My Revision Process
On processing feedback, reverse outlines, and reviving my love of going to the cinema
February 2025 Well, we survived January (I think)! And we are already well into February. I just returned from a business trip to Dallas, my first one at my day job as an Instructional Designer (I typically WFH) and while it was an interesting experience (a little culturally shocking for this New Englander) I’m happy to be home and to get back into my typical routine.
So grab a cozy drink (I’ve got my fav—chai with almond milk), take off your shoes, and and let’s wander the shores to see what the sea’s dragged in.
Last month, I was very busy working on first round edits of my Gothic Horror-Romance, House of Lavender, implementing big picture feedback from my agent (ICYMI, my last newsletter, talks about that exciting milestone of signing my agent contract). So that occupied most of my free time.
At the tail end of all that revising, I also received the STUNNING piece of art below I commissioned from the artist, Lesya Blackbird. They captured a frightening scene in my book so well!!!
In this scene, my main character, Petra, experiences sleep paralysis and sees a strange spirit while staying in her ancestral home in Croatia. I love the detailed white lines showing Petra’s struggle to move and the traditional Croatian outfit the spirit is wearing (based on traditional clothing from the island where my dad is from, which inspired the setting of the novel).
I highly recommend Lesya Blackbird if you’re looking to commission bookish art!
My Revision Process
As I mentioned, all of January I worked on first round edits to prepare House of Lavender for going on submission. (For those unfamiliar with that term, “on submission” is the process of an agent pitching/sending a novel to editors at publishing houses in the hopes of securing a book deal).
So I thought I’d focus this section of my newsletter on my revision process.
While I will talk about how I handled feedback from my agent, this process works for anyone giving you feedback, such as a critique partner, beta reader, etc.
And as for the type of feedback I was addressing, my agent’s edit letter contained notes on more general revision areas such as pacing, themes, and character development. (There will be more edits rounds later focused on polishing).
I typically try to retain some semblance of job-life-writing balance, (like no writing on weekends), but I promptly threw all idea of balance out the window as I aimed to get my edits done within one month. I had the option of a flexible deadline, but honestly, I was excited to get to work and get the book back in my agent’s hands asap.
Below is the revision process I followed. Though every book is different, and my process may change in the future, this aligns with how I typically revised in the past with beta reader feedback.
If you want to try this process for yourself, keep in mind that YMMV—your mileage may vary—meaning this process may not work for you. So much of writing is about discovering your own process—if something resonates with you, then give it a try the next time you’re in the revising phase of a project.
Read the feedback and jot down initial thoughts
As many writers know, your mind will experience a spectrum of thoughts upon first reading someone else’s feedback—from “Wow, why didn’t I think of that?” to “Hmm not sure about that” to “Hell no.” This range is normal, and I think recognizing your different reactions is a great exercise in getting to know your intuition.
I always try to capture these initial thoughts right away. When I record them, it’s not necessarily a plan for revisions (though if I feel clear about something, it could be, e.g. “cut that scene”). Mostly it’s my general reaction or ideas, e.g. “ooo yes, like this idea, maybe I can implement it this way…”
This time around, I captured these thoughts in a Google Sheet, with one column listing my agent’s feedback per area (e.g. characterization), and another column containing my thoughts (column headers shown below).
Other formats would work just as well, such as a journal, voice memos, sticky notes... whatever works for you. The main point is to process and record your initial reaction.
Let it simmer
This is one of the hardest steps for me to follow. Typically, after receiving feedback, I want to dive right into editing. But it’s so important to just… let the feedback simmer.
Simmering is important because it not only allows your ideas to root and take bloom, but it also helps you view the feedback more objectively.
Sometimes, we get feedback that’s painful. We don’t like it. We want it to go away, disappear. And I think this often happens for two reasons:
A) the feedback might be right but we aren’t ready/don’t want to admit it
or
B) the feedback doesn’t fit you or your artistic vision for the story you’re telling
If after all that simmering, you think the feedback falls into category B, then chuck it! This is your book and ultimately it needs to resonate with you and your vision. Trust your intuition.
But, if that feedback falls into the painful but probably right category, then that time away can help your emotions settle and view the feedback from a more objective lens. (If you’re not sure which category the feedback falls under, then talk it out with a friend or trusted critique partner!)
I received my edit letter from my agent just before Christmas, right before I was set to travel to Newfoundland to visit my in-laws. When I’m traveling, it is very difficult for me to focus on writing, and besides, I didn’t want to. So it was a little easier than normal for me to follow my own advice and let the feedback simmer.
I was away for about two weeks, but your simmer period can be longer or shorter.
Make a reverse outline
For those unfamiliar with a reverse outline, the author Chelsea Abdullah has a great blog post on them. Basically, it’s an outline of your book’s plot, made after completing the book, mapping out the story as it’s actually written (versus a typical outline, which is made before you start writing and represents the plot you plan to follow as you write).
I am a plotter, so making a reverse outline is usually not that hard. I take the outline I made before I started writing the novel, and revise it so it matches what actually happens in my book (as some changes inevitably happen as I write).
I think the most important aspect of your reverse outline is that it clearly describes what happens in each scene, so that you can plan how you’ll change that scene in revisions.
For my reverse outlines, I use this amazing outline template, which the author Rachel Moore graciously shared (originally made by the author, Kat Korpi, then tailored by Rachel). If you’d like to try it out for yourself, save a copy!
