Lore & LilacA field guide to revision passes
Revision goes better when each read-through asks one question; here are the passes worth knowing, what each finds and when to run it.
Loading the post…
Related glossary terms
- Revision passOne read-through of a manuscript focused on a single kind of problem, such as structure, continuity, dialogue or line-level polish.
- Reverse outlineAn outline made after drafting that records what each scene actually contains, so you can see the book's real structure.
- Continuity errorAn inconsistency within a story, where a detail established in one passage contradicts the same detail somewhere else.
- Line editEditing focused on the craft of sentences and paragraphs: clarity, rhythm, word choice, voice and flow.
- Reading aloudRevising by speaking your text out loud to hear rhythm, repetition, awkward phrasing and dialogue that doesn't sound real.
- Copy editA detailed pass for grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency and factual accuracy, usually guided by a style sheet.
- ProofreadingThe final check of laid-out pages or a near-final file for typos, missing words, formatting glitches and layout errors.
- Style sheetA running record of one manuscript's spelling, capitalization, naming, number and formatting decisions, used to keep it consistent.