I pantsed a 100,000 word novel last year, largely during NaNoWriMo, before realizing I was the biggest plotter ever, and I've been putting off reading through it again because the manuscript is not just any old hot mess. It is Pompeii.
And Step Zero: during writing, make a separate note of things you have changed, inconsistencies you are writing into your script, or ideas for previously written parts, to act as a secondary revision guide.
Honestly my novels are always too long when I finish the first draft, so firstly I try to focus on cutting word count. That way I can do line by line editing to show and not tell, and taking a break from looking at the book does help. I also like to think about what I was “trying” to say with characters, plot points and scenes, and then how things actually came across. So I like what you said about what we want our readers to feel-because if it didn’t come across right I try to go back into the book and see what I can alter to ensure my book has the impact I want. Reflecting on my favorite and least favorite scenes, as well as the reason behind my opinion of those scenes (why did I like them, and why did others not impress me as much as I wanted?) helps me to know what I want to change. I also really like why you said about making a note of what you love in your story, we need that to make sure we don’t forget why we wrote it in the first place.
Aw, I know how frustrating that can be. My novel (revising currently) is 84k and it took so much to finish it. I'm looking into novellas, seriously - for future projects...! Keep going. Longer novels are super challenging, but some stories won't be reduced to 50k. 💖
@@paulapoetry that's true! Honestly, I'm a bit worried about how long this is going to be, I'm at 59K and still nowhere near being finished... But I will still try to write until it is done, I just hope I won't lose interest halfway through as I tend to do... But I will do my best!
Tell me about it... I planned to write about 50k to 80k words but ended up with 130k O.o now starting to FINALLY revise it. Belive me when i tell you that its the best feeling in the world to finally write the end! Wish you the best! Keep on writing ;)
Awesome! I'm at the revision stage of my novel right now. I've been going back and forth about how to do it. Everything from throwing the whole thing away and starting over from scratch with just my outline, to just doing an edit where I add some details and descriptions and world building. (That is, all that highbrow "literary" stuff) that I failed to put in before. This video cleared up a lot for me. Thanks so much! Love your videos. I do watch writing videos by other authors. But I am hooked on yours.
I'm so happy I found your channel! I follow so many authortubers who rewrite their stories over and over again and it really helps to get some input from someone who works more like me: sticking pretty much to an outline and not rewriting the whole thing
Wow, this video was extremely helpful and actually got me motivated to revise (a step which, let’s face it, usually feels daunting and not as fun as creating that initial draft). I love the idea of actually writing out the answers to the questions you point out in the revision guide. I find I often tacitly ask myself those things, but had never really made it explicit. Having these guiding principles clearly spelled out makes the next steps so much more manageable. So thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for this great guide Abbie ! 😀 I tried to revise my first draft this year and... it was a mess ! I started on the right path, by just revising but then I ended up doing a line and copy editing at the same time 😱 I thought it would go faster that way but, you guessed it, it was the opposite ! It took me 4 months just to read and revise my manuscript... Then I send it to beta-readers (which turned out to be more like critique partners 😅) and their comments showed me that it was still a first, incomplete, draft 😩 So I ended up adding so many things that it actually looks like a whole new and different novel... I worked on that second draft during Nano but I'm still not done 😅 I'll be sure to use your guide to revise the novel once I'm done writing that second draft...
Very helpful! I have SEVEN completed stories that need editing. Seriously. And everytime I try I'm just so freaked out that I put them away and write something new. So yeah. This makes it seem almost possible. Many thanks.
I love the idea about listing what you love about your novel, before you begin the revision process. It's important to remember that we wrote our stories for a reason - because revising and editing are liable to make us hate our own work otherwise. 💝
Ur hair is amazing thanks and I luv u so muchhhhhhh aaaahh I’m so happy u were kind of close to winning nanowrimo u are an amazing person and u are my inspiration ♥️♥️♥️♥️👏👏👏👏👏💛💛💛💛💛
Excellent method for revision Abbie! I know the forest can get lost through the trees so I love that you plan for this to happen and give yourself an anchor to guide you.
Thank you so much for this video. Complete novice here with what I think is a dang good story but until now haven't been able to figure out what to do next. This video would appear to be what I've needed. Fingers crossed.
