Submitting Infinity’s Heir to Revpit was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done for the manuscript. Though heavily edited, it was far from ready for publication. Some fantastic feedback from the Revpit editors made that clear, but helped paved the way for the latest version of the manuscript. For better or worse, this will likely be novel’s last hurrah, but I plan on making a go of it.

I spent a lot of time on Infinity’s Heir during 2017, producing a version that was vastly different from the original I tentatively queried. And, again, I plan on making edits that will stand as a significant change compared previous iterations of the work.

It’s a process that I thought would be fun to share.

Feedback and Commenting

Regardless of the source, feedback is one of the most valuable tools a writer can receive. Every bit of it can teach a writer something about the novel in question, even if the revelation is unintended.

Usually, the first thing I do with feedback is read it with the latest version of the manuscript open beside it. When certain issues are highlighted, I drop a comment on the corresponding section of the work. I normally flavor the comments with ideas prompted by the feedback, or a new direction for the scene, to rectify whatever missteps there might be. In some cases, if I feel what was pointed out doesn’t need to be fixed, I’ll highlight it anyway and read around the section to make sure I’m not missing something.

To me, doing this is extremely important.

Often, writers have the desire to immediately fix whatever is perceived to be wrong with the manuscript, but working on a problem too quickly can result in a revision that is just as bad as the original. That’s why commenting the issue can be a better solution. It acknowledges the “problem”, but doesn’t insist that it be addressed that very moment, allowing the writer time to mull over what might work best, if any change is needed at all.

Commenting Comments

Depending on the scope of the changes, it might be a good idea to read through the comments and addend them with clarifying information. Again, making changes too quickly can add inconsistencies between chapters, or create confusion, if a specific plot point is altered too drastically. It is imperative to make sure that any change to the manuscript results in a story that doesn’t have any continuity issues, so a second round of comments can help minimize this possibility.

Let it rest?

If unsure about any of the changes, it might be a good idea to let the manuscript sit for a while. If confidence is high, a few days to a week will suffice, but it never hurts to let it sit longer. Sometimes, the best advice is to let the manuscript sit for a month (or six in the case of some writers I know), before looking at it again.

Diving In

After all of the preliminary work is finished, it’s time to start revising. There are many different ways to work on a manuscript, and none of them are the exclusively correct way of doing so. In every case, it comes down to personal preference and what works best for you. Below is my process.

Front to Back

I always start at the beginning.

Starting from the first chapter allows me to scan for needed line edits and reacquaints me with the story. I’m always intimately familiar with the general beats of the novel being revised, but sometimes I can forget all of the nuanced intricacies of the prose. Familiarizing myself with all of these points allows me to get a better idea of how to mold planned changes into the manuscript. And, in some cases, I find that some have already been incorporated into the novel – I just forgot about them.

Track Changes

I never make direct changes to the text of the work. Instead, I always use a program that allows me to track edits so that I can actually see how each change looks in comparison to the text around it (or the text it is replacing).

In most cases, I wind up accepting whatever changes I’ve made, but, occasionally, I’ll find one that doesn’t mesh with the story, or the characters, or the overall plot. Being able to pinpoint this kind of inconsistency before losing in a sea of words is invaluable.

More Comments!

Past line edits and additions, there are always parts of a novel that feel off. In this case, adding extra comments during the revision is a perfectly acceptable strategy. It allows me to recognize that there’s something wrong, but allows me to move past the section to focus on more pressing issues with the manuscript.  Often, it’s better to do this than get sidetracked focusing on a section of the novel that isn’t as important as the overall goal of the revision.

Final Pass and the Finished Product

After all that, it’s best to skim through the novel one last time. Depending on confidence level, this can range from line edits to just making sure formatting is good before sending it off to beta readers. Either way, it’s always worthwhile to have one more look.

However long the revision process takes, the end result is a manuscript that’s better for the time spent on it. Even though revising might take a while, and some of the changes might be painful to make, it’s a worthwhile endeavor every time!

I’m about 1/3 of the way through the latest revision of Infinity’s Heir and I’m already far happier with it than ever before. Though I still have a long way to go, I can see that the narrative, and prose, is already improved.

Keep an eye out for a post detailing all the changes I’ve made (and will make) to Infinity’s Heir. It should drop later this week!