, the best way for me to revise is to have someone else read it. I am usually so close to my writing that I miss things - things that I know in my head but neglected to put in the story. :)

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  2. When I struggled with one particular bit of my MS, I printed out the pages and laid them out on the floor so I could spot the shape of the overall story.

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  3. I love getting constructive feedback on my writing!
    Thank you for the giveaway :)
    hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. Thanks for the tips! My first novel has been sitting quietly on a shelf, but lately my protagonist has been calling to me, louder and louder. My second novel has been extremely challenging--- but now that I'm nearing the end, I feel braver about going back to that first one. And I will definitely check out the website for more tips.

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  5. Wow, perfect timing. I'm just about to dive into a heavy duty overhaul of my last ms!
    Thank you thank you!

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  6. Great revision tips. Thanks for sharing. Now back to work...

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  7. I sooo wanted to go to this workshop. Cynthea is fabulous. I hope she'll come again so I can experience her fabulosity first hand! But since I couldn't, thanks for posting the info here. :)

    peace,
    Donna

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  8. go in to it with a clear and accepting state of mind- i hate it
    mverno@roadrunner.com

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  9. Really good post, Judy. Thanks for sharing.

    I am currently doing some minor revisions on my wip - nothing too deep since I haven't even finished the first draft. I'm trying to get all my characters and plot points on the same trajectory. Anyhow, revision must be done on many layers from picky, tedious word searches for gerunds and passive verbs to adding complexities to your characters to creating emotions.

    So glad to hear you were inspired by this workshop. And, I'm glad you shared what you learned.

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  10. After reading Cynthea's suggestions, I want to review my stories hiding in a file cabinet and see what I can do. What excitement (and hope) I feel that maybe, just maybe, if I make the right changes these stories might actually get published!

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  11. Thanks for the tip-sharing, Robin!

    I'm going back in.

    May my gerunds R.I.P.

    p.s. Meg, Judy didn't write this!

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  12. Looks like a great book.
    erma.hurtt@sbcglobal.net

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  13. Great post, Robin. I particularly like CHANGE IT. That's what I'm working on in my writing now.

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  14. This looks like a great read. I find that the best way for me to revise is to read it out loud. cardshark42(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  15. Aw, thanks, Robin! I'm so glad the workshop left you with renewed resolve for your work! I had such a wonderful time meeting you all! Thanks for this lovely post!

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  16. Great post. Did you really come all the way from NJ to NC to go to Cynthia's workshop? I'm impressed. I constantly teach kids that "the red pencil is a writer's best friend." It's something we all need to remember!

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  17. This is a terrific post. What I came away with is that writing is a process and can always be improved.

    I'd love to win this book.


    bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  18. Sounds like a great book.

    shawnac68@hotmail.com

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  19. Would it be really bad if the only thing I say is "I want to win Cynthea's book?" Okay okay, this is a very relevant post because I'm deep in revisions on my first novel. There are numerous things that help me, including detailed edits from someone whose opinion I trust, allowing ideas to incubate in my head for a generous amount of time, and fully accepting the possibility of throwing out anything that I wrote previously, no matter how much I like it.

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  20. Revising one's work is not easy.

    theyyyguy@yahoo.com

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  21. I'd love to read this, thanks for the chance!

    Hotsnotty2@hotmail.com

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  22. Great revision tips :)

    ktgonyea at gmail.com

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  23. The tips were very informative. I would have liked to attend the workshop to hear all the tips. garrettsambo@aol.com

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  24. After a very scientific drawing (aka names in a hat...or okay, bowl) Congratulations Lily Cate! You win the autographed copy of Cynthea Liu's fab YA novel The Great Call of China.

    Thanks all for the great comments! And again, head over to Cynthea's website for more helpful revision tips.

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  25. Jeeze! Sorry, ROBIN, I don't know why I thought Judy posted this - obviously I must need to change the prescription for my glasses.

    Thanks, Janice, for pointing it out.

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  26. Great tips. I'll have to check my manuscript for the -ing words.

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  27. Thanks for sharing...I loved the comment about being a bit bummed after the workshop and then, after a bit of thinking, good ideas hit. I have had similar reactions.
    Writing, a fun and painful thing we must do.
    Thanks again..
    Mj

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