Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [revision]

This tag should be used for questions about revising your literary works, such as how much time you should calculate for this step or how to keep track of different revisions in case you want to switch back to something you have previously written.

This tag should be used for questions about revising your literary works, such as how much time you should calculate for this step or how to keep track of different revisions in case you want to switch back to something you have previously written. Depending on the context of your question you might want to add the tags or if you need help with keeping track of revisions or for example and if you are working on revising your existing work.

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Uh oh - My book stinks. Now what?

The question pretty much sums it up. I'm a freelance author without much of a platform. It's not that I don't like the story - I spent a great deal of time on it - but after taking a cooling off period following the first manuscript, I realized…
Stu W
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How should a writer use version control to track drafts, rewrites, and revisions?

I'm a writer, not a programmer. I'm just now for the first time learning about version control and how it works, and I am wondering how version control could streamline my workflow. In a previous question, I asked what version control system to use,…
incandescentman
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What methods can I use to revise my writing?

Background I am finding it challenging to transform an early draft into a finished product. My biggest challenges are putting the prose in the proper order and using topic sentences and transitions so that the reader can easily follow my train of…
David LeBauer
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How do you know when to give up on a writing project?

Writing is rewriting. The first draft of a novel is commonly riddled with mistakes: the beginning doesn't grip, the characters aren't consistent, the plot has holes, the story lacks suspense, turns aren't foreshadowed and appear ex machina, the…
Sylvain Prudhomme
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9 answers

Text Editors. Suggesting & Tracking Changes to Plain-Text Documents

Many word processors are capable to tracking and displaying changes made to a document. Those changes are typically displayed in special markup supported by the editor. E.g. But when using a plain text editor (like Microsoft's Notepad), is there a…
Robert Cartaino
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When to accept an editor's rewrite request?

So there's an editor who has accepted a story of mine for publication... but he wants me to change the ending. Normally I'm pretty open to editorial changes, but in this case the proposed changes alter the timbre of the piece by changing the ending…
JSBձոգչ
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Can I, as a reader, submit a "Bug Report" for a novel?

I just finished a new release. I encountered a passage in the book that doesn't quite make sense. Just a single sentence that is out of place. Grammatically it is fine, but in context it doesn't seem like it fits there. I believe it may be a…
Frames Catherine White
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Why can I not self-reflect on my own writing critically? How can I self-edit?

When an editor goes over my writing, even if most of their feedback is Writing 101 advice, it's still super helpful because my writing has a lot of flaws. But I never notice these flaws (big picture stuff, and subtle stuff alike) while writing and…
Jack Pan
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What are First Drafts, Second Drafts, etc.?

I've been reading a few questions on this site, and I've seen the terms First, Second or Third Drafts. What does this refer to actually? And could someone give a clear detail of what they are, and why specifically three drafts?
Fikko3107
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How long should it take to Revise/Edit to get to Good Enough?

Editing, to focus my question a bit. My goal is to turn a book around from concept to publishable in a 2 year time period. Currently the plan is to write a draft in a year and revise the following, starting the next draft while the first is in…
Kirk
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How can I focus on writing one book?

I'm only 9 and I started writing a few books, but I didn't even finish them all. I don't know if I should keep writing different books, or focus on one. I sometimes find old books of mine that aren't finished and I don't even know what they are…
user44633
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Do you always revise your stories or do you sometimes move on?

When you finish a story, say a short story, not really intending to publish. Do you go back and revise it or let it be, starting on another story?
johnny
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How Much Exposition is Too Much Exposition

I am in the process of figuring out how to write a mostly autobiographical piece (maybe, eventually, novel) about my experiences related to dancing (Swing, Blues, and a little Hip-Hop, in case you were wondering). My basic structure follows two…
Ryan Kinal
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How do I know whether to revise or submit elsewhere?

I wrote a few short stories over the past few years, and I have shared a few of these with beta readers and asked for feedback. I have one that I decided was ready to go find a home, so I found a journal that I thought was a good match and submitted…
Kit Z. Fox
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Getting Prose to Flow

I've heard some advice on writing, which says that writers should read their drafts aloud, in order to hear any flaws in the sound of their writing. But after I've done this, how should I change my draft? As many books suggest, writing should not…
user25421
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