arcanea-revision-rituallisted

# The Revision Ritual > *"Writing is rewriting. The first draft is just the clay; revision is the sculpting."* --- ## The Revision Philosophy ### First Drafts Are Supposed to Be Bad ``` FIRST DRAFT: Discovery You're finding out what the story is. It's messy. It's supposed to be. REVISION: Delivery Now you know what it is. Make the reader experience it. ``` ### The Revision Mindset ``` CREATOR MODE (First Draft): - Generate freely - Follow impulses - Don't look back - Quantity over quality EDITOR MODE (Revision): - Evaluate ruthlessly - Cut freely - Shape intentionally - Quality over quantity These are different brains. Don't mix them. ``` --- ## The Revision Passes ### The Pass System ``` Don't try to fix everything at once. Each pass has ONE focus. Multiple passes = comprehensive revision. ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE SEVEN PASSES ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ ║ ║ PASS 1: STRUCTURAL │ Does the architecture hold? ║ ║ PASS 2: CHARACTER │ Are arcs clear and consistent? ║ ║ PASS 3: SCENE │ Does each scene earn its place? ║ ║ PASS 4: DIALOGUE │ Voice, subtext, function? ║ ║ PASS 5: PROSE │