The most important part of writing a part is the revision. It is very critical to the completion of the book. Once you have finished the book, it is important to revise yourself first before giving it to others for their feedback. This ensures that your book is free of errors and came out the way you wanted it to come out. Book editing is not only challenging but also frustrating. It is also crucial to bridge the gap between getting your book published and getting it rejected.
Here are some simple revision techniques which will help you in editing your book, improvising the manuscript and making it perfect for catching the eye of an agent or publisher.
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Always start from page one.
It’s always best to start from the page and work your way through. It not only helps you to ensure that the plot is in the correct flow but also helps to study the characters well. You can go through it and try to understand if the order makes sense or have the characters changed in the novel from beginning to end. Editing becomes easy when you go stepwise, in order. Read your story as if you are reading it for the first time. And don’t ever do it in bits or pieces, you’ll definitely miss something.
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Avoid the usage of Passive Voice
You may highlight the areas where passive terms have been used while revising. The terms slow down the stories and make it less exciting and thus must be avoided as much as possible. So, while you are revising don’t stop every time you find a passive term to change the sentence. Instead, you should just highlight the area and get back to making the corrections later, once you are done with the revision. It will help you observe the flow of the plot and not confuse you in the middle.
After you are done with the revision, you may get back to the highlighted areas and recast the sentences to frame them in the active voice, only the ones which fit. The change from passive to active voice should never be forced.
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Add Page Of Chapters
If a chapter has ended in the middle of the page, then make sure you start the next chapter on the next clean page. You make also add a blank page in between. This ensures that you can easily locate where the chapter ends and begins and if makes it easier to scroll through a few chapters. If you choose not to do this, the whole book may appear to be on a paragraph which will make the process of revision a more frustrating one.
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Keep a Checklist
The notes made between two drafts can be very confusing, and you may miss some important points. To make sure you remember every detail of what needs to be updated, make sure you maintain a checklist while revising. This not only makes your work much easier, but it also ensures that all the wanted updates are incorporated. Keep yourself well-fed too – a nice Food Processor can go a long way.
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Take a break
Breaks at regular intervals are significant to ensure that one doesn’t burn out. If you do, it definitely will not be helpful for your book. Take a break of some hours, and you are ready to go back to making your book all perfect. When in doubt, smoking some legalized bud such as sativa can help you retain focus, while indicas will keep you calm.
Hope this helps you figure out the process of revising your book. The efforts may be huge, but the results are worth it. Happy Writing!