Andrea Caswell
THE ART (AND SCIENCE) OF REVISION
Though most writers accept that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to revision, it doesn’t mean we don’t wish for one! It’s natural to want a “magic solution” for a process that can feel imprecise and a bit daunting at times. One way to address this artistic apprehension is to treat revision as a scientist would an experiment.
First of all, that word: experiment. Recognize that every draft you generate is an experiment. You’re trying out what might work in a particular sentence, scene, stanza, chapter…the list of ingredients for such an experiment might seem endless, which can add to a sense of overwhelm. So many words, so many possible combinations thereof! It can help if, like a scientist, you begin your experiment with a hypothesis.
What if…
As writers, it comes naturally to ask the question, “What if…?” Our minds travel the what-if highway much of the time (often when we’re supposed to be concentrating on “real” things). What if a person was so nostalgic that she broke into her childhood home, just to walk through those rooms once more? What if she wanted to burn it down afterwards? When you ask What if…, you’re creating a hypothesis. The story, essay, or poem you write in response to that question is the experiment. The first draft? An initial experiment. Those second and third and subsequent drafts? All continuations of your experiment. Like scientists, we’re seeking the combination of elements that will add up to “story about a childhood home,” without the laboratory or childhood home catching fire (though sometimes the plot requires that something go up in flames).
X + Y + Z
If only we knew the proper proportion for the elements we plan to use. How much nostalgia? How many tears shed? How deep the shades of blue for a character filled with regret? Since story-making is art, not chemistry or algebra, we don’t have an equation to follow, which is what makes revision both challenging and exciting. Our drafts, those wordy experiments, place letters in combinations we haven’t tried before. Part of your job in revision is to closely observe these attempts and their results. Which connections cause a spark? Which ones set off a chemical reaction, or don’t? By joining the power of a scientist’s mind with the natural electricity of making art, you’ll harness the components of experimentation and discovery needed to revise your next draft.
Did you miss Andrea’s class on revision? Don’t worry—the recording is available for purchase here.
Andrea Caswell holds an MFA in fiction and nonfiction from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She’s a senior fiction editor at Cleaver Magazine and is on the faculty of the Cleaver Workshops. She runs Cleaver’s Short Story Clinic, offering detailed feedback on fiction up to 5000 words. Andrea’s work appears or is forthcoming in Tampa Review, The Coachella Review, River Teeth, The Normal School, Atticus Review, Columbia Journal, and others. She’s an alum of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. For more information, please visit www.andreacaswell.com.
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