Editing and Revision Promises With Grant Faulkner

By BookBaby author Lucy Briggs

Grant Faulkner joined our January #BBchat to talk about editing after NaNoWriMo and the importance of revision promises.

For the January edition of our #BBchat Twitter chat, we asked Grant Faulkner, the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month, for his thoughts on how to begin the rewriting and manuscript editing process after NaNoWriMo and best practices for working with a professional. We prefaced this month’s chat with some initial pointers to get the conversation started, as well as a brief biography of Grant, which you can check out here.

To be notified about our upcoming chats, please sign up here! If you have a moment, we welcome any feedback you might have about #BBchat in this short survey, available here.

To view the entire chat transcript, please visit this link. Below is a selection of questions and answers from our discussion.

Q2. @NaNoWriMo recommends waiting until January to make a “revision promise.” Why is it important to let your novel rest? #BBchat

— BookBaby (@BookBaby) January 27, 2016

You need to let your novel rest to distance yourself from it and read it more objectively—as if you didn’t even write it. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016

Q3. How important is it to set a revision deadline? Or do you advocate for taking your time? #BBchat

— BookBaby (@BookBaby) January 27, 2016

A3: Revision can be a big snare. Without a deadline, many have gotten stuck in endless tweaking. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016

A3: That said, I don’t revise in 30 days—more like 6 months. Revision is more involved than writing a first draft. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016

Q4. When it comes to rereading, what’s the difference between having a macro view and a micro view? #BBchat

— BookBaby (@BookBaby) January 27, 2016

A4: The “macro view” is the big picture view—reading for plot, structure, characterization, interweaving motifs and themes, etc. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016

A4: The “micro view” is more like a line edit—copyediting, proofing, and making your language sing. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016

Q7. What are some ways to beat self-editor’s block and speed up the rewriting process? #BBchat

— BookBaby (@BookBaby) January 27, 2016

A7: Well, a deadline is the best way. Set a goal and track your progress just like you do in NaNo. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016

A7: If I need to write new scenes in a revision, I do it NaNo-style—just dive in and write and give your inner editor a break. #bbchat

— Grant Faulkner (@grantfaulkner) January 27, 2016