Hair cuts as a metaphor for revision

Seriously, your revision needs a process if you want it to shine

I am getting my hair cut today.

I have extremely thick hair. It’s a blessing and a curse. Every time, my stylist thins it out and every time I come back there is more and more there.

My stylist, luckily, is prepared for me when I show up once a quarter for my maintenance cut and color.

First, she will give my hair a quick dry cut to get it to the length we want. Then she adds the color—a painstaking process with all these locks. After a wash (and a lovely conditioning head massage) she will go in and perfect the cut. Time for a blow dry and then she’ll thin it out (did I mention I have ridiculously thick hair). Finally, she’ll give me a bit of a curl and style so I leave feeling absolutely fabulous.

My haircuts are a lot like the process for revising a novel.

Preparation and the right steps in the right order lead to the best polish, whether it’s my tresses or your manuscript.

✂️ First, you have to tackle the structure. Shape up that manuscript. Get the bones of it right like my stylist gives my hair its first pass at shaping.

✂️ Then you can add the layering – the color, so to speak. Give your manuscript movement and life with a pass for emotional heart and intriguing characterizations.

✂️ Next, trim up any loose ends. Fix those pesky little issues you found on your read through. Make sure it all matches up and is even.

✂️ Thin out your filter words. You know they are there. Time to be merciless with your own scissors and tighten up the writing.

✂️ Finally, you get to polish. That’s when the stylist does the final flourish—maybe a curl, some scented hair oil, a little hairspray. Don’t curl before you cut. Wait to give those sentences their pretty finish after you’ve done the rest of your structural and layering edits.

This is how I walk all my writers through revision. Big stuff to small stuff. You can’t curl your hair before you color it or blow dry while you cut it. There is an order to revising that makes the process more efficient and your work more effective.

Want to dig deeper? I have a quick mini-course on how to approach and organize your revision with a tool I call the Revision Road Map.

This mini-course will walk you through:

▶️ How to approach a revision

▶️ Provide tips on self-analyzing your own work

▶️ Help you create a plan to execute your revisions.

I would never cut my own hair, you don’t have to revise alone either. I invite you to check out the Revision Road Map to help you through the process.

Want to dig deeper with a personal guide through your revision? I also offer one-on-one revision coaching. You can learn more on my website.