Okay but like, seeing the process of how your hair was short when you began Writer's Life Wednesdays to this point of it being long is really awesome. xD This is so helpful. I have to set my books aside after the first draft or I WILL delete everything. So this is a great method and is going to help me so much when I can finally go back into my story world. Until then, I'm working on a new book. xD
This is my first ever revision process. In addition to watching this video, I went to a local writer's workshop on revision. Their big advice was to read your story at least once before you begin revising. I printed mine out, like you, but I can't just read it one time through. I *must* make notes while I write!
This is such a helpful video as always Abbie. I am about half way through the first draft of my young adult's novel now. Hopefully will be able to use these techniques in the near future.
So grateful for these videos, Abbie! Definitely will be utilizing this revision guide when I let my manuscript sit a while longer. Thanks so much for the great content!
Sooo many of your videos could instantly be a podcast! I love the sound of your voices. Thought about making a podcast? (beside the one you have with your sister)
Am I the only writer who puts down a "first draft" and it is actually pretty damn good? Every one on these revision/rewrite videos talk about the first draft being a "hot mess". I do a bit of editing as I go, passing over the previous night's work a couple times before moving forward, so my first draft technically has already been edited twice to make it acceptable for me to move forward. The issue I have is that after conferring with my editor, there are some big changes that need to be made and I am struggling to wedge those in to what is otherwise a n already solid novel. The changes need to be done but they must be smooth and unnoticeable. It seems like I can't find anything on rewriting that relates to my style. Everybody else apparently scribbles down nonsense and then spends months or years ironing it out. That would drive me insane! I find it unreal how many of these videos comment on how hard and crappy the process of the first draft is and how enjoyable it is to hone that mess into a great story. For me, it is quite the reverse.
Nope, we're in a similar boat I feel. Before I even finish the first draft, I'm revising the book as I go along and going back before I proceed to write the next part, especially if it's a major section to get right the first time. Planning the manuscript ahead of time goes a long way. Currently working on my first manuscript which is aiming for 170-200k word count. Because of that length, it makes sense to plan it all out and do the gruntwork ahead of time. I want that ending to matter the first time!
@@gamewriteeye769 Thank you for the reply. I thought I was the odd man out! I'm not big on outlining as I'm more of a character guy - I create over-the-top characters and then put them in a situation and just see how they respond. But even so, I just cannot relate to the first draft being a "not mess" and the joys of editing! Anyway, good luck with your manuscript. I'm trying to get book two of a three part series ready for my editor now. I don't think I will ever write a series again. I'd rather write a 900 page children's novel than have to break it into three pieces again!
@@tattoodude8946 No problem. To be honest, despite the outline, I didn't end up following it to a T as I ended up doing the writing process my way. I noticed in writing a first-person character driven story, the voice of the characters and interactions made me deviate the plot quite a bit in order of events to establish a more powerful storyline than the original. I enjoy going back and editing sections of scenes, adding more seeds that sow directly into where the story will go later on, nuggets if readers were paying attention. I like to be a great storyteller and not just a writer. Some scenes switch to third person limited as well if it fits the context better. On top of that, it has a few main characters and the antagonists pov. Curious what route of publishing you're going down. I think trad publishing is easier. I'm enthralled by writing a series, and since it's adult fiction, it's easier for me not to hold back on the details! A trilogy was my plan from the get go! Good luck with your book series as well!
I will definitely try all these tips! I saw on your Instagram that your are writing a sci-fi series (favorite genre of mine), and was wondering if you ever thought to create a series on how to write a series? I'm having trouble with character development throughout, what strings not to tie for the next book, and just problems solo books might not have. Any advice is welcomed!
The first time that I had a boss trained in IELTS English, who asked me to revise a lengthy study guide and worksheet, I had believed that she meant for me to check, edit... and improve. Little did I know that some people don't use revision to mean that. They simply to mean review it, read it over, and be aware of the content. Study it. Needless to say, my boss was pretty insulted by my "revision," and I was not so graciously observed and evaluated negatively a few weeks later and shown the 😮😮😅 door. After that, I realized different regions of the world may mean very different things with that word. I will never forget the shocked look on her face when I brought it to her, pointed out the general corrections I had made, and then I offered to share more ideas if needed. She coldly plucked it off her desk and said, "No, that won't be necessary." I was baffled by her stern brush-off until someone kindly explained. By then, it was essentially too late. 😅 😮😮
I’m about three fourths through my second draft and I’m hitting the hardest writers block because I completely changed so much from my outline as I wrote. So I’m going to revise what I’ve written so far before finishing off the final quarter.
