Revision Revisited

Back in September of 2006 I made the wise investment and attended a Novel Revision Retreat hosted by the Oklahoma chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. The retreat was conducted by Darcy Pattison.

Wow.

I had never successfully revised and edited a book-length manuscript. Like a writer friend of mine has said, it was a bit like washing an elephant. By the time you got to the end, it was hard to tell where you’d started. I needed a plan and was having a tough time finding one that worked.

Not being one to re-invent the wheel, I was looking for some guidance when the call went out that our regional advisor was trying to get this retreat put together. I signed up and honestly forgot I had, and when the time came to put the money down, it was tough. In the end, I was so glad I hadn't missed out on the opportunity. It was money well spent.

When Darcy began saying, “Since you’ve finished a complete draft of a novel, I consider you Gifted and Talented,” I knew I was going to enjoy the weekend. Finishing that draft is an awesome milestone, even when you know it still needs tons of work. It’s an achievement that should be celebrated. On that positive note, moving forward was a delight.

By the end of the weekend I had everything I’d wanted in the way of a process for revision. Darcy taught us to inventory and diagnose the draft. She introduced ways to visually manipulate the manuscript to identify problems. The workshop delved into the many different aspects that go into good storytelling: the narrative and emotional arcs, dialog, setting, sensory detail. We dug into deeper areas like the power of language and narrative patterning. In the end, we drew up a plan for revising our novel and that is what we went home with. The work was still out there to be done, but with a solid plan for progress, revision was manageable now.

I thoroughly enjoyed applying what I'd learned to the first complete novel draft I had in hand, thanks to my first National Novel Writing Month attempt. It is a manuscript story I am very proud of. Now I have to get off my lazy submission rear-end and get it back out in the mail again.

If you ever have the opportunity to go to one of Darcy’s weekend retreats, it is well worth it. Don't miss the opportunity to do this in person with a group of fellow writers.

However, this month her workshop came out in paperback form, and she is offering an online revision class as well. I was so thrilled to see the book, so delighted to revisit that amazing weekend when revising was changed from an overwhelming hurdle to a delightful challenge.

Check out Darcy Pattison’s website for more details. Oh, and if there was ever incentive for finishing a draft of a manuscript—just pushing through and getting the story on paper, no matter how rough—this book will provide that, too. You really need a complete draft on hand to go through the material effectively, so push on!