Revision And Self-Editing (Write Great Fiction) (Paperback)

by James Scott Bell (Author)
Key Phrases: red canary, opposition character, dull parts, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Will Kane (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Don't let the revision process intimidate you any longer. Discover how to successfully transform your first draft into a polished final draft readers won't be able to forget.

In Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing, James Scott Bell draws on his experience as a novelist and instructor to provide specific revision tips geared toward the first read-through, as well as targeted self-editing instruction focusing on the individual elements of a novel like plot, structure, characters, theme, voice, style, setting, and endings. You'll learn how to:

• Write a cleaner first draft right out of the gate using Bell's plotting principles
• Get the most out of revision and self-editing techniques by honing your skills with detailed exercises
• Systematically revise a completed draft using the ultimate revision checklist that talks you through the core story elements

Whether you're in the process of writing a novel, have a finished draft you don't know what to do with, or have a rejected manuscript you don't know how to fix, Revision & Self-Editing gives you the guidance you need to write and revise like a pro.

About the Author
James Scott Bell is the author of the Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure and a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest magazine. He is also the author of more than fifteen novels currently teaches fiction writing courses at Pepperdine University and is a regular speaker at writers conferences. www.jamesscottbell.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 2nd edition (May 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582975086
• ISBN-13: 978-1582975085
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,041 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a caring English Professor, Jim hovers over your shoulder pointing out the problems and dishing out the fixes., July 7, 2008

By	C.J. Darlington "TitleTrakk.com Co-founder & ... - See all my reviews

How-to books for writing come in as many variations as there are writers. Some are hype, promising you'll make $100,000 in your first year of freelancing or a $50,000 advance on your first novel. They promise much more than they deliver. There are also the texts which do provide some useful information, but they're about as dry as the Nevada desert in August.

But every once in awhile a writing instruction book comes down the pike which not only delivers techniques you can immediately apply to your own fiction writing, but is actually entertaining to read too. James Scott Bell's Revision & Self-Editing is that kind of book.

Writers worth their salt are always looking to improve their craft. We want each plot to be stronger, each character deeper, each book or story to be better than the last. We're desperate to write a novel that'll keep our readers up `til dawn. But what do we do when we churn out a draft that is, shall we say, junk? What if we know something's not right, but we have no clue how to fix it?

Jim Bell to the rescue. In his previous book Plot & Structure he taught us how to create compelling plots. Now in Revision and Self-Editing he shows us "techniques for transforming our first drafts into a finished novel". When asked who the book was for, Jim told me, "Any beginner who wants to learn the essentials of the craft. And experienced writers, who can pick up some extra tips that work and a systematic approach to revision that will make their books better."

Part I: Self-Editing, gives us an overview of various fiction techniques and exercises. Here Bell touches on the building blocks of novel writing like point of view; show vs. tell and beginnings, middles and ends. It's here in this section readers of Plot & Structure might notice some re-cap. But even seasoned novelists need to be reminded of things like Bell's LOCK system (the four essentials of strong narrative) and what makes great dialogue.

Part II is where we heat up and get down to the nitty gritty of resuscitating our manuscripts. And let's face it--almost every first draft we write is going to need help. As Bell says, "Submitting a novel without rewriting is like playing ice hockey naked. You're just not equipped to put your best, um, face on things. And sooner rather than later a well-placed puck is going to hit you where it hurts most. That puck is the editor's or agent's built-in prejudice against weak material."

Broken down into easy read and digest sections, Bell shows us how to overcome obstacles like procrastination and what to do before you revise. He gives common fixes for everything from setting & description to dialogue and theme. For example, if your opening isn't working he suggests revving up our opening line or weeding out too much backstory, exposition and cast. Your middle sagging? Try strengthening your exposition, adding a subplot, raising the stakes, trimming, or adding research.

If you've ever attended one of Jim's writing classes, you know he doesn't just preach at you, he shows you examples of what works in the real world. Revision & Self-Editing is chock full of examples from successful, published novels and even movies. There are tidbits of advice from other published novelists like Athol Dickson and Terri Blackstock. Exercises after each chapter help you retain and apply what you've learned (Jim provides answers at the back of the book.)

Speaking of writing conferences, that's what reading this book felt like--attending a break-out session presented by a skilled wordsmith who knows of what he speaks. Like a caring English Professor, Jim hovers over your shoulder pointing out the problems and dishing out the fixes. He pulls no punches, and you can tell he wants those who read this book to succeed. With lots of sweat, burning desire, and these techniques in your back pocket, you truly can.

