The above image is an early revision of Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney’s poem “Trout” from his book Death of a Naturalist (1966). You might look at this revision and notice a few things. Maybe how Heaney takes the crossed-out word “tapered” and revisits it as “torpedoed.” Or how the “sticking” butter becomes “slips” to match the “smooth-skinned plums.”

But what I notice about this poem is that it is written on a scrap of an envelope. It feels profound to me to notice that most writers have little time for revision. Inspiration strikes at strange, unexpected times. Revision feels like it has to be undertaken in a serious demeanor, sitting down before a computer or typewriter with a red pen.

The first draft can be messy. But we don’t often admit: The mess is also revision.

In my workshop, Re-Visioning Your Poetry, I focus on how the most useful revisions are often the biggest, wildest ways of re-evaluating your work. How the work of the writer is being unafraid to make big changes. Because a big change, in some ways, means admitting you were wrong. And there’s so much mental stress wrapped up in revision we often don’t let ourselves move past those “mistakes.”

Re-visioning Your Poems
DATE: 4 Weeks starting December 2, 2024
​TIME: Asynchronous, Self-paced via Poetry Barn
Price: $275
Do you struggle to know when a poem is “done”? Do you have a ton of poems, but you’re not sure if they’re ready for publication? Do you need help learning how to better edit your own work?

Join us for a nitty-gritty dive into the different methods of revising poetry. Learn how to self-edit for voice, form, structure, tone, and meter to re-envision your poems. Give life to your old drafts and prepare them for submission, with help from a professional editor.​

This weekend I was at a writer’s conference and chatting with a friend who was working on his second book series and struggling with how different the process was for that book versus his first series. We all know the adage that each project is different—but it’s hard to admit that we can still struggle, even after we think we’ve got this writing thing figured out. My friend is an established writer who has sold thousands of books.

“I realized I wasn’t giving myself permission for the book to take its own time,” he said. “Once I figured that out, it was like I could get past it and write.”

Have you noticed how often we put up mental blocks as writers?

On how he grew as a poet, Seamus Heaney says: “My first impulse when writing had been to make the language as rich as possible and to have a stained-glass effect. But in my forties, I wanted plain clear glass, and soon realized that if the first appeal of a poem isn't going to be in the texture of its language, then it must have some other means of taking hold, and traditional meter and a syntax that runs over and plays against the lines can do the job.” (Heaney, Seamus, and Dennis O’Driscoll. “An Ear to the Line: An Interview.” Poetry 193, no. 3 (2008): 254–68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20608400.)

I love this quote because it admits a fault of a lot of new writers. We get caught up in how things sound, how beautiful we can make them, how powerful the words are—and we forget that what draws readers in is story. Heaney has an epiphany here about process. Writing is a process, and that process is not writer-specific, but work-specific.

When revising, one thing to ask yourself is: What does the work ask of my process?

The work might ask a lot of your time. The work might want hours, days, or even years. The work might demand a new process: More structure, less rigidity; more description, less dialogue. What the work wants, the work gets. I’ve had projects that were far too demanding, and realizing that I wasn’t in the right place to revise them was a huge revelation. It gave me permission to work on something else.

I do believe the work of revising can also happen in the margins. I want to give hope to the writers who think: I don’t have the damn time for big changes! I need this to be done, now, yesterday!

Big changes can happen quickly, all it takes is an epiphany.

Tips for Revising in the Margins

Time is an Illusion

Despite the fact that I’m an editor, I hate revision. I hate how slow it is, specifically. I take a long time to revise. I go back and forth; I agonize over words. It’s excruciating. Whereas the draft feels like fun—it’s the creative, imaginative process that I love.

Then, as I started revising more and more, forcing myself to discover a revision process that worked for me, it clicked. I needed a more creative way to revise.

I started coming up with tricks. I would put my work through a text-to-speech software so I could hear it like a reader. I would put my book on my Kindle and pretend I was reading it for the first time. I would write creatively ABOUT my book, so I could feel more inspired by the process. I came up with revision prompts for myself that revolved around the act of writing new words, starting small, and growing my work bit by bit.

The worry over time slowly slipped away. Like the trout in the current, I had found my way.

Beyond the realization that each project is going to take a different amount of time, I think, as writers, we have to give ourselves space to revise when time feels cramped. It’s pretty common for writers to draft to a timer. Why not revise the same way?

