As I mentioned in my ROW80 goals post, I’m using James Scott Bell’s Revision & Self Editing as my guide as I revise my WIP. I saw Bell present at the Writer’s Digest conference earlier this year and his session on plot was brilliant. Since this is my first time editing a full-length novel, I wanted help so I turned to his book. So far it’s been really useful.

One thing I’ve learned so far is to revise in layers, rather than in chronological order. Bell says:

“Too many writers just sit down and read a manuscript page by page, making changes as they come up. Big or small, each item is dealt with the moment it’s seen.

Much better is to go from large to small. To start with the most crucial aspects and work your way down to the final step, which is The Polish.” –Revision & Self Editing, pg. 216

His revision checklist consists of:

• Character
• Plot
• The Opening
• Middles
• Endings
• Scenes
• Exposition
• Voice, Style & Point of View
• Setting & Description
• Dialogue
• Theme
• The Polish

Each point gets its own section and he offers techniques and exercises for revising your manuscript. I’m still working on step one–character–so I have a ways to go before I get to The Polish. But I know focusing on strengthening my characters will only make the next steps in the checklist easier.

Revising in layers makes a lot of sense to me. It reminded me of a revision pyramid that my writing buddy Gabi posted on her blog a while back. Similar to what Bell suggests, she revises by first fixing the biggest element of her story (character) and working her way up to the nitty-gritty (language).

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How do you revise? Do you tackle your manuscript in layers?

ROW80 Update: There isn’t much to report yet, but I’m super motivated. So far this week, I’ve revised my WIP for a few hours each day, including early morning sessions before getting ready for work. I didn’t expect this to happen but I’m totally becoming a morning person. (Without the help of caffeine!) Like I said above, I’ve been working on my characters and making sure they are fully developed. Hopefully all this work results in memorable characters. I’ve also been making changes to early chapters based on comments from my critique group. I have a lot of work to do but feel optimistic.

You can see how the other ROW80-ers are doing here!