Have you ever noticed — or felt — that the end of your current work in progress gets much less revision than earlier chapters? I have. It’s something I’ve noticed with every literary translation I’ve done.
In the beginning, I’m supremely excited about the new project; I have energy galore and focus extraordinaire. After every paragraph translated, I revise the English. After every chapter translated, I revise the English. Before moving on to the next chapter, I revise the English in the previous chapter. And so on. You get the picture: I revise a lot.
Until, that is, I’m three quarters of the way through the book and getting tired. Deadlines are usually tight. I’m having to fit in other work since my 50% advance on the novel translation is gone and the second 50% is still a couple of months away. Day-to-day personal distractions slip in more often.
As a result, these later chapters get less attention than earlier ones. I revise the English after every few paragraphs. I don’t always revise one finished chapter right away before moving on to the next because I can hear the clock ticking… Time is running out.
When I’m all done, yes, I revise those slightly neglected chapters once or twice more than earlier chapters, but it still feels inequitable.
I’ve therefore often thought that my very final revision of the whole English might be better done if I went from the last chapter back to the first. I never actually tried it; until now, that is, on my current work in progress.
Here’s my rationale for revising the novel backwards:
* I have more energy when I start a full revision, so the end chapters will finally get their due.
* I’ve looked at these chapters, in order, what seems like a gazillion times so I’m no longer really seeing what’s on the page or screen, but what’s in my head. Shaking up the order might give me fresh eyes to see anything I might have missed.
* Psychologically, counting backwards might fill me with anticipation and glee, like a New Year’s Eve countdown, rather than looking at all that lies ahead while the deadline zips up to meet me.
What about you? Have you ever revised your work in progress from back to front? Did it work? Would you consider giving this crazy method a try? Why or why not?
