Alive & Knitting

It’s occurred to me this week – while I’ve been revising a book and the house has been having a few non-festive repairs – that revising a book manuscript is a whole lot like renovating a house.

1. The motivating force behind both is the same – to improve.

A revision should make a book stronger, by making its characters more compelling, their motivation more clear, by streamlining the plot or deepening the conflict. A renovation similarly aims to improve the house by giving a better flow to the rooms, a more efficient use of space and greater coherence to the whole.

2. Both processes are stressful and challenging.

They’re stressful for the same reason, too – in order to rebuild, you have to first destroy. Revising a book means taking it apart first, and given that the author who is taking the book apart is the same one who constructed it in the first place, this is a trying phase – more trying than demolition tends to be in advance of a renovation. Those taking down a wall are usually not the same people who built it in the first place. In an ideal world, either is completed before the writer or resident snaps. (It’s a perceptive contractor or editor who knows when to disappear!)

3. Both are messy and inaccurate processes.

Revision and renovation are both processes filled with surprises and repercussions and delays. The perfect solution to a plot conundrum may not show up in the author’s brain on time – muses tend to avoid the mess of a revision – just the way that the tiles for the floor might be caught up at the wholesaler’s warehouse for an extra week. Sometimes contractors avoid the mess of a renovation, too. Patience can wear thin during these delays.

4. Both processes can fall prey to work created for its own sake.

We had a bathroom renovated once where this happened – the painter chipped the tiles while painting the walls; the tilesetter ripped the drywall (and paint) while replacing the tiles; someone else chipped the sink. The work went on and on, (round and round) each person who fixed something creating work for someone else. It seemed like an endless cycle of ineffectiveness and it was pretty frustrating.

This can happen with revisions, too. Revisions requested might not make the book better, or make it more of whatever it is. A requested revision might be an attempt to change a book into something else. Either way, an attempt to do the requested revision could make the book worse by muddying its purpose, thereby launching another round of revisions to clarify the intent of the work. The author has to be sure when she/he revises that she/he really is improving the work and being true to the work.

5. Both require the consensus on a subjective measure.

What is a good book? A better book? A more efficient kitchen? A better-designed bath? It depends on who you ask, and what perspective that individual has. Just as some people are minimalists and some are clutter-fiends, some writers like spartan prose and others love tangled details. Some editors like alpha heroes and some don’t – what they call “sexy” will be different, although with any luck, editor and author will agree.

In an ideal revision, both author and editor are aiming for the same objective and speaking the same language – just as in an ideal renovation, both resident and contractor share the same vision.

6. Both processes benefit from foresight.

The more you can plan in advance, the better. The more variables you can identify in advance, the better. That’s why so many editors cast a stern eye over synopses, warning the author of potential pitfalls in advance if possible. That’s why we have blueprints and electrical schematics to consult before we start shredding houses. Planning on the fly is prone to hasty decisions, even costly mistakes. The more you think about the work in advance, the better the result will be.

This works with the revision itself, as well. It’s better to take the time to think about what you’re going to do and build a plan of attack – or a laundry list of specific changes you intend to make – rather than to wade in and start slashing. All you end up with is shredded ribbons of text that way.

Don’t just pick up a hammer – or hit the Delete key – and go after it. Know what you’re going to do before you start. You’ll get results more quickly and you’ll get better results with a plan.

7. Both processes require things to get much worse before they get better.

Houses descend into chaos while they’re being renovated – first on the list, after all, is the demolition. Books, too, fall into incoherence while being revised – they’re between the two versions of themselves for a long time and the author can easily lose track of what’s where.

8. Both revision and renovation can lead to stunning results.

If you make the book better (stronger, more coherent, more compelling), you can see it right away. If you improve the layout of part of your house, you can see it right away. A well-executed revision or renovation is a thing of beauty and a tremendous source of satisfaction.

Don’t be afraid to revise or renovate. Don’t be afraid to leap in (where angels fear to tread) and get your hands dirty. Just keep your eyes open for unexpected hazards and have your plan fully determined before you start.

This weekend I’ll be tapping the last bits of my revision plan into place. I’m loving this new version of KISS OF FURY and all the things I’ve learned about Donovan and Alex. The book is a much better and stronger version of itself, which is pretty exciting stuff.

That calls for egg nog!

Should we have Pam bring it, or do you think she’ll sample it on the way?

Lots of foreign editions turning up these days. Here’s the latest crop:

Starting at 12 o’clock, that’s ROMANCE OF THE ROSE in Italian, THE BEAUTY BRIDE also in Italian (and no, I’m not sure how she became a countess of love, much less how that book is a mystery, but there you go), DOUBLE TROUBLE in a Portuguese trade paperback (Brazilian edition) and THE ROSE RED BRIDE in French.

As always, I’m fascinated by the different packaging.