15 Questions to Ask When Revising Your Book
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:36 - Is anything in the story unconvincing?
2:40 - Are there any ideas the story wants to press on but isn't yet?
3:20 - Is there any untapped potential?
4:00 - Is there anything that could be more interesting?
4:32 - Is anything set up that doesn't pay off? Pay offs that aren't set up?
5:00 - Does the story reflect the themes as intended?
5:57 - Are there any repeated beats?
6:11 - Are there any unrelated threads that could be tied together?
6:42 - Are there any points the plot development could be simplified?
7:36 - Are the consequences fully played out?
8:20 - Is there a clear causal chain?
9:03 - Are there long stretches without emotional shifts?
9:38 - Is there any key but missing information?
10:00 - Is there any point the story feels manipulated?
10:42 - Is there anything you don't like
FAQS
→How old are you? - 25
→How long have you been writing? - Since I was 8
→Where do you live? - I keep that private for safety reasons, but I grew up in Vancouver.
→Where did you go to university and what did you study? - I keep my university information private, but I majored in writing with a concentration in fiction.
→What are your pronouns? - They/them or she/her
→Where can I read your books? - None of my books are published yet, but you can read my published short fiction in my linktree (linked above!)
→So when will your book be published? - I don’t know! I’m in the revision process right now, but I can’t predict exactly when I’ll have a book published. But I’m working on it!
→Do you plan to traditionally publish or self publish? - Traditionally publish
→Will you read my book/story/chapter/mentor me? - Unfortunately I cannot accommodate these requests because editing/critiquing is a labour intensive task that I can’t afford to do for free alongside my job, my own writing, and running this platform. If you would like to hire me for paid editing work, contact me privately on twitter or instagram.
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Oops so turns out there are actually only ~15 questions because I accidentally skipped two questions from my notes and didn't double check🙃 Luckily they are questions I have an entire video planned on so it'll just be a point discussed in a later video!
No worries
My favourite questions when editing are "Why?" "What was I thinking?" and "Why did this character vanish halfway through the story?"
As someone who has had my fair share of characerts vanishing halfway through a story, I relate
I like the idea of a character vanishing halfway through the story. I would keep waiting for her to come back.
As Anne Tyler said of her own fictional characters, *How did these paper people come to have so much power?*
I have the feeling that Shaelin Bishop will be the new Anne Tyler, but with her own voice and world view and universe.
According to James Scott Bell every scene needs to do one of three things and better if it does more: move plot, characterize, and/or reflect theme. Everything you mention falls withing theses categories. Bell oversimplified it in six words but he is right. Every scene must be driven with a purpose.
Every scene needing to do one of three things, or more, is great advice. Novelists might be less blocked if they kept this in mind
It is a structure in films that a scene makes a commentary on the scene before, until we get to a new place in the plot development.
Going to the theatre and studying the movement and gestures of actors is useful for the novelists whose stage is inside their heads.
Robert Stephens was rehearsing Chekhov's *Three Sisters* with Frank Finlay who told Stephens that he was using his hands too much.
'You're playing a colonel in the Russian army,' Finlay told Stephens, 'soldiers are used to dealing with cannons and things, their hands are heavy.' From *Actors Speaking* edited by Lyn Hall, Oberon Books London 2007.
So fiction writers must play close attention to the body language of their characters.
It is refreshing for writers to watch actors speaking about their craft from Inside the Actors' Studio in New York (TH-cam).
Threading themes through a series is turning out to require the most adrenaline an author like me can muster. Also: I've learned that not all themes are plot but every plot is a theme, just as not all fingers are thumbs but every thumb is a finger.
Great, to-the-point video. :)
SHAELIN I LOVE YOU I'm so amazed by how each and every one of your videos are so incredibly helpful. I've found it to be a bit hard to find writer advice that isn't general/common knowledge, so your videos are a godsend!! They've helped me improve SO much you wouldn't believe.
Is anything in the story unconvincing? An essential first question.
Philip Roth wanted his readers to believe every scene he'd written, rather than them thinking: I loved the novel it but didn't believe a word of it.
Stoppard knows what his characters are like outside the plays: *Tom Stoppard in Conversation* edited by Paul Delaney & Hermione Lee's biography.
Imagine your characters talking to you about their earliest memories, favourite food, school life, teenage crushes, places they dream about.
*50 non-bookish things about me / Drinking By My Shelf.* TH-cam. 29 May 2020. You should know far more about your characters than you reveal.
I’m editing and revising two novels, and this is all so helpful, Shaelin. All this is what I’m working on and hearing you speak on it is cementing revisions I need to make in my mind. Super timely.
The homeless guy on my block said it so well when we were talking about literature the other day: “You can tell who’s put in the work and who hasn’t.”
Thanks for this.
I'm currently revising an old draft I found so these tips help me a lot. Thanks!
So helpful, I’m in revision right now, thank you! 💚💚💚
*takes notes* Thank you!
I, also, took notes! 📝
these are great, thank you
Man I haven't seen this chick in a minute! Nice to see her still going!
Thank you! My revision process is really unstructured (unlike my drafting), so these questions really help me for approaching revision in a more ordered way.
