Your manuscript’s rough draft is like entering an ancient castle, one that has been forgotten by time—caked in heavy dust and cobwebs, growing mold in damp corners. You step inside and can barely breathe, every step you take stirs up clouds from the floor. You think to yourself: This is terrible! What can I do? How can such a thing be cleaned and made ready for visitors?
Let’s explore the 8 Steps to do just that!
Step 1: Get out the weapon of mass dust destruction! And by that I mean the vacuum, and start sucking up as much dust as possible!
The first time you revise your draft will be a heavy and draining process. You are finding and getting rid of the most obvious mistakes and loopholes—both in the plot and in the characters’ development. This can be one of the most frustrating stages (it is for me). It can be hard to focus on the plot when your draft’s writing needs so much work, too. But remember, this stage is all about focusing on the plot and characters, and doing any research you may need done. Improving the writing can come later. Be sure to take breaks as needed, and surround yourself with whatever inspires you, so you won’t feel overwhelmed.
Articles on story structure and plot: helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-of-story-structure / writeonsisters.com/a-z-challenge-posts
Step 2: You’ve done a good job sucking up the layers of caked dust everywhere—give yourself a pat on the back! The castle no longer looks like an ancient, haunted thing. But there is more work yet to be done. Now, it’s time for the mop! Attack the mold lurking in the castle’s corners, and those stubborn trails of dust and grim still clinging to the floors and walls.
Now that you’ve gone over the plot and character’s, and found and resolved any loopholes, you can focus on the draft’s writing. If you’re someone like me who can’t wait to clean up messy writing, then this stage is what you’ve been waiting for! Rewrite those paragraphs and reword those sentences until the story flows smoothly and gleams like a polished floor!
Articles on writing: rawlse.wordpress.com/write-the-hard-stuff / rawlse.wordpress.com/how-to-write-battle-action-scenes / helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-writing-mistakes
Step 3: Congratulations! Your castle looks much more inviting, and when you step inside, the air smells fresh and you no longer cough when you breathe it in!
Now is the time for you to step back from all the hard revisions and rewrites you’ve made. Take a break from your manuscript, and let your mind focus on something else. This break is crucial, as it lets you forget the story and come back to it later with refreshed eyes. About a month-long break is good, I’ve found, and you can use the time to focus on a different story or project you’ve had laying around. (If you think you’re ready, you can even use this break to hand over your manuscript to a few early beta readers.)
Step 4: After a much-needed break, you return to the castle to further tidy up!
You’ve returned to your story, and oh my goodness the flaws and mistakes are bleeding red all over the manuscript-place! But it’s okay, don’t panic. This is why it was important to take a break. Your refreshed mind can now see what more work needs to be done, and you are feeling more energized to dive in and correct it!
Step 5: Time for the finer details: scouring out all of those small crevices and cracks where dust may have hid.
Once you’ve gone over the obvious mistakes after taking a break, you’ll tackle the less visible ones that are still hiding from you. This will be a long and detailed process, needing much thought and care as you fine-tune your manuscript. Keep motivated! Keep heading towards the final goal! By the time you are finished with this step, the result will be one clean, lovely manuscript that you can be proud of!
Articles on fine writing: helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-is-your-prose-too/ / grammarly.com/blog/top-5-most-frustrating-writing-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them
Step 6: You’ve cleaned the place, spruced everything up and added every final touch you could think of, and now…it’s time to let a few visitors in!
Yes, that’s right: It’s beta reader time! This step is vital, and also nerve-racking. It’s how you will test the waters and observe readers’ reaction to your story. And waiting and wondering whether that reaction will be positive or negative is like waiting for a test’s result… Instead of letting myself worry, I jumped into work on a novella project for my series. If you have another project to begin drafting or revising, use this waiting time to begin on that, and before you know it time will fly by and the beta readers will turn in their results.
Articles on beta reading: well-storied.com/blog/finding-your-ideal-critique-partner / helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/find-your-next-beta-reader / thebookdesigner.com/things-you-should-know-about-working-with-beta-readers
Step 7: Your selected first visitors tour the castle, and afterwards leave a series of notes for you to look over—their thoughts and recommendations for improvement. Perhaps you let in a second wave of visitors, to gather more opinions after you’ve read the notes from the first.