Try this exercise for your revision: Set a timer for twenty minutes. Revise your work in that time. When the timer goes off, look at what you achieved. Was it more or less than you expected? What did you get done in the time allotted?

Now, forgive yourself if all you did was think about the work. Thinking is revising. Day-dreaming is revising. Which leads me to my second tip:

Stop “Counting” What Counts as Revision

Sometimes, revising a project means following a set of “rules”. First, make big picture changes like honing your character’s arc or making sure the plot has a fantastic twist, then focus in on details like line-by-line writing. But at other times, revising isn’t about a simple step-by-step project. It feels slippery, like it’s just out of your hands.

What do you do when the project is slippery? You get bendy. You follow the story where it wants to go.

If you’re a writer with limited time to revise, allowing the revision to be messy, just like that first draft was, can be an epiphany. We discount exercises in writing that don’t involve the pen hitting the page, thinking that it doesn’t “count”. But the reality is, your brain invents story without putting words to paper. The best drafting happens in your mind, while you dream, while you let your imagination go wild.

I’ve got a theory that revision can happen this way, too. While you are driving to work or walking the dog. The big-picture problems often take big-picture realizations to solve. So if you don’t have a ton of time to revise, allow your mind to wander to your project even if you can’t sit down to write.

Let go of the mental block that revising only happens on the page. It also happens in your mind and heart.

Find Revision Where It Seeks You

Writers who don’t have a lot of time don’t often have the luxury of a big, honking wood desk to write at, a perfect writing office, or even a simple closed door. But this doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to revise.

Here’s a simple exercise. Print out just one chapter of your book. Let’s say it’s the first chapter. Take that print out and put it in your bag, and take it with you. When you get a free moment, read it. Sometimes, just reading a chapter in a new place, like on a bus or waiting in the dentist’s office, can give you a new perspective.

The goal of creating a new vision for your work is to see it in a new way. You can take this literally. Print the work out in big font. Print it in tiny font. Cut up the chapter into sections and rearrange them. Does the chapter still make sense?

Love What You Write, Write What You Love

You might struggle to find time to write or revise, but that doesn’t make you less of a writer. Be proud of what you can accomplish, even if it seems small. Your words matter.

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Browse Upcoming Workshops from Holly Lyn Walrath

Journaling for Writers
DATE: 4 Weeks Starting December 2nd, 2024
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-paced via Writing Workshops Dallas
Price: $299
Journaling is proven to boost your mental health and help focus your thoughts. Learn different techniques for journaling specifically geared toward writers. Writers are observers. One way to keep track of your observations and ideas is through a writing journal. In this workshop, we'll cover the basics of journaling for writers. Not just as a method of processing and keeping track of your thoughts, but as a method of improving your writing life and working towards a career as a writer.
​We'll cover tracking your writing, how to manage large ideas or projects, tracking submissions, creating goals, revising in a journal, and more, all while exploring popular methods of journaling to find the one that works for you. If you feel out of sorts or disorganized in your writing life, this workshop is for you!

30 Genres in 30 Days for Fiction Writers
DATE: 4 Weeks Starting January 6, 2025
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-Paced via Writing Workshops Dallas
Price: $299
​Get ready to discover the magic of different genres in this fun and interactive 30-day workshop tailored for short story writers. Whether you’re into mystery, romance, horror, or science fiction, this workshop will help you grasp the unique elements and essentials of each genre. With 30 engaging prompts, you’ll master how to seamlessly blend popular genre traditions into your stories, no matter if you usually write microfiction, flash fiction, or short stories. This workshop is the perfect opportunity for fiction writers aiming to enhance their craft by gaining a deeper understanding of genres.

Writing the Speculative Novel
DATE: 4 Weeks Starting May 5th, 2025
TIME: Asynchronous, Self-Paced via Writing Workshops Dallas
​Price: $299
Learn how to write (and finish) a speculative novel from outlining to revising to submissions.
Learn tips from a freelance editor who has worked with successful speculative writers to edit their books to perfection. With over ten years of experience in editing both self-published and big fiver writers, I know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to longform writing. In this class, we’ll explore techniques for outlining, critiquing, and revising the speculative novel. Learn how to create your own outline that you can re-use for future projects. Learn how to take on revision from the big picture to nitty gritty proofreading. Craft your book so that it has the best possible chance to get published!