Alyce Hayes, Writer

I’VE BEEN REVISING FOR A YEAR NOW.

(a/k/a My Revision Process)

(a/a/k/a I originally wrote this blog post in February of 2024. The edits are minimal. That should tell you something.)

(Don’t make this a blog post. Don’t make this a blog post. Don’t make this a–)

A presence. An online presence, to be more precise. As a writer, or author or whatever, I’m supposed to have one of these. How else will people find me? 1

I’ve got this hideously designed website (WHY DID I THINK PURPLE EVERYTHING WAS THE WAY TO GO?), with snippets of chapters of a book I’ve now revised four…six…ish times, who knows, counting makes it worse. 

Don’t even ask me about the other projects (don’t click that link, I made the page private).

Anyway, I’m kicking off my blog posts by talking about my revision process, but I have to tell you: I’m behind on my revisions.

For the first time since I started the revision process about 100 fortnights ago, I became suspiciously reluctant to do this one. I spent virtually all of February opening my writing file, swiping my scroll wheel up and down, then opening Crunchyroll and getting lost in an anime about ecchi maids in love, or high school students who change into zodiac animals, or writers with peculiar complexes (all 3 of those animes are great, by the way. Leave a comment and I’ll tell you which ones I’m talking about). 

Instead of revising, I wrote two poems, started two short stories and started plotting another novel, though, so…

Why am I so reluctant? Maybe because I started reading more books, and some of these authors are so freaking good that I’m worried my manuscript will start to sound like I’m trying to emulate them. 

And really, do we need anymore emulators in this era? Do we need copies? Do we need another reimagining of something someone else did? 

I have opinions on that…trend. 2,3,4

So now I’m holding off on reading novels for a bit. It’s better for me during the revision process. I’ve switched over to reading poetry and short speculative fiction or horror stories. Oh, and diving headfirst into watching the Stargate Franchise in Canon Order.

You know. For balance.

SO ANYWAY, What does my Revision Process Look Like? 

Well, once I’m done ‘hemming’ and ‘hawing’ about getting back into the damn manuscript, I generally follow these steps:

  1. I read the whole book. Again. Usually. Since this is round four or five of my revisions, and I’ve shared/am sharing chapters with fellow writers, I’m not doing it. I feel relatively confident about the plot and the characters, so it’s really more about revising at the scene and line level now. 
  2. I begin ‘redlining’ notes in 4 or 5 chapter chunks. This is something I’ve done since the 2nd round of revisions. If I try to take notes on the entire manuscript first, I lose momentum because I just want to start making some damn progress. And if I’m not making progress, then I guess I’ll be marathoning Junjo Romantica until I feel guilty for not writing.5
  3. I work on the first chunk of redlines. 
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until I reach the end of the manuscript. 
  5. Drink a bottle of wine. Responsibly, of course. I never mix wine with tequila. 
  6. Sleep for a week. 
  7. Write ANYTHING else, totally unrelated to that godforsaken book6

Once I’ve followed these steps, and have given my manuscript time to breathe (maybe around 3 or 4 weeks) I go back and re-read it again.

That’s the process in a nutshell. The time to finish varies, of course. I’m not so proficient at this that I can accurately estimate how long revising a book will take. 

And honestly, if you’re in the Revision Trenches (especially if you’re still learning your own working and writing style), don’t stress too much about a deadline. The time it takes is the time it takes. Yes, setting an end goal is good practice for discipline if you need or want it. But whether you actually finish by your arbitrary end date isn’t a question of success or failure. It’s just a datapoint; something to review for tweaking next time. 

If you’re serious about your writing (or any other activity for that matter), prioritize the time. That’s the most important part. But also realize that there will be an ebb and flow to your productivity. Listen to your body, listen to your heart, and know your tendencies.

I spent much of February in a barely productive state because that’s what my body and mind needed. To be fair, I do spend 9 – 10 months out of the year writing 3 days a week, and have learned what discipline and consistency looks like for me at this stage in life. 

Now that we’ve closed out 2024, I have made significant progress with my revisions (but I did also plot out and start drafting another novel in that time), and I anticipate that this baby will be good to in the first quarter of 2025.

By the way, I’m totally counting this blog post as part of my writing. I think I’ve earned a reward. Maybe marathoning some Stargate?

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FOOTNOTES:

  1. The real question is: Do I want to be found? The real answer is YES OF COURSE I DO I’M A LEO. ↩︎
  2. I get that we’re limited by our 3d human experience and consciousness, but damn, Gina (is that reference considered vintage now?), just pull a random idea out of your ass like the rest of us hard working artists and stop trying to convince the world that your fanfiction is “a unique spin on the DISNEY FILM/GRIMM FAIRY TALE/SPIDERMAN”. Let’s do better, folks. ↩︎
  3. I should probably delete the above. There is nothing wrong with creating fanfiction, or re-imaginings of classic tales. I don’t dislike everything that’s come out. Just 95% of it.  ↩︎
  4. Yeah, you know what? I’m leaving it in. ↩︎
  5. I’m an emotional/masochistic anime watcher. I’ll discuss in another blog post. ↩︎
  6. Usually snippets of terrible erotica romance that no other living soul Will Ever See. Or I fiddle with short stories I plan on unleashing to a bunch of unsuspecting editors at digital literary magazines.  ↩︎

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