Revise: You Should Read this Book
Pamela Haag's new book offers incredible insights into the art of revision
Hi friends! Happy October! My kids and I have become enamored with Dall-E lately (the AI software that produces images based on your input.) We asked it for a pointillist depiction of a hedgehog cuddling a field mouse, and it gave us this, the perfect fall picture. Who says art is dead?
I’ve had a host of new subscribers in the past week, so welcome to all of the newcomers to my little newsletter. At the end, I’ll say a few words about me!
I’d also like to congratulate everyone who’s signed up for AcWriMo already! I’ll send an email just to that group tomorrow talking about how we’re going to get ready in October to write through all of November, so sign up now if you’re interested in writing with us!
Revise!
One of my goals for the fall is to read my way through the stacks of books about writing that I buy, admire, and then never quite get to. In particular, I’ve been excited to read Pamela Haag’s Revise, which I dutifully brought on our trip to Noway this month and then left in my bag until the flight back.
I was excited about this book because there are plenty of great resources about the process of writing, and the art of writing, but I haven’t found as many about the art of revision that are helpful for social science and humanities scholars.
Friends, this is our book. If you’re writing a book and struggling with the revision process, Revise should be on your list. First, she provides a fantastically helpful style audit guide with examples of how to revise problematic prose. As I read, I repeatedly underlined examples of phrases and paragraph structures I encounter as I’m editing, and then studied how she recast them.
Haag, who is a writer and editor herself, also offers genuinely interesting insights into why writers fall into some of the traps we do. The book identifies what Haag terms psycho-editorial issues, which “reveal underlying anxieties, misgivings, tensions, or concerns that produce distinctive stylistic tics on the page” (p. 6). Throughout the book, she points to how passive voice can construe fear of making a strong cause-and-effect argument, or authors use linguistic bubble-wrap to distance themselves from controversial or fragile ideas. The examples she gives on pages 70-71 will likely feel familiar to you, and will hopefully encourage you to trust your reader enough to be brave in your writing.
Also, and I can’t stress this enough, Haag is not only a great editor, but a great writer as well. I liked this book enough to take along to coffee shops with me. It’s conversational and often funny, which believe me is not an easy tone to strike when writing about revision.
If you’re teaching a graduate level writing class, this book would be a fantastic addition. If you’re struggling through your own revisions, this book will help you be a better writer. And if you’re an academic editor, the book provides a truly masterclass in the art of editing.
The next book in my queue is the slightly different The Book Bible: How to Sell Your Manuscript—No Matter What Genre—Without Going Broke or Insane by the prolific Susan Shapiro, who is a master at getting her New School MFA students book deals. I’ve been working with more authors lately who are interested in crossover or popular press book deals, so I’m excited to read her insights.
Welcome to New Folks
There’s been a pretty epic increase in subscribers over the past week because of a few kind words from the incomparable Mirya Holman (if you’re not reading MHAWS, you obviously need to be). Welcome! This is the newsletter for Epilogue Editing, the academic editing and consulting business I run. I have a PhD in political science and earned tenure and chaired my department at a SLAC before the pandemic gave me the nudge to move back to Brooklyn and start editing.
I work with scholars mostly in the social sciences and humanities on books (including manuscripts under review or contracted with Oxford, Cambridge, and Chicago just to name a few recent ones); articles and R&Rs for journals; job and tenure materials; and grant applications. I also do book and career coaching and run writing workshops for departments. I love meeting new scholars and learning about their projects, so feel free to reach out to set up a free 30-minute consultation!
In addition to editing and consulting work, I host free group writing sessions that you’re warmly invited to attend. We’re writing together every Thursday this semester from 1115-1245 eastern, and you can find details about that here. In addition, I’m hosting two free sessions in October to prepare for AcWriMo in November, and then I’ll have a variety of fun ways to connect in November, so stay tuned for that as well.
That’s it for now - thanks for being here, and happy writing!