I’ve been using the same revision process for my books since I was around sixteen years old. It’s simple, straightforward, and always helps me feel in control of the project, no matter how long, short, simple, or complicated the book. I’ve used it successfully enough times that now, in the throes of revision, with no end in sight, I can remind myself to trust the process and keep a cool head.

So, without further ado, here’s a look at the process I used to revise A Landscape of Shadows and am currently using to revise its sequel.

***Side note: I do very little plot organization before I start writing a book, so the first draft can be a steaming hot mess sometimes (most times), and that’s what I expect to be working with.***

Once the first draft is finished, I set it aside and forget it exists for anywhere from two weeks to six months. I’m truly trying to forget the specifics of the story so that when I come back to it, my mind is a blank slate to perceive it as it truly is, and not as what I thought I was writing.

After the rest period, I read through the book in its entirety, making some high flyover notes about the plot and characterization. Nothing else is important right now; I might make some notes on smaller issues or ideas that pop up, but the logistics of the plot and the character arcs are the first, second, and third priority.

Next, I finalize the list of plot and character changes I want to make. When I know what big pieces need to look different, I make a list of all the additional scenes that I’ll need to write to support the changes. I might make some side notes here as well about scenes/plotlines that can be cut, but it’s not cutting time yet. I want to know what I need to add, first.

Content creation is the easiest and most fun part for me, so I write all the new scenes that are going to be added in and basically chuck them into the manuscript in a fresh document. This is the point that usually sees a 10-30k jump in word count, putting the manuscript way past my original projected length.

When that’s done, I know the novel – or at least this draft of it – has everything it needs. The next step is to remove everything it doesn’t need. This is the point where characters, plotlines, scenes, and even some of my favorite one-liners get cut.

(Fun fact: there’s a version of A Landscape of Shadows where neither Lunaro nor Mage exist, and a version where the Manfalon offspring are all boys instead of girls).

Once the heavy cutting is done, I print and bind a double-spaced copy of the manuscript and start nitpicking at the scene level for clarity and continuity. I’m paying some attention to grammar and spelling at this point, but there’s still a possibility that whole scenes might get cut, so I don’t stress about sentence-level stuff too much.

When I’m done there, the print version looks like a graffiti wall, and I spend days typing up all the changes on the computer. I let it rest a few days, do a quick read-through for little pesky typos, and then I send it off to beta readers.

After they’re done and get the notes back to me, the process starts all over again at step one. I’ll go through the process as many times as I need to until I’m satisfied with the final product. The first pass is always the longest, and each consecutive pass takes less and less time, so long as I don’t have any prolonged menty B’s.

A Landscape of Shadows went through seven revisions, and I’m predicting three to five revisions for the sequel.

What does your revision process look like? Do you have a tried-and-true method, or are you experimenting with what works best for you?