did it work out? i wrote three fourth of my first draft and hit a severe writers block for act 3 and thought maybe the revision process will help me see what I really want for act 3
@@shootingstarz6978 It did not, unfortunately. However, I'm still not sure if that was because the process itself is flawed or because I realized how much I hated writing that story.
along with your videos, I'm using a book called First Draft in 30 Days. So my process (I'm a first-timer), is read the book after having put it aside a few months, read book and take notes, break the whole book into scenes, reorder scenes if necessary, read again and take notes of keep/change/toss. Do fear not enough suspense? Watch Abbie's video, and read KM Weiland's blog on creating suspense. etc. Abbie, you never rewrite? What is your definition of that? How is it different in your book (oh pun, haha) than revising?
I discovery write, so I think of a character, a genre, and a general idea for an inciting incident that they go through and I go from there, anything beyond that makes me bored. I let the character tell their own story. So when I do this I do a whole re-write because at that point I have everything. I can go in and write my character's misbelief and ultimate truth, what the point of the story is, what my plot points are, and I can direct the story there, but until I get there I don't know what they are. Also as I write the first draft I put absolutely everything in I can think of because I'm usually world building and so I take out a lot of that in the second draft.
Awesome video, Abbie. I'd love to be able to print out my first-ish draft, as it stands that would be roughly 1.4 reams of paper... So far my revision process for this book involves large blocks of rewrites mixed with some minor revisions. The balance between revisions and rewrites fluctuates a lot through the process (p1 was 50/50, p2 is 10/90). Some areas need more fixing than others. There has been a lot of fixing/tweaking points of view and plot issues. Reintroducing significant characters to give them an on-page end. Removing meaningless characters. Giving character details that had been neglected/skipped in the first draft.
I just printed out my story, now I will let it sit on my desk until I am ready to go back to it. I believe I will write part two before getting back to the part one.
I may have finished the 50K words in time, but I definitely didn't finish my draft yet. I'm saving this for when I do finish the draft though, because I'm definitely gonna need it!
My revision process so far has been... 1. Forget about the book for 3 months. 2. Listen to Abbie talk for hours. 3. Get back to work. 4. Listen to more Abbie.
Awesome Abby! I also posted a video about my revision process. I seriously love you! I'm going to add a link to this video in the description of my latest video!!
In what order do you think revision is best? I struggle with it because if I'm distracted by grammar and spelling issues I can't focus on developmental edits, but if I focus on the story I can't catch any copy-editing mistakes. Maybe line editing first? Then copy-editing and then developmental? Although it's like you said, if you end up rewriting parts of the story you'll have to do the line editing and copy-editing all over again... What order makes the most sense?
My writing has improved so much over 41 chapters. I know what I didn’t execute the way I intended and what I need to add or adjust. I think redressing the first 10+ chapters writing wise is something I should do first (and right after finishing the last chapter) before doing a complete print out read through style revision. Thoughts?
Love your channel Abbie! I finished my novel but I need to go through it again. Ugh...I've been developing the story for years. TV series. Documentary. And now novel. I'm stuck. Any suggestions?
I love this video, and I believe it is going to help me revise a bunch of short stories I've had no luck revising. But here's a question: will this approach work well for short stories? I've thought that short stories do not usually include the journey that novels include.
My revision process started with consistency. Making sure character descriptions are consistent without. Keeping the race names consistent. Names of special items or things like that changed as I got to the end of the book - even character names changed! So I started there.
Yup - almost a year later: finished my nanowrimo2020 book on day 22 *now what?* Challenge: writing is too condense (need more words) Plan: go through my scrivener scene cards and update with all the stuff I changed while drafting. The gut-punch in act 3 for example came out of a bingo sheet on a 24-hour discord event
I need more editing videos.I am 12 and have just finished my first draft.I am stuck on the editing process.I have honest friends and family helping me.Please help me.
