After six manuscripts I came to the point where I realized I needed help.  I had no idea how to create a revision process that didn’t end up with me getting frustrated and moving onto the next project.

After doing a heavy bit of research and asking the lovely women over at Passionate Ink for help, I’ve now created a checklist and a systematic and quite thorough process for revising my manuscripts. To top that off, I also grabbed a whole gob of ink and paper and printed out a working version of each manuscript. Three hole punched, labeled and placed in a binder, these manuscripts are ready for the first step in my newly designed revision process.

Step #1 Read the entire manuscript through beginning to end and take notes on each chapter with my Livescribe pen. Why Livescribe? So the notes can be uploaded and saved on my computer in the file designated for that book.

Then when I go back and do rewrites, I don’t have to sort through stacks of scrap paper. it’s all on my computer waiting for me.  And any notes that need to be worked right into the manuscript can be converted to text, cut and pasted right where they need to be. Ain’t technology grand?!

So what’s the lesson?

That writers, myself included, spend a lot of time learning how to be better writers but we’re not taught nor do we focus on the revision process. Which I’ve learned is about 70% of the writing process.

I’m now excited and motivated to get these manuscripts polished and ready to submit. I have a journal to track my progress and a plan to make it happen.