Sensory Details

I'm still working on the revision suggestions I learned in Darcy Pattison's Revision Retreat Weekend last month. I've spent the past several days making sure my manuscript has plenty of sensory details to bring the story to life. My goal is to engage at least three senses in every chapter. I've been going through my manuscript chapter by chapter and recording which senses I've included on the spreadsheet that I talked about in my previous post (another great use for spreadsheet plotting!)

I've learned a lot by doing this. I was pleasantly surprised by how many sensory details I've already included. However, these details were mostly visual and auditory. I really need to pay more attention to taste, smell, and feel. By including three senses in each chapter, I've had to stretch out of my norm and look for these extra details I don't normally think about. It's been a great exercise that I think will benefit all my future writing, hopefully making me pay more attention to these details up front, rather than waiting for the revision stage.

How about you? Does using sensory details come naturally to you, or is it something you have to pay special attention to? Which senses are you most likely to include?

Revision

I just finished the second draft of my time travel YA (young adult) novel, which I'm tentatively calling Killing Kessler. I started the rough draft last May, and it took me three months to finish. Mind you, when I say rough, I mean rough. The characters go through the motions and say their lines, but with minimal props, settings, inner dialogue, or even much emotion.

Then I began the second draft. For me, the purpose of the second draft is to flesh the story out. This is when I add the sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. This is when the characters share their feelings, think about their situations, and really come to life. This step takes at least as much time and effort as the rough draft. I used to dread revision, but I've grown to love it. During this draft, I concentrate on who my characters are, what they're thinking and feeling, and the richness of the world around them.

The next step: I read the manuscript out loud. My family thinks I'm insane, but my ear catches all sorts of problems my eye has missed. In particular, I find words that repeat too often, action sequences that don't make sense, and awkward phrasing.

After the read-aloud, I ask a few trusted friends to read the manuscript. By now I'm so close to it, I don't notice things that will jump out at someone reading it cold. When I had a critique partner review a chapter of my previous novel, she noticed that I had a character clinging to her husband's dead body in the paragraph after his corpse had disappeared. This is just one example, but obviously the feedback from these readers is invaluable. If you're one of these people, you have my eternal gratitude.

After that, I repeat the previous two steps as many times as it takes to make the manuscript the best I feel I can make it. Then, and only then, is it ready for submission.

Lately, I've been thinking about my revision process. I once spoke with a successful author who said she doesn't use an outline, and she makes only minimal revisions. She thinks about the book for a long time before she begins writing, but once she does, it comes out in nearly final form. While I would love to write like that, I know my mind doesn't work that way. I have to get my thoughts on paper first, no matter how poorly expressed, before I can put on the polish. So now I'm wondering, what do the rest of you do? What is your revision process like? Do you enjoy revision, or it is a necessary (or unnecessary) evil?

I'll be taking a break over the holidays, so...until January, happy writing, and may your coffee pot never run dry.