Now i wrote a book in 2022 from January to July, slowly but quickly finishing it up. And yet, its still there. Ive tried editing it and going through it but it’s gotten me no where. After you wait a while after writing the first manuscript, is it normal to just…. forget it all? I’m asking myself questions and trying to figure out what to do… but i just can’t remember anything important. Should i read it all through? Should i have edited it sooner? Thanks for another great video Abbie, and hope you see this :)
Hi Abbie, I don't know if you're gonna read this but I'm just trying my luck that you will. I don't use Facebook so I couldn't ask you directly to #askabbie so I'll just leave it here. I just want to ask how you write great endings, I mean great happy or tragic endings. Either the two. Thanks! Love your videos so much!
I pantsed a 100,000 word novel last year, largely during NaNoWriMo, before realizing I was the biggest plotter ever, and I've been putting off reading through it again because the manuscript is not just any old hot mess.
It is Pompeii.
😂😂 I would describe my 1st draft as Pompeii as well!! 🌋
damn, my condolances.
Have you finished writing it by the way?
And Step Zero: during writing, make a separate note of things you have changed, inconsistencies you are writing into your script, or ideas for previously written parts, to act as a secondary revision guide.
OMG THANK YOUU
My revision process is sooooo fun. Let me give you an idea
First Chapter: Third-person
Final chapter: First-person
This honestly feels like a writing class that you'd pay for. This is fantastic, thank you for the guidance! I am now subscribed! Wow!
Honestly my novels are always too long when I finish the first draft, so firstly I try to focus on cutting word count. That way I can do line by line editing to show and not tell, and taking a break from looking at the book does help. I also like to think about what I was “trying” to say with characters, plot points and scenes, and then how things actually came across. So I like what you said about what we want our readers to feel-because if it didn’t come across right I try to go back into the book and see what I can alter to ensure my book has the impact I want.
Reflecting on my favorite and least favorite scenes, as well as the reason behind my opinion of those scenes (why did I like them, and why did others not impress me as much as I wanted?) helps me to know what I want to change. I also really like why you said about making a note of what you love in your story, we need that to make sure we don’t forget why we wrote it in the first place.
Me: have not finished my book (despite having written 58K), have never finished a book
Also me : *watch this video as if it is concerning me*
Aw, I know how frustrating that can be. My novel (revising currently) is 84k and it took so much to finish it. I'm looking into novellas, seriously - for future projects...! Keep going. Longer novels are super challenging, but some stories won't be reduced to 50k. 💖
Yeah...
It’s worth it, just have to get there eventually.
@@paulapoetry that's true! Honestly, I'm a bit worried about how long this is going to be, I'm at 59K and still nowhere near being finished... But I will still try to write until it is done, I just hope I won't lose interest halfway through as I tend to do... But I will do my best!
@@hotwheels2621 exactly !
Tell me about it... I planned to write about 50k to 80k words but ended up with 130k O.o now starting to FINALLY revise it.
Belive me when i tell you that its the best feeling in the world to finally write the end! Wish you the best! Keep on writing ;)
Awesome! I'm at the revision stage of my novel right now. I've been going back and forth about how to do it. Everything from throwing the whole thing away and starting over from scratch with just my outline, to just doing an edit where I add some details and descriptions and world building. (That is, all that highbrow "literary" stuff) that I failed to put in before. This video cleared up a lot for me. Thanks so much! Love your videos. I do watch writing videos by other authors. But I am hooked on yours.
As a writer, this series is honestly so helpful! Thank you for making these :)
I'm so happy I found your channel! I follow so many authortubers who rewrite their stories over and over again and it really helps to get some input from someone who works more like me: sticking pretty much to an outline and not rewriting the whole thing
Wow, this video was extremely helpful and actually got me motivated to revise (a step which, let’s face it, usually feels daunting and not as fun as creating that initial draft). I love the idea of actually writing out the answers to the questions you point out in the revision guide. I find I often tacitly ask myself those things, but had never really made it explicit. Having these guiding principles clearly spelled out makes the next steps so much more manageable.
So thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for this great guide Abbie ! 😀 I tried to revise my first draft this year and... it was a mess ! I started on the right path, by just revising but then I ended up doing a line and copy editing at the same time 😱 I thought it would go faster that way but, you guessed it, it was the opposite ! It took me 4 months just to read and revise my manuscript... Then I send it to beta-readers (which turned out to be more like critique partners 😅) and their comments showed me that it was still a first, incomplete, draft 😩 So I ended up adding so many things that it actually looks like a whole new and different novel... I worked on that second draft during Nano but I'm still not done 😅 I'll be sure to use your guide to revise the novel once I'm done writing that second draft...
