Andrea Caswell
TIPS FOR RELUCTANT REVISORS

Ever dread having to revise a short story that’s not working? How about that essay without a main point? Me too. Revision is the reality check at the other end of a romp across the page. It’s the serious cousin to your silly creative side. While revision can be daunting and may strike fear in our writing hearts, it doesn’t have to be hateful. Here are a few tips to get you started on your next revision.

Attitude Adjustment: Give yourself control over your mindset. Remember the old adage, “You see what you’re looking with, not what you’re looking at.” While revision often presents us with challenges, begin it as you would a road trip. Stay open to unexpected and interesting things that may happen along the way!

Make it manageable: Like all complex tasks, revision is less onerous when you tackle it a section at a time. Instead of psyching yourself out to rewrite an entire story, choose one aspect to revisit. The more specific, the better. Perhaps you will highlight every noun to clarify who and what is in the story. Another time, you might underline only verbs and their actions.

Time out: To make revision feel less daunting, I set the timer on my phone for a short session. Sometimes as few as ten or eleven minutes! If a session turns into an uphill slog, I’m allowed to stop or take a break when time is up to avoid overwhelm. If it’s going swimmingly, I might hit “repeat” two or three times, excited about the progress I’m making.

Recognition: Give yourself credit for the time and effort you’ve devoted to this task, no matter how much revision remains. Positive reinforcement will help you enter your next revision session with added confidence and trust in the process.

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