Novel Revision Retreat Report

The novel revision retreat was well worth the time and money spent. I'm still reeling, I'm still psyched, and I'm still so grateful to NaNo for giving me the impetus back in 2004 to churn out a complete manuscript so that I had something to work with and the opportunity to find out why revision isn't the chore I'd made it into.

I've loved Viewfinder (a.k.a Cousins) ever since it hit paper, and my writer buddies did too, but when it came to revising and rewriting, I was completely at a loss about where to start. There was such a cascade of elements that I wanted to check or tweak or edit. I didn't know where to start and at times I needed to literally see the entire manuscript, and I had no idea how to go about doing that. By the time I flipped to page 205, I'd completely lose track of what it was on page 42 that made me turn there to look. I simply could not get past the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Now that's all in the past.

This weekend gave me some outstanding tools to work with and has allowed me to calendar a plan of attack that should have this manuscript polished and ready to hit a desk drawer by November 1. Hit a desk drawer? Yes, I want to get a little distance anyway, and I'll be puzzling over what on earth I'm doing trying for another manuscript when last year's is hopelessly mired in neediness. But I just can't turn my back on a dear friend that gave me Viewfinder.

In December I'll do the final edit and get it in the mail. Just in time to try the revision principles on whichever MS I like best--the 2005 NaNo attempt or the 2006 NaNo attempt.

I would just like to say this to my faithful writing friends who do not have a complete draft: GET ONE!!! Do whatever you have to do to get a full first draft on paper. Writing is great fun. But revision is an even greater exercise of creativity and gives you the opportunity to channel your creative vision in ways that produce real results and real satisfaction. If all you've ever done is try to hammer out a story for the first time, you've not tasted the real joy of writing. Of course this is all based on my own experience, but I have also heard many others say the same. I believe them wholeheartedly now. This revision process is full of opportunities to be creative. I am loving every minute.

And that's the news from my desk. When will a completed first draft be sitting on yours? :) I'm going to be a real pain about this, so you might as well just finish so you can stick your tongue out at me. LOL!