Breaking a revision rut

Me, "cutting" my cake at The Spanish Exile book launch

Lately, I have been reveling in a whirlwind of creativity. Since November 2016, I have published two books -- about as different from each other as you could get. The first is a political memoir called Soapbox: How I landed & lost a columnist gig, fought a prison, and got elected. The second is the first of a 4-book swashbuckling historical series, The Spanish Exile, which I launched last week.

The Spanish Exile started as a glimmer of an idea clear back a decade ago. Before its publication, I started a memoir publishing company (Treasured Stories), self-published my first novel (Ghost Moon Night), got elected to city council, and put out my memoir. Finally this year, I decided, no more digressions; it was high time I got this series off the ground.

However, in the past, my publishing process stalled at revision. I just couldn't muscle my way through a hot manuscript mess. I decided to overhaul my process, so I could overcome that I-can't-revise psychological hurdle. Here are some things that helped me through that revision rut:

1. Write a synopsis and blurb. I wrote a 7-page chapter by chapter synopsis then hired someone to write an exciting blurb...and revised to that. Some people detest synopses. Relax. It doesn't have to be literary or even pretty. You are just cataloguing your plot, to test it for holes and give you the lay of the land. As for a blurb, I could have muddled my way through it, or, for the price of a nice dinner for two, I hired a talented blurb writer.

2. Recruit cheerleaders. These are readers and writers who like the kind of stories you write. If you get a fantasy reader for your nonfiction, most likely, their feedback will be a downer. I had a cheerleader, my 16 year old voracious reader daughter, who brainstormed solutions to my plot holes. She kept me going and kept my pace exciting. Which meant my story was less boring, making it more exciting to work on. This recharged my creativity.

3. Set specific and challenging goals and track your progress. Sure, I could have revised an hour here and there. Instead, I revised in marathon sessions with specific page number goals that I announced to an accountability group. If midnight rolled around, I stuck to my guns until I finished into the wee hours just to say I did it.

4. Minimize distractions. I transformed my office into a writing "cave", closing my blinds, immersing in instrumental cello music, wrapping myself in blankets, closing my door if need be. Kind of writing in a cocoon, turning into a butterfly later.

5. Get a print copy of the book. I formatted my draft into a Createspace book which inspired me, then made corrections on the book. Oh my, that was a little disheartening seeing all those scribbles on every single page...

6. Keep going. But I persisted one page at a time and revised it in the final format, so it felt like progress. The book will eventually end, so hang in there.

7. Focus. I resisted signing up for conferences and contests and focused on getting my book done. I kept my schedule as open as possible for writing in long stretches. I asked my already sweet helpful family to pitch in on household chores and to cook dinner if they wanted to eat.

8. Acknowledge difficulties but don't wallow. I allowed myself to cry a little, "Wah, this is tough!" then went back to work. I asked more expert writers for help with specific problem spots. I watched YouTube videos on revising and writing.

9. Pray. I prayed for help. A lot.

Now that momentum is on my side, I intend to capitalize on it. I am revising Book 3 and plan to complete the series by September.

Jewel Allen is an award-winning journalist, author and ghostwriter. She is the author of The Spanish Exile and The Last Princess, the first two books in a swashbuckling historical series, Islands of the Crown. Visit her at www.jewelallen.com.

Is revising worth it?

I was about 20 pages into the revision of my political memoir when I got edits back for one of my historical novels. I needed the diversion badly. I thought my memoir was already pretty clean, just a few tweaks for my beta readers, but each page had edit marks all over.

And then I read my editor comments and letter on the novel. The thought that came to mind was, “Why don’t I just start all over? It would probably be easier.”

Instead, I ate tons of imaginary chocolate, took a deep breath, and decided to re-read the edits another day, when I could look at the comments a little more objectively. Without crying. Without giving up and taking up an easier career, oh, like rocket scientist. Or professional basketball player. As a center. (I am 5’1”.)

Seriously, why does revising have to be so hard?

Maybe the question I need to ask myself is, is revising worth it? I would have to say yes, because:

1.     You’ve already put in so much work, what’s another few more hours to make your story the best it can be?
2.     It could be worse; you could be staring at a blank page.
3.     Or it could already be published, and the reviews are pointing out what your editor is telling you. At least you can still change it, and your rep isn’t shredded to pieces.
4.     You wrote your draft. Revised it. Revised it some more. And now you will revise it one more time. You’ve done it before, you can do it again.
5.     Just think back to how awful your first draft was. How wooden the characters were. Really, this is tons better. Just take it one more step.
6.     That bestseller on the shelf? It went through dozens of edits. And then more edits.

So take heart, all of you out there who are struggling through your revisions. It is worth it. The day you get through those revisions and put out your book baby into the world, let me know and we can celebrate together.

Tonight, I’ll pray for some divine help. Tomorrow, I’ll tackle my revisions. Wish me luck.

Jewel Allen is an award-winning journalist, author and memoir ghostwriter. Visit her at www.jewelallen.com.

"Keep it life-and-death simple." (A Lesson on Revising)

During the residency weeks in Barcelona (2014), our days were divided up by classes, workshops, and tutorials. There, and for the semester after, I had the pleasure of working with Gwyneth Lewis, a Welsh poet and memoirist with a delicious British accent and no-nonsense approach to teaching. She is the author of Sunbathing in the Rain: A Cheerful Book on Depression.

Sagrada Família

These are notes from Gwyneth's class  as well as some helpful comments on my WIP at the time.

• "Trump up the action. Don't cloud it with rhetoric." 
• How much does the writer know? The narrator has access to childhood memories.
• Make it more active. 
• "What is the framework? What shape is your work going to be?" 
• The reader should know the stakes from the beginning. 
• Plan out the trajectory of your characters.
• "Try flip-flopping the first paragraph. Put the last sentence on top." 

To seek entrance to l'escola, you must take the apple from Eve. Gwyneth says the pinky is raised slightly are an indication of vanity. She says the knocker is a little joke, a smirk. You must fall before you can learn. — at Escola d'Escriptura (Ateneu Barcelonès).

• Remember to have a reflective narrator.
• "Don't defuse the punch."
• "Don't let the humor get in the way of the story." 
• Consider setting first. Think about the "wide shot". 
• In chapter titles, don't give away the plot. 
• For intense scenes, "write it like a bombshell. Don't let me know that you're leading up to something." 
• Emotion leads to thought, which leads to plot or analysis.
• Don't be mysterious for mysterious's sake.

I met these friends on the boardwalk. 

Gelato! When I dream of Spain, it's going to be me and this case eyeing each other from across a crowded room.

• In non-fiction, consider "is this interesting to me because it's my family or will the anonymous reader find it interesting too?" 
• "Make sure you get the choreography clear for the reader."
• "Keep it life-and-death simple." 
• "Very effective, but prune words."
• "Pacing--The intro to [this chapter] is uncharacteristically slow, so we're alerted to [what's] coming. For maximum impact, be more casual on the approach--so that the reader, like you at the time, has no idea what's coming. That will make it more lifelike."
• "Assume you have a secular audience and explain some of the Mormon terminology." 

Casa Batlló.

I challenge you to attempt a few of the applicable notes. 

Happy writing! 

Rena 

renasprose.com

Twitter and Instagram: @renasprose