Just watched the line edit video and both of these are super helpful. revision and editing are by far my favorite part of the writing process!
Very helpful! I have SEVEN completed stories that need editing. Seriously. And everytime I try I'm just so freaked out that I put them away and write something new. So yeah. This makes it seem almost possible. Many thanks.
This is the best video I have seen on revision! Thank you.
I love the idea about listing what you love about your novel, before you begin the revision process. It's important to remember that we wrote our stories for a reason - because revising and editing are liable to make us hate our own work otherwise. 💝
Ok but how can it be so easy to you to step aside of the characters you LOVE for three months?!!?? I can't even be a day without thinking about mines!
So true! I am obsessed with mine :D I am considering starting the outline of a new story just to get over them. Sort of like a rebound :)
this is the smartest, most methodical revision process video I've ever seen. It's great!
Ur hair is amazing thanks and I luv u so muchhhhhhh aaaahh I’m so happy u were kind of close to winning nanowrimo u are an amazing person and u are my inspiration ♥️♥️♥️♥️👏👏👏👏👏💛💛💛💛💛
Aww ur hair grew out Abbie it looks so cute. Keep up the great advice and music videos. I love ur videos ^_^
Just found your channel. Some seriously solid content here, dawg. Just subbed.
Excellent method for revision Abbie! I know the forest can get lost through the trees so I love that you plan for this to happen and give yourself an anchor to guide you.
I’m glad I saw this. I’ve been revising my book for almost a year...😱
Thank you so much for this video. Complete novice here with what I think is a dang good story but until now haven't been able to figure out what to do next. This video would appear to be what I've needed. Fingers crossed.
Okay but like, seeing the process of how your hair was short when you began Writer's Life Wednesdays to this point of it being long is really awesome. xD
This is so helpful. I have to set my books aside after the first draft or I WILL delete everything. So this is a great method and is going to help me so much when I can finally go back into my story world. Until then, I'm working on a new book. xD
This is my first ever revision process. In addition to watching this video, I went to a local writer's workshop on revision. Their big advice was to read your story at least once before you begin revising. I printed mine out, like you, but I can't just read it one time through. I *must* make notes while I write!
This is such a helpful video as always Abbie. I am about half way through the first draft of my young adult's novel now. Hopefully will be able to use these techniques in the near future.
Never clicked so fast on a video
Girl, same.
So grateful for these videos, Abbie! Definitely will be utilizing this revision guide when I let my manuscript sit a while longer. Thanks so much for the great content!
i miss writer's life wednesday 💗💗💗
This came at the perfect time!!! I’m close to starting final revisions! THANK YOU!!
@9:27 Best editing note evah!
"You need a method to your madness or else you will go mad" got me screaming, Abbieeeeee!
Just what I needed! --A PLAN!!! Thank you!
Sooo many of your videos could instantly be a podcast! I love the sound of your voices. Thought about making a podcast? (beside the one you have with your sister)
Loved this video because I am currently editing and needed a shorter overall guide
9:25 its like "gourl why'd you write this?"
Am I the only writer who puts down a "first draft" and it is actually pretty damn good? Every one on these revision/rewrite videos talk about the first draft being a "hot mess". I do a bit of editing as I go, passing over the previous night's work a couple times before moving forward, so my first draft technically has already been edited twice to make it acceptable for me to move forward. The issue I have is that after conferring with my editor, there are some big changes that need to be made and I am struggling to wedge those in to what is otherwise a n already solid novel. The changes need to be done but they must be smooth and unnoticeable. It seems like I can't find anything on rewriting that relates to my style. Everybody else apparently scribbles down nonsense and then spends months or years ironing it out. That would drive me insane! I find it unreal how many of these videos comment on how hard and crappy the process of the first draft is and how enjoyable it is to hone that mess into a great story. For me, it is quite the reverse.
Nope, we're in a similar boat I feel. Before I even finish the first draft, I'm revising the book as I go along and going back before I proceed to write the next part, especially if it's a major section to get right the first time. Planning the manuscript ahead of time goes a long way. Currently working on my first manuscript which is aiming for 170-200k word count. Because of that length, it makes sense to plan it all out and do the gruntwork ahead of time. I want that ending to matter the first time!
