Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Unrevise I tell you, Unrevise!

I wrote a YA contemporary novel. Er . . . who am I kidding, I wrote two.  Under the watchful eyes of some amazing CP's these manuscripts were revised, characters eliminated, themes altered, and threads added.  My CP's struggled  through this with me as I kicked and fought back before making certain changes, whining like a two-year-old --"That's not what the story is about," and "but I don't want to write bubble gum and cotton candy." 

For all my complaining, I made the changes and ended up with  two well-written, cohesive manuscripts that bared no resemblance to their original versions. No matter how much they shined, regardless of how many words of praise I got on the tweaks, I had this horrible feeling that these manuscripts were no longer mine. In an effort to appease the masses, I'd revised my manuscripts to the point where I'd lost my voice. Trusting everybody but myself,  I buried that suspicion and sent them off to my agent, knowing she'd make the right call.

Her call came last week in the form of revision notes. I laughed when I read them, literally sat down on the floor and laughed until I had tears streaming down my face.  See, she'd never seen the original versions of the manuscripts; I only given her the edited copies.  Each line I read of her notes had be backing out a piece of my revisions, untweaking characters, removing entire threads, and bringing the manuscript back to its original form . . . back to my voice.

I let the revision notes simmer for a few days then got started on them yesterday.  It is not as simple as just tossing her the original manuscript. There are threads in the newer versions that I want to preserve, so it is really a matter of blending the two.   But that aside, its amazing to finally realize that I really, really, REALLY need to trust  my own writing instincts.  It's even better to know that I have an agent that truly gets my voice -- unrevised and all!

Side-note:  I would be remiss if I did not say that I have the best group of CP's a writer could ever ask for.  Although they weren't the ones suggesting the changes, they had the grueling and selfless task of watching me make them, cheering me on when all I wanted to do was toss the manuscript and the revisions aside.  A thousand thanks to you guys.




15 comments:

  1. I'm going to say congratulations. You've learned something so valuable.

    I'm sure that it's going to help other writers on their journey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sometimes it's hard trusting yourself, or others for that matter, but you just have to go with your gut. Congrats on your writing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aww-- I just wish we could have helped you stand firm with your voice from the beginning. Guess this is a lesson for us all-- trust your voice!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a great lesson to learn. I had something similar happen with my first WiP, but I ended up shelving it a few months ago. It was time for the shiny new idea!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm pretty sure I whined with you and for you! Glad we get it back the way it was!

    ReplyDelete
  6. We writers are constantly learning! Good for you for bringing your MS back to its essence. Good luck with it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think that's an important lesson; to remember to trust yourself. Suggestions can be amazingly helpful but they may not always be right. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks all; yes it was a good lesson learned. Sometimes we get so immersed in other people's expectations of our manuscripts, that we forget our own.

    Becky and Mary, you know have the unfortunate task of reading it again . . . for what must be the tenth time now. Couldn't have done it without you. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That's so funny! What a good lesson about trusting your instincts :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always go by my gut feeling. In my latest novel, my CP's wanted me to do this and that. Well most of it would have altered the voice, which is a strong masculine seventeen-year-olds. Most of my CP's are women and don't understand the thinkings of a teenage boy.

    So I used the suggestions that only polished the novel and not change the voice.

    Good luck with blending the two together.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've had this happen to, my cp's giving me advice that doesn't ring true to me. I've gotten better at figuring out what feedback to use and what not to.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such an important bit to remember, Trisha. CPs tend to edit with their own voice sometimes, I'm prolly just as guilty of it. We really have to trust our guts. Glad it all worked out for you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a great lesson to share. How wonderful to have an agent that hears your voice and understands how valuable that is as well! Good luck with your revisions.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I loved this post! I teach high school Creative Writing and after having my students exchange papers, many often get upset about suggestions. I always tell them that they are only suggestions and one person's view, and if they don't want to change them, trust their instinct and keep what they want.

    ReplyDelete