Two More Books on Revision

My favorite part of James Scott Bell’s Revision & Self-Editing is the epilogue, “The Trick That Cannot Be Explained.” Here Jim shows us the parallel between magic tricks and fiction writing – the more tricks you know, the greater the sense of awe and magic in the audience. I love when I’m reading a book that feels magical, and more than anything I want to write a book others feel is magical. Jim really wants to help us with that. (Just as Margie Lawson was helping us all this month. Thanks, Margie!)

The hardest part about sharing what you’ve learned from someone else’s book is that as you’re flipping through it you start to read. Soon, instead of writing, you’re reading. (Insert another routine here: look up from your work every 15-20 minutes to ask yourself, am I doing what I meant to be doing right now?) As Jim says in the Introduction, this is a good book for beginning writers to get an overview of the essentials, and for more advanced writers to use as a giant checklist.

If you like writing exercises (Stephanie!), there are some at the end of each of the first 12 chapters, the self-editing section. If you like to flip through books looking at the sidebars and bullet points (me!), those are in nearly every chapter, too. But I like section two, the last 60 pages of the book, best. This is the revision section. Not only are there encouraging anecdotes and quotes to keep you going, there is “The Ultimate Revision Checklist.” Jim gives you questions to ask about your manuscript in areas like character, plot, openings, middles, endings, scenes, and more, and then shares ideas for how to fix the problems.

For instance, think you have problems with some of your scenes? Maybe you don’t have enough conflict or tension or the objective isn’t clear. Possible fixes include “Relive Your Scenes,” “Heat Up the Core,” “Adjust Your Pace,” “Stretch the Tension,” and “Cut or Strengthen Weak Scenes.”

I really love this book, partially because it’s organized so you can easily skim, looking for the part you need, and partially because Jim writes like he talks. He’s a smart guy, a lawyer, but he writes like he’s talking to you at a cafe eating ice cream. He’s really excited about his topic, and you’re pretty sure it’s not just the sugar.

This is a great book, one I know many of you love. If you haven’t looked at it, do so. Between your writing friends, the library and the bookstore, someone near you must have a copy. I don’t mind suggesting you just borrow it because it’s so chock-full of useful tips, you’ll have it on your to-buy list in no time.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I have two great books on revision (and I talked to you about the first one last week). Another look at my bookshelf reminded me that I have three. The third seemed so obvious to me because “everyone I know knows you should have this book” so it didn’t stick out when I pulled the other two off the shelf.

The third is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. For a good ten years, every editor and agent that I heard speak at a conference suggested that all writers should buy and read this book. It’s written by two editors, and by page three I’m hooked. I feel like I’m in a class getting the inside scoop on how to make my writing not just publishable (the subtitle of the book is “How to Edit Yourself Into Print”), but magical. (I’m really on a “magical” kick today, aren’t I? Probably because I got to see Prince William from about ten feet away last week! )

The chapter titles give you an idea that this isn’t a carbon-copy book on writing. Instead of “Character” and “Plot,” we get “Show and Tell,” “Characterization and Exposition,” “See How It Sounds,” and nine more. The chapter on “Point of View” gave me put-into-action-now advice on how to get my characters’ voices to sound different, something I struggle with. The last chapter on “Voice” is one you’ll want to read if you struggle with your writer voice. All in all, this is one of those “keeper” books.

For all that I got rid of when I moved to Australia, I was more than willing to pay the freight for these three books on revision. I hope sharing them with you has helped you to feel less stressed about your own revisions, and believe that not only can the process be more fun than you thought, but there are also good people and books out there willing to help you.