@@gamewriteeye769 Thank you for the reply. I thought I was the odd man out! I'm not big on outlining as I'm more of a character guy - I create over-the-top characters and then put them in a situation and just see how they respond. But even so, I just cannot relate to the first draft being a "not mess" and the joys of editing! Anyway, good luck with your manuscript. I'm trying to get book two of a three part series ready for my editor now. I don't think I will ever write a series again. I'd rather write a 900 page children's novel than have to break it into three pieces again!
@@tattoodude8946 No problem. To be honest, despite the outline, I didn't end up following it to a T as I ended up doing the writing process my way. I noticed in writing a first-person character driven story, the voice of the characters and interactions made me deviate the plot quite a bit in order of events to establish a more powerful storyline than the original. I enjoy going back and editing sections of scenes, adding more seeds that sow directly into where the story will go later on, nuggets if readers were paying attention. I like to be a great storyteller and not just a writer. Some scenes switch to third person limited as well if it fits the context better. On top of that, it has a few main characters and the antagonists pov.
Curious what route of publishing you're going down. I think trad publishing is easier. I'm enthralled by writing a series, and since it's adult fiction, it's easier for me not to hold back on the details! A trilogy was my plan from the get go! Good luck with your book series as well!
I needed this video! Thank you Abbie!
I will definitely try all these tips!
I saw on your Instagram that your are writing a sci-fi series (favorite genre of mine), and was wondering if you ever thought to create a series on how to write a series? I'm having trouble with character development throughout, what strings not to tie for the next book, and just problems solo books might not have.
Any advice is welcomed!
Thank you for the great questions on revising, I will use them!
The first time that I had a boss trained in IELTS English, who asked me to revise a lengthy study guide and worksheet, I had believed that she meant for me to check, edit... and improve. Little did I know that some people don't use revision to mean that. They simply to mean review it, read it over, and be aware of the content. Study it. Needless to say, my boss was pretty insulted by my "revision," and I was not so graciously observed and evaluated negatively a few weeks later and shown the 😮😮😅 door. After that, I realized different regions of the world may mean very different things with that word. I will never forget the shocked look on her face when I brought it to her, pointed out the general corrections I had made, and then I offered to share more ideas if needed. She coldly plucked it off her desk and said, "No, that won't be necessary." I was baffled by her stern brush-off until someone kindly explained. By then, it was essentially too late. 😅 😮😮
5/6 in already. Time to watch this video
I’m about three fourths through my second draft and I’m hitting the hardest writers block because I completely changed so much from my outline as I wrote. So I’m going to revise what I’ve written so far before finishing off the final quarter.
did it work out? i wrote three fourth of my first draft and hit a severe writers block for act 3 and thought maybe the revision process will help me see what I really want for act 3
@@shootingstarz6978 It did not, unfortunately. However, I'm still not sure if that was because the process itself is flawed or because I realized how much I hated writing that story.
@@trishareddy2570 Thanks for the reply
along with your videos, I'm using a book called First Draft in 30 Days. So my process (I'm a first-timer), is read the book after having put it aside a few months, read book and take notes, break the whole book into scenes, reorder scenes if necessary, read again and take notes of keep/change/toss. Do fear not enough suspense? Watch Abbie's video, and read KM Weiland's blog on creating suspense. etc. Abbie, you never rewrite? What is your definition of that? How is it different in your book (oh pun, haha) than revising?
I discovery write, so I think of a character, a genre, and a general idea for an inciting incident that they go through and I go from there, anything beyond that makes me bored. I let the character tell their own story. So when I do this I do a whole re-write because at that point I have everything. I can go in and write my character's misbelief and ultimate truth, what the point of the story is, what my plot points are, and I can direct the story there, but until I get there I don't know what they are. Also as I write the first draft I put absolutely everything in I can think of because I'm usually world building and so I take out a lot of that in the second draft.
Is it weird that I want to touch her eyebrows? They just look so soft and cute😻
Awesome video, Abbie.
I'd love to be able to print out my first-ish draft, as it stands that would be roughly 1.4 reams of paper...
So far my revision process for this book involves large blocks of rewrites mixed with some minor revisions. The balance between revisions and rewrites fluctuates a lot through the process (p1 was 50/50, p2 is 10/90). Some areas need more fixing than others. There has been a lot of fixing/tweaking points of view and plot issues. Reintroducing significant characters to give them an on-page end. Removing meaningless characters. Giving character details that had been neglected/skipped in the first draft.
