The Range of Revision

Revising a manuscript is a journey through rough terrain. There are so many mountains to climb—character, plot, pacing, setting—and so many different ways to get through it all. That’s why the Range of Revision covers a big chunk of Looseleaf’s Book Journey Map.

It’s a Climb—and a High

Revision is often an iterative process. Once you’ve climbed the mountain of characterizing your main character well, there are secondary characters to worry about, and the setting, and the plot and pacing. But summitting each challenge brings a sense of accomplishment and progress you just don’t get from drafting. For all its challenges, successful revision is a huge high.

Many authors choose to revise their work a bit before they show it to anyone else. (Which makes sense: why ask someone to tell you something needs to be fixed when you already know?) And it’s okay (and normal) to start out your trip through the Range of Revision on a solo hike.

But it’s also best not to traverse this entire path alone. It can be difficult to navigate this range without a group of fellow adventurers or a guide.

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone

Luckily there are people and resources to help you through the Range of Revision. Once you’re ready to show your work to other people, you can recruit all sorts of help.

• Writing groups & critique partners: Fellow writers and readers are often willing to share the load through revisions. By swapping critiques with other creators, you can get a lot of free help and guidance—and you can hone your critical eye by training it on other people’s work. (For some good advice about finding writing groups and how to work well with them, check out “Your Mom Has a Critique Partner,” a podcast episode.)
• Manuscript evaluators: Some editors review manuscripts for big-picture issues and write evaluation letters to help authors understand where their work is and how to improve moving forward. This feedback tends to be more rigorous than writing-group feedback—and it comes with a professional perspective—but isn’t quite so detailed as developmental editing.
• Developmental editors: Dev editors are story- and genre-focused professionals who delve into the big-picture stuff in your manuscript and provide all the guidance of a manuscript evaluation plus chapter-by-chapter, scene-by-scene feedback. (Learn more about developmental editing and manuscript evaluations here.)
• Subject matter experts: Your manuscript might also benefit from an expert’s careful eye. These experts come in many forms. Authenticity readers (also called sensitivity readers) specialize in helping authors accurately portray marginalized groups and cultures the author doesn’t belong to. Depending on what you’re writing about, you might also seek out other experts to review portions of your work. For example, you might talk to a doctor or nurse about some of the injuries in the story to make sure you’re including appropriate healing time and aftereffects.

Although these people can help you scale the Range of Revision, you’re still the head of the expedition. You pick the route, the tools, and the destination.

Where to Next?

After you’ve made your way through the peaks of plot and the crevasses of characterization and your manuscript has more or less the right shape, the next stop on the Book Journey Map is the Line Edit Foothills.