Side note, the subtitles turned when you talked about your "YA novel" into a "wine novel" - would quite enjoy reading a wine novel by you tbh :D
I’m hiding from the fourth draft of my book right now, so this couldn’t come at a better time. 😅 Thanks, Shaelin!
Haha, I'm doing the exact same thing. XD
Ooh, thank you so much. I've been revising one of my novel series for an unnecessarily long time (which I'm fine with because it's a hobby) but half the reason it's taking so long is that I keep feeling stuck so I leave to go do other things. As far as questions I ask myself to revise, it's usually just "is this cringe" since mainly I would like my story to be un-cringe enough that I can show it to someone without dying inside. Then I ask myself why, and if it's because it's poorly written/not thought through/etc I fix it, and if it's because it's an emotionally intense and therefore some part of my mind assumes it MUST be cringe I make it worse (as in amplifying the emotions more). That last bit works because when writing I tend to under-portray emotions since I tend to be detached from them in real life. I am sure there are many writers who struggle with too much melodrama, but I'm the opposite.
Thank you!
Awesome
For me when I write something I want to make it better. Improve on it, whether is grammar or characters or ot device.
I want to read one of your novels someday
This is very good advice for revising my book. One thing that's important to me is plot holes and there's no consistency. Sometimes the author can't catch it themselves. What do you think is best to fix plot holes in a story?
Have beta-readers or join a book club for writers. ;)
I just read how to slaughter and I am not ok
oops I'm sorry ❤️❤️❤️
I usually ask myself how long is this gonnna take thanks for the advice have great weekend:)
I was using Grammarly, to help me edit my first Novel, it helped me clean it up; more in understanding point of view way.
Sentence structure, because I how I was using it paragraph by paragraph, which took me along time it seemed, for over a 90k novel, maybe a week or a few days. But it made my writing pop more.
Not that I would relie on the software along.
I've noticed Hemingway, seemed to be a much better editing and grammar software, but haven't used it much yet.
Don't know if you've used, any grammar software... maybe you can share.
That's my weakness, grammar. My 12th grade English teacher failed me, which led me to write my 4th novel, a murder mystery, where she played the villain.lol.
Maybe you need to do a grammar video, on grammar and software. I know your other site utube page uses that one software, but maybe you could give your own take to help, 'US' grammar illiterates, become like you. You have so much AMAZING knowledge to grammar and that understanding. Open our horizon.
I use a combination of Hemingway and Grammarly as well as simply googling things because Hemingway likes things too cut short and unimaginable. lol. Too strict. But Grammarly has some grammar problems sometimes. But using both helps me. Also, keeping in mind to use active verbs more, and less past passive prose (was/were/is). A vase was standing in the hallway VS A vase stood in the hallway. Or even A vase lingered/waited/obstructed the way/brightened/etc (in) the hallway. The verbs do more than just explain what is, they also give context and mood. :)
@@SysterYster the vase exploded in the hallway, sister yster, became a twisted sister and picked it up and smashed it!!! lol 🧚♀️
It's the love of language...I want to understand.
@@SeanDuranMusic Hahaha! XD Yes. :) I have learned SO much in the past three years. That's when I started writing for real. I consumed writing tips videos, read stuff online, and of course, wrote a lot, read a lot, and had others read my stuff and critique it. That taught me a lot.
@@SysterYster twisted sister, they always say proof is in the pudding... maybe you'll give me a peek at your stuff.
Can you do a whole video on causal chains, please? There’s a lot about fiction that I’m unclear on, when it comes to the specifics of the “why”. Particularly, how do I know when it’s the wrong answer? Is it just plausibility? Is it more? Is it always more than just that?
What do you mean by causal chains? Like the domino effect of things?
Very helpful. Does that next to last tip mean that you don't like or recommend an intrusive narrator?
Just a heads up, I feel like the audio is quiet on this one. Love the content though!
💜⚡️
Haven't watched the whole video yet, but, according to the timestamps, it looks like these are 15 questions, not 17. I really hope to find two additional questions hidden in the video!
I accidentally skipped two questions in my script (but I have a video planned on the topic so they'll be getting a more in-depth look soon!) and changed the video title to reflect that, but the update might not be showing for everyone yet
@@ShaelinWrites I see the fixed title now! Thanks :)
How can I get an editor to help me with revision? What would I expect to pay for this?
For a pro it can be pricey but places like Reddit can help you find one for either cheaper or some sort of trade off.
Hell, I'd do it for extra cash lol
@@upg5147 do you do editing?
@@yaranpaupore2041 If you are looking for someone with a degree, then look elsewhere but again the price will rise as well.
I'm a writer and know my way around a pencil so I can certainly give it a shot. Are we talking a novel, short story?
@@upg5147 novel. I live in Pittsburgh. Where are you?
@@yaranpaupore2041 I'm in Texas.
If you want to give something a try we can see. Maybe let me see the first chapter and get a feel for things? I'm definitely more of a developmental editor (so plot stuff and character arcs, ect.) but I can tell when something grammer wise is out of place, it's definitely less of a strong suit. Would that be fine? Again, not a pro.