Hello, hello!  It finally happened.  On Saturday, I wrote THE END on the shitty first draft of novel attempt number three!  Yay!!!  I celebrated by doing nothing productive whatsoever on Sunday.  Monday, I slowly dipped my toe into the revision pool by revising a micro fiction piece before sending it and another piece out into slush land.  Which brings us to today (because I’m writing this on Tuesday).  Now, the real revision struggle begins.  Sure, I have a short story that needs to be doubled in length and smoothed out.  That’s my immediate focus.  But then, I have to decide which novel attempt to revise, two or three.  And that’s what I plan on rambling about today.

Option 1: revise novel attempt two (LR from here on out).  In my head, I know this would be the smart choice.  For one thing, it would give me a break from the one I just finished, which is always encouraged so that when it comes time to trim the fat away, you won’t be blindly attached to it.  I’ve had more than enough time away from LR to be able to make the hard cuts.  I’m still super excited about LR, so that’s a plus.  And I really do miss being around those characters.

The downside of revising LR first: while I love it, I’m not really sure it has much potential in the way of attracting agents.  Are dragons even “in” anymore?  Or are they passé?  I know I shouldn’t worry about stuff like that, and I should work on whatever my heart tells me to, but it’s something I think about.  I’ll have to do some research on the trends right now/where the trends seem to be headed.  Plus, I’m concerned that if I get caught up in LR’s world, I’ll lose steam in the other one.

Option 2: revise novel attempt three (DS from here on out).  Some of the advantages include that the plot is fresh in my mind and I still remember what all my little revision notes mean.  From that perspective, it makes sense to dive right back into DS.  It’s also a genre that’s always in high demand, but with a supernatural twist.  So, I feel like it has a better chance of catching an agent’s eye.  Plus, I’m completely in love with these characters and their stories.

The problem with starting with DS is that I wouldn’t have much time away from it, so I would probably still be super attached to all the fluff that needs to be chopped out.  I have trouble decluttering my room because of sentimental values, decluttering a story isn’t any easier.  It would also mean more time away from LR, which has been randomly popping into my head the last couple of months.  Plus, I’m not entirely sure if the supernatural elements will be attractive in this particular genre or if it’ll be confusing and off-putting.

I guess I’ll read through both of them and see which one pulls me toward it more.  Until then, I have a short story to focus on.  What about you?  How do you decide which projects to revise and when?  What’s your method of making these kinds of choices?  As always, please feel free to leave your comments or thoughts here or on my social media pages!