As I'm rereading and preparing to edit my current novel-in-progress (and getting towards the end of the reread), I'm thinking about facing the terrors I have over revision and rewriting. It's about making choices - what do I throw away? What do I add? Is the new stuff I'm writing better than the old stuff I'm replacing it with?
It's nearly enough to paralyze me!
A friend came through with a recommendation - a book to read to help me focus while revising on things to look for.
The book is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. Sure, some of what they say I've heard before - "show don't tell," "use more active verbs," and so forth. But they give LOTS of examples and they show before-and-after bits, showing selections with "mistakes" and how they'd rewrite them.
I'm sure I won't remember every piece of advice when I get to the "dreaded task," but there are enough nuggets in my brain that I think it will help when I wade into it. It makes me a little more hopeful anyway!
Any fellow writers have advice on how to revise?
I plan to try editing via Ouija board. Of course, it takes time to write down all those one-by-one letters, but would the spirits steer you wrong? Especially in Salem?
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