Inside the Wonder World, Lesson, 45

Revision

Welcome to my Friday edition of Substack, which features my paid posts: Inside the Wonder World.

Those paid subscribers who stick with me for a year will get a free copy of the book as soon as it’s out.

Inside the Wonder World is the working title of my developing craft book on writing and publishing for young readers. I’m bringing it to you in pieces, both to help you learn something more deeply (lessons and exercises included) and to push me to finish this lofty goal.

Here’s the next lesson!

Revision

Are you ready for the best part of writing?

Or, maybe you think revision, to put it nicely, stinks?

There is no getting around revision, at least for 99% of us writers. I find that’s when most of the “magic” happens – when I finally know my character pretty well, when I have a handle on my plot but may still have holes, when I have an idea of deeper meanings but know they need refining.

Let’s break revision down, as that is the best way not to feel overwhelmed – proceed methodically.

What Type of Writer Are You?

You’ve very likely already heard the terms “plotter” versus “pantser”, but just in case…

A plotter is someone who likes to plan out their books, either by the use of an actual outline, or by the use of one of the millions of plot paradigms (i.e., Save the Cat; the Syd Field turning points; etc.), or by using post-it notes, or white boards, or…The plotter will have a good firm grip on the whole story before they write a word.