When Plot & Structure released I said, "If you can only buy one writing book, buy this one." Well, it's time to make space on your shelves for one more. Revision & Self-Editing deserves it.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk.com

43 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Title - More of a Cut & Paste on Fiction Basics, May 6, 2008

By	Livvy "Livvy" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

Just let me start off saying, that I have Bell's other book on "Plot and Structure" and found it to be very good in that it was tightly focused and offered lots of tips and beneficial exercises.

When I bought this book, I expected an entire book on specific revision tips, checks & balances, do's and don'ts, ways of tackling the revision process and instead I found a very basic primer on the craft of fiction. I would have to say that about 85% of the book is a very superficial treatment on the craft of fiction. At times it seems like a cut and paste of previous Writer Digest Books and does NOT offer anything new and or enlightening. It's on the last chapter where he gets into a "Revision Process" per say, but each aspect of fiction craft still gets treated very superficially.

Case in point, on the last chapter which constitutes the Revision Process, under Chapter Openings, this is what Bell has to say:

1. Can you begin a little further in?
2. Does the opening grab? Have a hint of conflict or action?
3. If you open with description, does it do double duty? If not, put it in later.
4. Do most of your chapters begin the same way? Vary them.

And that was it for "Beginnings". He does cite some examples in another chapter at the beginning of the book, but nothing in depth.

Would I recommend this book for anyone who has finished a manuscript and is ready to revise? Perhaps not. If at the least it is superficially helpful in describing the very basics. This book would be more suited for a "beginner" looking for a basic primer in fiction writing. But if you have read at least 1 or 2 other books on fiction writing already, then this book will not offer you anything new.

Also, Bell cites alot of books here, and it would have been beneficial to have a bibliography included.

I'm giving it 3 stars because this is probably a good book to start off with if this was your first book purchase on writing fiction, but not one that I would recommend for Revision. Personally, I was disappointed.

In closing, the process of writing is all "revision". So all in all, if you have a few good books on writing, those should be good enough as a starting point to reference back when you are ready to revise.

A few good books that I feel will help with that process are "Blockbuster Plots" by Martha Alderson and James V. Smith "The Writer's little Helper". Even Jack Bickham's book on "Writing the Short Story"(which is not in print but you can find a used copy) offers a more comprehensive revision checklist at the end of the book which I found more useful than this book... Also, a good book on grammar and writing is a must. This book does not review grammar.

Here is a Table of Content for Bell's book:

1. A philosophy of Self-editing
2. Characters
3. Plot & Structure ( a rehash of Bell's other book)
4. Point of View
5. Scenes
6. Dialogue
7. Beginnings, Middles & Ends
8. Show vs. Tell
9. Voice & Style
10. Setting & Description
11. Exposition
12. Theme
13. A philosophy of Revision
14. Before you revise
15. The First-Read Through
16. The Ultimate Revision

I will update this review once I find another book that is helpful in the revision process. I welcome any recommendation others may have.

UPDATE

Here is another book on Revision that I feel is very well detailed: "Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore" by Elizabeth Lyon. My only issue with Lyon's book is the quality of paper (mass paperback quality) that it is printed on - you can smell the ink and if you use a highlighter, it might run through as well.

Another excellent choice is "Fiction First Aid" By Raymond Obstfeld. His book does not dumb down the various issues your novel or script may have and offers tips in handling a particular set of issues. He also recommends a process for tackling revision.

And to top it all off, another good book that teaches craft as well as offering editing tips at the end of almost every chapter is Jessica Morrell's book "Between the Lines". Highly recommend.

** UPDATE ** This is another book on self-editing that is extremely helpful. Its called "Savvy Self Editing" by (Antoinette Wayman) / Tony Jaymes. This is a little thin book of about 85 pages and outlines and summarizes a complete process in self-editing with structure charts, plotting charts, scene building charts, POV charts, Character Development Charts; lists on tone, style, and voice; and checks & balances on content editing, sentence edting, and copy editing. There's just enough info to direct you in the right direction with examples. Of course you would have to supplement this book with your other writing books and a grammar book for more in depth study. But the intention of this book is to give you guidance on a process rather than in-depth specifics.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book on the craft of writing, May 27, 2008

By	Deborah Raney - See all my reviews

I read James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure and found it extremely helpful (that's saying a lot since I'm a seat-of-the-pants plotter). Revision and Self-editing is a great follow-up. I found the format of the book very easy to use with interesting sidebars, illustrative examples from books and movies for each technique, and sections with the key points for each chapter. Like Plot & Structure, this book was hard to read only because I kept wanting to jump up and run to my computer to apply Bell's techniques to my own writing. Highly recommended!