Everyone's process for revising is different. Heck, the process for each book by the same author probably looks different. It's more about knowing yourself and how you work, or how each project needs to work in order to get to the end. But there are some things that will carry over.
For me, there are a few steps that I always take (and I've spoken about the broader version of my process in this article). Here, I'll go into a little more detail about my revising process and how I tear up each draft.
The first draft for me is Draft 0, it's under word count and there's a lot missing. Depending on what my CPs are up to, if they're looking for something to read, I might send this their way to gauge their reactions and gain ideas for what needs to be added. If not, I'll let this draft sit and come back to it after working on something else for a while.
If no one has looked over it, I start reading from the top after a month or two. I read for things like: are the characters consistent? Does the story follow a clear trajectory, or does it jump all over the place? Do the reactions feel real and believable? Are there pieces that need more foreshadowing (this answer is almost always yes)?
As I go through this draft in Word, I'll leave myself comments much like I would for any other CP. I'll also note the pieces that I really like. If someone else has read it, I'll still do my own read from the top but I'll generally make less notes myself.
Once this read is finished, I'll go through the comments and summarize them into a single document. I'll have a section at the top for major issues--things that impact the entirety of the book. This might look like character arcs, setting changes, new scenes to add, characters to add or remove, word building details, etc.
Beneath that, I'll go chapter by chapter and summarize the notes for each. I'll also make sections for each character so that I have a concise document to look at.
In each section, I'll write new comments with ideas. If I know how to fix something, I'll make a comment and move on to the next one. If I don't, I'll generally skip it and wait until I can brainstorm with someone. Most of the time, talking something through out loud helps me get to the root of the problem.
Sometimes, if pacing feels like an issue, I'll write out each chapter with the inclusive scenes on my whiteboard to look at it from an aerial perspective. From there, I can see how things are lining up and, typically, where things need to slow down. Most of my first drafts are fairly high octane from start to finish.
Once I've gone through the document and made comments on the things I know how to fix, I'll start from the beginning of my draft and incorporate those changes. I have to work from beginning to end or I tend to forget things--this leads to more inconsistencies that I have to deal with, so I just don't. (Haha.)
If I get to the end and more ideas have come to me--now that my brain is a little more free--I'll go back and do the same thing in the same draft. Just dealing with the problems that I didn't touch the first round.
At the end of this revision, I'll call it a new draft and start the process over again. Letting it sit, maybe passing it off to CPs if they're available, reading after a few weeks (if there's time), and then making new notes.
Depending on the story, the drafts could just keep going, or it might only take a couple rounds. The first book I wrote is on Draft 8 after three years, but I've had much less focused time to work on it. The second book I wrote came out much more fully formed and will probably take less revising in order to get it to a decent place.
With each draft, the list of issues to fix becomes smaller and smaller. I'm not one of those writers that makes sure everything is perfect on each draft. If I did that, I'd spend too much time on the project in general. I need to keep my focus forward and eliminate things one at a time.
When in doubt, I'll talk it out. The best forward motion for me is getting a fresh perspective.
But that's just my revision process! What does yours look like? What have you found works for you?
Happy writing,
Erin
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