Oohs and Aahs for 6.6.25

How to revise your WIP

When I'm working on a personal project, and dread or resistance sets in, I use this process to make the revision process easier and more successful.

• Take as much time away from the project as possible. In the space of months, an answer may appear or a problem may fall away. While you’re writing, I think it’s helpful to think about your work every day. But when you’re revising, I think it helps to take long breaks in between drafts.

• Go somewhere new for big read throughs.

• Pay attention to what's working and make a list. Create a Pinterest board or make a graphic. Make this part feel very real, and refer back to your notes as you make changes. This helps maintain confidence and avoid making changes that do more harm than good.

• Make a list to focus the to-dos. If there's time, give yourself a different prompt to focus on each day.

• Brainstorm multiple options for trouble spots.

• Write about what you want the piece to be. Envision the thoughts and feelings you want to leave the reader with. Then think about how you can bridge the gap to get there.

• Bring the same creative spirit to revisions that I brought to the first draft. Let it be fun!

Not sure if you’re making things better or worse?

---

This Week I’m…

• Watching this quick guide to drawing flowers loosely 🌷

• Appreciating

  Sara Petersen
  ’s incredibly intelligent conversation with
  Jessica DeFino
  about the way the skin care industry constantly markets their potions at vulnerable moms 💆‍♀️

• Feeling grateful toward

  Ryan Rose Weaver (she/hers)
  and
  Kate Lynch
  for talking about how creativity can heal burnout in caregivers (A topic I know is dear to many people in the Nebula Notebook community)💛

• Hoping we can collectively help

  Jess
  make the “art teacher aesthetic” a thing 🎨

• Watching Salma Hayek’s grwm where she pats her face a million times (Because we contain multitudes and there really is something very soothing about watching someone apply a serum!) 🧴

• Reading

  Lincoln Michel
  ’s piece on the many hats writers wear and how anyone is making a living writing in 2025 (I also have his new novel on my nightstand)! 🤠

• Getting ready to send out an empathetic guide to querying agents exclusively to paid subscribers 👩‍💻

---

Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

---

✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