Beyond NaNoWriMo - Thoughts on Revision, Part I

The first in a four-part series about the process of revision

Hello, writers!

Now that we’ve put some space between ourselves and our NaNoWriMo projects, it’s time to start mapping out a plan for revision. To be totally honest, I prefer more space than just a week—three months seems like a magical length of time to me. But I know others who can dive into revision much more quickly. Whatever your preference, it can help to have some concrete steps as you work to turn your rough draft into something ready for an audience.

Every writer must ultimately find their own path from a messy first draft to a polished manuscript. What works for me might not work for you. That said, I believe there are some common experiences many writers share when it comes to the revision process. With that in mind, my goal for the December posts in this Beyond NaNoWriMo series is to propose a set of phases you can expect to work through and to offer some thoughts on how to approach each phase.

Regular readers of my newsletter know that, in addition to being a writer, I am also an artist. One of the joys of being a multi-passionate person is seeing the connections between different modes of creativity and allowing my work in one area to influence my work in another. In this case, the process of developing a painting can serve as a useful framework for drafting, rewriting, and revising a work of fiction or memoir.

Phase 1: Studies and Explorations

When an artist begins a new painting, a common practice is to first create a series of studies to work out a compositional plan, a value plan, and a color palette. These are quick pieces that serve as the foundation for the completed work to follow.

This translates well to the planning phase of writing. Perhaps back in October, you outlined your project, made character sketches, or mapped out settings. These studies provided a starting point for your project. You may or may not have followed them exactly—they may have changed along the way—but they helped you warm up to the world of your story so you could enter it more easily.

Of course, not all writers plan before they begin, just as not all artists plan before they paint, but for many of us, this represents Phase One.

Phase 2: Blocking In

Once an artist is ready to work on a painting, they begin by blocking in the big shapes of the composition. In watercolor—my medium of choice—this means starting with loose, transparent washes with soft edges. The blocking-in stage often looks somewhat abstract as colors bleed together. It is a pale, indistinct underpainting upon which the shapes will eventually emerge and gain dimension. This phase is foundational but still open and malleable. Nothing is fixed in place just yet.

This phase is much like writing a fast and loose first draft. The world and characters of the story often appear as shadowy figures in this draft, gradually emerging and evolving as the draft progresses. By the end, what you have is a loose structure—one that remains undefined, with occasional false steps or inconsistencies. Characters may appear and disappear without warning, and threads of subplots may get lost. It’s messy, and that’s a good thing! It gives us plenty of material to work with as we move forward.

Phase 3: Midtones

When the blocking-in phase is complete, painters pause, step back, and assess. In watercolor and acrylic, this pause is built in because the first layer needs to dry. Painters use this moment to ensure the foundation of the painting is strong.

When it’s time to return to the work, they build upon the first layer, focusing on midtones and seeking opportunities to create connected shapes that form a compelling composition to guide the viewer’s eye. They create unity, depth, and volume through careful use of color. The composition becomes recognizable, the shapes distinct, and the mood established. This phase often takes the longest, requiring several passes over multiple painting sessions to ensure every passage of paint harmonizes with the others. Surprisingly, painters often use large brushes during this phase because they are still primarily focused on big shapes and how those shapes work together.

This phase corresponds to the rewriting stage of a manuscript. Let’s face it: we don’t go from rough draft to revision in one step. For most of us, rewriting is a significant, multi-step process. It often means scrapping large portions of text, writing fresh versions, adding scenes, or introducing new characters. This is not the time for tinkering with sentences; there’s no point in refining prose if the larger structural elements of the story aren’t working yet.

Rewriting often involves creating a whole new document to rebuild the story scene by scene. This is also when you want to find trusted, gentle readers to provide honest feedback between drafts.

If you’ve completed a full NaNoWriMo novel, this is the phase you’re moving into now. In next Friday’s post, I’ll offer specific strategies for this stage.

Phase 4: Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights

Once all the midtones are in place, the composition is well established. Now the painter seeks opportunities to add depth, character, and interest by intensifying shadows and bringing out highlights. They use small brushes and begin adding details that wouldn’t have made sense earlier. If tiny details were added too soon, they might have been covered or altered during the layering process, wasting effort. While creative pursuits aren’t about efficiency, working smarter, not harder, has its advantages.

For a writer, this phase is equivalent to revision. You’ve worked hard on rewriting and are confident in the plot, pacing, and characters. Now you begin to add enhancements, such as recurring images, symbolism, and thematic depth. You focus on moments of intense emotion, heightening the drama through deliberate word choice and evocative language.

Phase 5: Final Touches

The last step in painting is the slow and deliberate process of applying final touches. After the darkest darks and lightest lights are in place, the painting may seem finished to the casual observer. However, the artist knows there are still minor tweaks and refinements needed.

Although little paint may be applied at this stage, this part of the process is often time-consuming. Rushing risks ruining the work, so the approach must be slow and careful. A dash of color here, a blurred edge there—bit by bit, the painter works until they are satisfied.

For a writer, this aligns with sentence-level editing. Now is the time to make your prose sparkle. You identify and eliminate your verbal tics (Once, I had a draft where all my characters were constantly winking. I can’t even wink in real life! Talk about an annoying verbal tic). You clear up ambiguous sentences, fix typos, and polish your story until it’s ready for readers. At this stage, you want everything to be just right.

Key Takeaways

When considered this way, I hope you can see that writing is truly a process—not just something your English teacher used to say back in school. Great writing takes time and effort. No one gets everything right on the first draft.

The process likely won’t be as linear as my five phases might suggest. Some phases will overlap or circle back on one another, but this is still the general path we all follow, more or less.

For NaNo novelists, the most important thing to do right now is to be patient during the “drying time” between Phases 1 and 2. To see your work clearly, you need fresh eyes—and the only way to get fresh eyes is to take a break. Step away from your manuscript. As I mentioned last week, one of the best things you can do is start something new! Let your NaNo novel fade from your mind so that, when you return to it, you approach it as a reader with a fresh perspective.

Next week, I’ll offer some concrete ideas to help you move from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, stay creative!

Disclaimer:
While I wrote these posts entirely on my own, I used AI tools to assist with proofreading for grammar, spelling, and clarity. All ideas, content, and creative decisions are my own. Work smarter, not harder :)