This week’s Revision Techniques venture into the realm of revision called “radical revision.” Once again, it’s all about playing with the story and being open to change through play; being open, that is, to the story teaching us what it’s about. Don’t worry about producing a perfect product. Just enter into these exercises like a scientist in a laboratory or a naturalist out birding. You never know what you’re going to come across, or what might surprise you, along the way.
As they say, “no surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.” Let your work slip the knot of your intention and try to stay curious about what you don’t yet know about the world you’re building.
Please feel free to incorporate the work from Thursday’s Revision Assignment into any of these revisions.
1. Sentence-to-sentence Expansion and Compression
Please add a sentence between every sentence in your piece.
Then, cut the piece down by 1/2.
Then, double the length of the piece.
Please post in the following format:
1. Original
[paste the original story here]
2. Original with a new sentence between every sentence
[paste this version here]
3. Version with a sentence between every sentence condensed to half its length
[paste this version here]
4. Version cut to half its length doubled
[paste this version here]
2. From-Scratch Revision
Rewrite your story from the start using entirely new words. You can retell the story in less space, or more space, hitting the same sequence of events or varying the events and even the narrative arc. It’s likely you’ll allot more space to some beats and less space to others. Please be sure the narrative arc is complete, even if it’s different from the one in the original piece.
Please post in the following format:
1. Original
[paste original here]
2. From-scratch revision
[past from-scratch revision here]
Your revision may be anywhere from 250 to 1500 words long. Please make sure it is written in clear and concise prose and post it below. Please make sure to title your revision.
I look forward to reading your Revisions!
I would like a revision of this piece you wrote according to my professor’s instructions.