My daughter took Think Sideways. Wrote her first novel. Is working on revising it now.
And she said, “You know, I sort of get the One-Pass Revision, but I wish you had something a lot more in-depth for people who still aren’t sure which parts of what they’ve written are good, and which parts need to go. I want to have the whole thing broken down into tiny steps.”
Other people have said the same thing.
The One-Pass Revision is the way I revise my novels now. But now, I know how to look at characters, decide which need to stay and which need to go, and which need to be folded into other characters. I know where my writing was good and where it was bad. I can spot failed plotlines. I can identify the holes where description, conflict, and backstory should go.
When I was just getting started, my revision process was equally grueling, but different. I didn’t know the things I know now, so my process didn’t take anything for granted.
I still remember how I revised back then, and I wouldn’t mind teaching that method.
I’m just not sure how many people would actually want to spend three or four months doing a really intensive revision on their novels.
If this is something that would interest you, post here and let me know.
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