Andrea Caswell: 5 TIPS FOR REVISING • Cleaver Magazine

Andrea Caswell
5 TIPS FOR REVISING

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Revision is an important but often-dreaded stage of the writing process. Having to revise can feel like facing a harsh reality after the freedom of free-writes, and of first drafts bursting with inspiration. But if you flip the lens and adjust your POV, you can see revision as an opportunity to engage with your work more deeply and creatively, as you practice critical writing and editing skills.

Here are my five favorite suggestions for a more positive revision process:

Start from the beginning, but don’t get stuck there. It can be tempting to overwork a beginning while neglecting the rest of a piece.
Related to #1: Allow yourself to work in a nonlinear fashion. Sometimes moving on and coming back to a section will help you refine the focus and content of a piece.
Give yourself the benefit of time. Your patience will pay off! Early drafts look different after they’ve had a chance to cool in a drawer.
Create a document where you keep favorite sentences/sections that don’t make the final cut. Your darlings can live happily ever after in their own special file.
Try not to become too critical of drafts that are under construction. Instead, recognize them as a necessary part the writing process, full of potential and possibility. Leaning into revision will reward you with a deeper appreciation for and faith in your work.

Andrea Caswell runs Cleaver’s Short Story Clinic, offering detailed feedback on fiction up to 5500 words. Whether you’re wondering how to improve a story, getting ready to submit one to a lit mag, or preparing an MFA application portfolio, editorial feedback will be personalized to help you reach your fiction goals. Writers may also schedule a conference with Andrea as a one-on-one workshop to discuss their work further.