Revisions Are Hard

What do you do when your fickle manuscript talks back and just doesn't do what you want? You have probably already stared at the darn thing until your eyeballs burn, waved a magic wand, and of course tweaked and revised and rewritten it no less than a million times. But what does it take to FINISH it?! Here are a few handy tricks to truly SEE the story you have written versus the story you would like to write.

Time- seriously shove that manuscript in a proverbial drawer for a month until it starts to behave. But in all seriousness, sometimes we get to close to our written babies and need time away to see it from a fresh perspective.
Change up how you revise- do you look at all key elements of a story at once. Try revising only for voice in one pass. The following week, only revise dialogue and the week after plot, etc. This will help you focus on all key elements not just the story as a whole.
Get a fresh perspective- swap critiques with someone who has never seen the evolution of your story- or know your intentions behind it. There are so many opportunities to connect with other writers interested in critiques. Check out Kidlit411, The Storyteller Academy, and 12x12 Picture Book Writing Challenge. And if you are lucky enough be in the middle of writerly contest such as #PBCritiqueFest hosted by Brian Gehrlein at Picture Book Spotlight, with an opportunity to win a FREE critique from a fabulous creative, always put your name in the hat. Feedback is a fabulous gift and can pull you right out of those hard revision blues. Wishing you the best of luck on your contest entry, your current revision, and all of your revisions to come.