Here’s an example of the opening of my book plugged into that template. I describe what happens in my prologue and chapter 1.
Plan the changes you’ll make
Using the reverse outline you just made, describe the changes you’ll make to the story. These can be as detailed or general as you’d like.
Here is how I planned to revise chapter 1 based on my agent’s feedback—you’ll see my notes were fairly simple, just enough to guide me for when I dove into the actual revising.
Start revising—working big to small
You can start revising anywhere, but I find it makes the most sense to start with the biggest changes first, as these may have ripple effects you didn’t anticipate while planning your revisions.
I’ve learned that, as much as I like to plan, I always discover something new once I dive into writing or revising. It’s a bit rude, to be honest. I want to know everything beforehand.
But alas, that’s just not how it works for me. Often, I’m not sure if a big change will feel right until I’m actually implementing it. And I often come across bright new ideas when I’m in the muck of revising.
I think of it like hiking—you can plan your route, but you can’t see all you’re meant to see until you’re actually there on the mountain, taking in the view from your new perspective.
By tackling vaguer, bigger edits first, I can have these epiphanies early on and hone my overall plan. And since smaller edits won’t take me as long to implement, once I reach them, I can get a better feel for how much longer it’ll take until I finish.
Adjust your revision plan as you go
This step is fairly self-explanatory.
For this revision, I decided to reorder some scenes, and my reverse outline became too busy for me to clearly understand the changes. So I ended up making a new tab in the template with only my new outline, incorporating all changes. I then used that to guide me in completing my revisions.
When you finish, celebrate!
Every milestone deserves some sort of celebration.
After I sent my revised manuscript back to my agent, I celebrated by visiting Lovestruck Books, a new romance-themed bookstore in Boston. I resisted buying books (as I’d gone on a pre-order shopping spree the day before), but I did buy this super cute glass tumbler.
In this section of my newsletter, I’ll talk about some recent media I enjoyed:
film:
I love movies. In high school, I wrote movie reviews for my hometown’s local paper. I dreamed of becoming a cinematographer. When I’m feeling stuck on what details to include in a scene in my novel, I try to envision it as a scene in a movie.
Going to the theatre used to be a somewhat religious experience for me, but for various reasons, Covid prominently among them, I stopped going as often.
But, I recently discovered the local theatre here in Salem is so charming, that I’ve made it my mission this year to go more often. In January I went TWICE, which would have been unheard of for 2024 Natalie. But this is 2025 Natalie, and to the theatre, she goes.
The first movie I saw was Nosferatu, which my husband and I saw on New Year’s Day—because nothing says new year, new me like an old, rotting vampire. While I craved more backstory on the characters, the gothic aesthetics were deliciously eerie (who needs CGI or jump scares when a creepy silhouette of a hand can do so much). The gothic vibes even inspired a new scene in my book (thanks, Nosferatu!)
The second movie I saw was The Brutalist. I low-key have a crush on Adrien Brody so will see films just for him and his nose, but I was also intrigued by the theme of brutalist architecture, which I first discovered due to its prominence in Yugoslavia, where my parents are from.
The movie was long, and some scenes were very difficult to watch (I recommend seeking out trigger warnings if that’s a concern), but I recommend seeing it for the opening scene alone, when Brody’s character emerges from the confines of a crowded boat and reacts to seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. As a daughter of immigrants, with family that passed through Ellis Island, it definitely made my heart swell.
Also, the last line of the film, in my opinion, is so good—so simple and yet had so much bite. It had me rethinking the whole film.
books:
On January 7th, my friend, Tara Tai, published her debut novel, Single Player!!! This book is so darn clever and delightful—the perfect blend of video games and romance. I am not as avid of a gamer as I used to be, but even I picked up several fun Easter eggs throughout. If you haven’t picked up your copy already, you should do so immediately!!! And if you’re in the Boston area, Tara has an event at afore-mentioned Lovestruck Books on Wednesday, Feb. 12th.
I also recently devoured an ARC of In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy. The story’s mythology surrounding sirens was so intriguing, but what I loved most was the romance. It had so much pining. You know that infamous Mr. Darcy hand flex in Pride and Prejudice (2005)? Take that and times it by 1000. There’s nothing I love more than a love interest who’s down bad—throw in a conflicting sense of duty, and I am sold. In the Veins of the Drowning publishes on July 15th, but you can preorder your copy now so you get it as soon as it’s available.
music:
My taste in music is not super diverse—usually when I open my Spotify I simply ask, “Which Taylor Swift album will I listen to today?” So this section may very well be a dissection of her music each month. We’ll see, but also, sorry not sorry!
In January, I listened to the album, Midnights, on repeat—it’s the album I most associate with my book, except for a few other songs on other albums—and I recently discovered a new fav in the song “Paris.”
As someone who wishes they could travel more, and craves a bit of escapism especially now, I find the lyrics capture a willful, stubborn dreaming vibe so well.
And so, I leave you with this snippet:
"No, I didn’t see the news
‘Cause we were somewhere else
Stumble down pretend alleyways
Cheap wine, make-believe it’s champagne
I was taken by the view
Like we were in Paris”
If you’ve read to the end, thank you for sticking around. The sea is cold and churning, but the water is so refreshing.
Until next time.