Revision Makeovers

Manuscript revision can be a tricky thing to explain and an even trickier thing to master. There are so many types of revision styles, and very few writers go about revising the same way. What works for some won't work for others...much like perms...and skinny jeans. Along this same hair/clothing line of thought, I like to compare the revision process to a makeover. After all, everyone likes a nice makeover, right? To give you an idea of my take on the spectrum of revision styles, I've detailed the various revision makeover types below:

Al Natural: These writers do very little to their manuscripts to make them fabulous. Their first drafts come out pretty close to the finished product. Plain and simple, these writers are misfits. They're lucky and talented misfits, but misfits nonetheless.

Tweeze as You Please: Grooming their manuscripts continuously is what this type is known for. These writers spend lots of time plucking, prodding, tweaking and brushing up trouble spots throughout their first draft writing process. Naysayers may call this writing vanity, but many would say it's proper manuscript hygiene.

Touch Up & Go: This type of writer leaves his/her manuscript in sweatpants until the day of the publishing ball. The touch up & go writer will miraculously transform his/her manuscript like Cinderella right before sending it off to meet Prince (or Princess) Charming (more commonly known as an agent or editor).

Clever Concealers: These writers are afflicted with manuscript acne (plot holes, character flaws, grammar blemishes, etc.). But have no fear; not all manuscript zits leave scars! A clever concealer will find ingenious ways to hide and/or get rid of said acne with various writerly techniques....some cleansing....and maybe a little acne cream.

Nip/Tuck & Beyond: Nipping and tucking is more common than most would think. Some writers will deny that their manuscript has had this type of work done. After all, if it's a good nip/tuck revision, you may not even notice that a manuscript has had character lifts, plot implants, and bad grammar liposuction... but the bad nip/tucks can be spotted from miles away. Trust me!

Complete Reconstructive Surgery: This is the most invasive and painful form of revision makeover, and the finished product often resembles very little of the first draft. Recovery can be long, tedious and excruciating. This type of makeover may include, but isn't limited to: slicing the setting, dicing dialogue, cutting characters, and ripping up and rewriting some, most, or (heaven forbid) ALL of the manuscript. This type of revision makeover can lead to hair pulling, bursts of hysterics, crossed eyes, and delusional thoughts of quitting entirely. Pain medication in the form of lots of chocolate is typically required.


For the record, I confess that I've tried and survived all of the various revision types above. However, I tend to be a combo of the tweeze as you please and nip/tuck types the most. That's right, I'm not afraid to admit that I've given my manuscripts character lifts and plot implants. Are you?

So what manuscript revision makeover type are you?