Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/34012
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Editing, to focus my question a bit. My goal is to turn a book around from concept to publishable in a 2 year time period. Currently the plan is to write a draft in a year and revise the following, starting the next draft while the first is in revisions. A sort of waterfall methodology to writing.

Currently, I have my first manuscript, 200,000 words, in alpha. Feedback has been slow, and I have a writing group that will take about 3 years to read it at the rate they plan on reading it (not good for my initial plan). It needs a lot of work based on the few reads I have gotten comments back on and I know I need to at least practice that work, but it may also be destined for the trunk.

I'm struggling with the time management aspect with the number of revisions I'm likely going to have to do. One character rewrite, one wholesale restructuring, and cutting about half the words out.

How long should a revision process take? When do you know it's time to put a book down and move to the next project? Suggestions on revision methodologies which support suggested timelines would help. I have high level revision objectives, but I am lacking process which may be causing my sense of swirl.

Original score: 11