I just printed out my story, now I will let it sit on my desk until I am ready to go back to it. I believe I will write part two before getting back to the part one.
I haven’t finished yet but I’m writing the first draft and its… well there’s a lot of rushed scenes and I’m being proactive !!!!
Your videos help so much!!
I may have finished the 50K words in time, but I definitely didn't finish my draft yet. I'm saving this for when I do finish the draft though, because I'm definitely gonna need it!
I'm not ready to revise, but when I am, the process will look like yours!
...at least, initially.
Fine audio, btw... listening with my pro headphones.
My revision process so far has been...
1. Forget about the book for 3 months.
2. Listen to Abbie talk for hours.
3. Get back to work.
4. Listen to more Abbie.
Awesome Abby! I also posted a video about my revision process. I seriously love you! I'm going to add a link to this video in the description of my latest video!!
In what order do you think revision is best? I struggle with it because if I'm distracted by grammar and spelling issues I can't focus on developmental edits, but if I focus on the story I can't catch any copy-editing mistakes. Maybe line editing first? Then copy-editing and then developmental? Although it's like you said, if you end up rewriting parts of the story you'll have to do the line editing and copy-editing all over again... What order makes the most sense?
This was soooooo great😃😄
My writing has improved so much over 41 chapters. I know what I didn’t execute the way I intended and what I need to add or adjust. I think redressing the first 10+ chapters writing wise is something I should do first (and right after finishing the last chapter) before doing a complete print out read through style revision. Thoughts?
You are to blame for a number of those improvements fyi
Love your channel Abbie! I finished my novel but I need to go through it again. Ugh...I've been developing the story for years. TV series. Documentary. And now novel. I'm stuck. Any suggestions?
#askabbie
Ever heard of Kindle Create? What's your take on it? Also, what's your take on InDesign?
I love this video, and I believe it is going to help me revise a bunch of short stories I've had no luck revising. But here's a question: will this approach work well for short stories? I've thought that short stories do not usually include the journey that novels include.
My revision process started with consistency. Making sure character descriptions are consistent without. Keeping the race names consistent. Names of special items or things like that changed as I got to the end of the book - even character names changed! So I started there.
I'm not sure I'm grasping the difference between revision & editing 🤔
Yup - almost a year later: finished my nanowrimo2020 book on day 22 *now what?* Challenge: writing is too condense (need more words) Plan: go through my scrivener scene cards and update with all the stuff I changed while drafting. The gut-punch in act 3 for example came out of a bingo sheet on a 24-hour discord event
I need more editing videos.I am 12 and have just finished my first draft.I am stuck on the editing process.I have honest friends and family helping me.Please help me.
Now i wrote a book in 2022 from January to July, slowly but quickly finishing it up. And yet, its still there. Ive tried editing it and going through it but it’s gotten me no where. After you wait a while after writing the first manuscript, is it normal to just…. forget it all? I’m asking myself questions and trying to figure out what to do… but i just can’t remember anything important. Should i read it all through? Should i have edited it sooner? Thanks for another great video Abbie, and hope you see this :)
When you set a book side for weeks or months do you start working on other projects?
*Thank you.* 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐
• time skips
• 5:19 - first timeskip!
All first draft needs revision
The sad truth is that not all gets it.
Whaat can i do during the time I forget my story?? Can I outline something else??
Finished my draft yesterday. Printed it out today and sat down to watch the video on how to approach the revision edit... Shelve it for 6 months??
Hi Abbie, I don't know if you're gonna read this but I'm just trying my luck that you will. I don't use Facebook so I couldn't ask you directly to #askabbie so I'll just leave it here. I just want to ask how you write great endings, I mean great happy or tragic endings. Either the two. Thanks! Love your videos so much!
Can this be applied to any type of writing?
So the revision of the first draft is basically a second draft?
Thank you. New subscriber here.
When are you going to talk about blurbs?
Would love to see your line editing process! 💗😄📝
Three months is a very long time.
😍😍👍👍👌👌🌷🌷💗
UA-cam subscribed to you lol
3 months??? 😱
stay chiil
No hate I just personally think a disclaimer is needed because a lot of this is very misleading.