Once all visitors have gone, you consider each note, each thought and recommendation, and you comb through the castle once again accordingly. The final look-over before opening day to the public is an all-nighter as you comb through each room, making sure the decor and color-schemes match and that paintings and tapestries are placed just so…
Taking in the first wave of beta readers’ feedback—their notes and thoughts—you go over your manuscript, making adjustments. You may choose to have a second or even third wave of beta readers (which I recommend, and is what I’m doing for Strayborn), as this can give you a broader view of how the public may react. You repeat this process until you are completely satisfied with your story and your writing style (remember, the writing style can make or break a story).
Article on writing style: writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/improve-my-writing/brush-up-on-your-style-in-10-minutes-or-less
Step 8: The Big Reveal! It’s opening day, and your castle is finally ready to greet visitors from around the world!
Your manuscript has blossomed from a pitiful shrub into a glorious rose garden! (or whatever flower you prefer ). It’s ready to be released, and so you carefully, lovingly open your palms and let it fly free into the world. Whether it will gain a large audience or a small, dedicated one, you can now rest knowing that you put your heart and soul into making it be the best it can be. Enjoy the results of your hard work!
~Happy cleaning, writers! ❤
Tell us about your experiences with rough drafts in the comments section.
Want news and exclusives from my novels and author journey? Subscribe to the e-Newsletter!
© 2017 author E. E. Rawls and RawlsE.wordpress.com
(ads are by WordPress, not me)
I love the comparison! If the day comes when I’m finally in the revision stage, I shall definitely come back to this article. Having clearly laid out steps makes the job look less daunting. Fantastic post! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed this post, Nandini! I was watching the PBS channel when they showed staff at work cleaning a castle, and I thought how laborious that task was, and it made me think of how much I’d been working on my book. So, that’s how the comparison came about. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can say it certainly feels as big as a castle! So many nooks and crannies, so many hidden corridors and giant chandeliers…
@_@ Thanks for the tips and encouragement!
LikeLiked by 1 person
IKR? Don’t even mention the chandeliers!–Those things are impossible to clean! 🙂 Thanks for commenting, Jensine. ❤
LikeLike
This is so cool! I love the comparison to a castle! I currently trying to rewrite and edit my own book. I feel like I’m flailing about, trying to get everything perfect, but this post has reminded me to slow down and go through the different steps. Thanks for sharing! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad this post could be of help! ❤ Breaking the process down into steps reminded me that revising really is a long process, and that it's okay for it to be long. In the end, it will all be worth it. Thanks for commenting, Madeline!
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] have been reworking, tweaking, and polishing away! You could say that I’m at Step #7 on the Revising A Manuscript Is Like Cleaning A Castle blog post. […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is fantastic! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Mia! 🙂
LikeLike
This is a cool metaphor! Did Beauty and the Beast or Howl’s Moving Castle or both inspire it? 😉
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, it should have been! 😀 This time it was a PBS show, a history about England, and they were showing castles and how much work is put into keeping them clean.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, this sounds all to familiar! I’m terrible at cleaning…. getting there with the help of my betas. Great post. Oh by the way I’m working on the post for Rainbow Support Club, I’ll send you the link as soon as it’s done, via twitter direct messaging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cleaning is the hardest part of the job, I think! Thank goodness for betas!
Thanks for reading, Marje. I miss our Blog Battle days. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, definittely. I miss our blog battle days too. Not enough time these days!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too true! Maybe some day we can all plan to join in one week, and have an old blog battle reunion bash! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That would be awesome! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Fiction entitled Strayborn, Book #1 (V. Chronicles.) and has written an amusing personal account: Revising A Manuscript is Like Cleaning A Castle. Elise has been known to promote authors by doing author interviews on her blog. She offers […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great metaphor! I’d have never thought of it, but it’s quite clever. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cathleen! I kept seeing castles on PBS, and then the idea hit me. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] book aside for a while so I can return to it with a clear mind, following the process listed in Revising A Manuscript Is Like Cleaning A Castle. I still have a map to sketch up, and a book cover to brainstorm ideas for, so my brain is on […]
LikeLiked by 1 person