How do I know when it’s time to stop slashing, changing, fussing with and tweaking my story? When do I know I’m ready to stop revising a novel? When is it time to share it with others for feedback?
These are valid questions and lot of new writers ask them. A lot of experienced writers wonder about these things, too project to project. First of all, it’s hard to let go of something you’ve poured so much time and effort into, especially when you know that other eyes are waiting. Even if you don’t struggle with the thought of putting your work “out there”, you might still wonder how to know when what you have in front of you is the best expression of your story.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to hook up your draft manuscript to some sort of revision gauge? You could watch the needle inch away from ROUGH and closer and closer to REVISED…?
In the absence of such technology—the absence of anything external to ourselves, really—we writers need to find another way to answer this question for ourselves. Actually, I’d like to “revise” this statement a bit: we can rely on something that is at least in part external to ourselves. We can rely on the writing process itself.
A Few Signs that You Can Stop Revising a Novel
#1 – Revision is not the same as proofreading. I see revision as the final creative step in the creative writing process. You are still creating while revising, although unlike in the first days of writing your novel, you’re not (always) creating from scratch. You might be making major alterations to your existing text: adding, subtracting and rearranging. You’re sharpening up the action. You’re adding life and zing to dialogue. You’re refining descriptions. So….when you catch yourself doing more proofreading (correcting for spelling, sentence structure, grammar) than creative alterations it’s a sign that you’re working with your “shareable draft”.
#2 – You’re no longer reading your story, you’re reading your manuscript. This is one of those magical feelings that can be in store for us during the revision process. You’ve read your story through countless times in order to revise. You’ve made several drafts, or major alterations. Then, the required changes start to shrink in volume and stature. You notice that you’ve flipped or scrolled through several pages, even a few chapters, where you’re not making changes. You’re not even looking for changes. Instead, you’re laughing at the clever thing Peter says to Franny. You’re lost in the landscape the words in front of you are painting. You’re holding your breath as tensions mount and action escalates…You’re reading a story. And it’s yours. A big sign that what’s in front of you is your shareable draft.
#3 – Your words are blurring. This is the other side of the coin for point #2, and it can happen, too. You can no longer see your story. Your mind wanders as you read. You know your words so well you can recite them without even looking at the page. Yet you don’t know—you’re not sure—if what you have is quite it. In my experience, there are two potential remedies for this. The first is to take a break. In my writing workshops, I always advise “resting” a first draft for a significant amount of time before revision, and also building in breaks between revisions, too. So, it may just be that you should give yourself permission to walk away for a couple of weeks and come back with a fresher brain and rested eyes.
The second potential remedy is to get feedback from those you trust right now, even if you’re not sure that this is “the” shareable draft you were hoping to produce (notice that this also gives you a break). You can ask for general impressions, or even ask your feedback crew to look for certain things that you yourself are wondering about or sense that you are struggling with: character development, plot coherence, etc. (Incidentally, in my opinion, four people is a magical number for getting different perspectives and establishing patterns). Then listen and digest this feedback. Your rested self may gain the last pieces to your revision puzzle from the comments that come your way.
It’s worth noting that this shareable draft may not be (probably won’t be) your last. Feedback can alter it further, and you yourself may have epiphanies about story solutions while your draft is circulating. But you’ve come to a major milestone on the creative road, one that has taken the tenacity you’ve shown yourself you clearly have. I’ll see you there!