Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

This month’s question:

What’s your best revision tip?

“For picture books, make a dummy. That way, it’s easier to see what words can be cut (or need to be cut) because you’re thinking about the story in scenes. I examine each spread and each page turn and make sure they’re packing as much punch as possible.”

—Abi Cushman, author-illustrator of WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD (Greenwillow Books, May 2023)

“Zoom out. Sometimes stories can get off track, and pitches (three to four lines that capture what the story is about) can help focus on the big picture vs. the small details. When I get stuck or once I’m done, I compare my manuscript to my pitch (or come up with a pitch if I haven’t already) and make sure that what I’ve written fulfills its promise.”

—Margaret Chiu Greanias, author of HOOKED ON BOOKS, illus. Krystina Litten (Peachtree Publishing, June 2023)

“I like to print out my manuscript and cut it up—either line-by-line or paragraph-by-paragraph. Then I’lI paste the lines into a 32-page blank book. The physical action of cutting up the lines, arranging them, and then needing to rearrange them gets me out of my head and helps me make further cuts (as well as think about pacing and page turns) in a more hands-on way.”

—Angela Burke Kunkel, author of MAKE WAY, illus. Claire Keane (Random House Studio, April 2023)

“Don’t try to revise until you have a complete draft. I’m putting this in writing to remind myself as much as anyone else, because I’m an editor at heart. Give yourself permission to write a messy first draft, beginning to end. That way you can fully switch to editing mode without derailing progress.”

—Lindsay H. Metcalf, co-editor with Keila V. Dawson and Jeanette Bradley of NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, illus. Jeanette Bradley (Charlesbridge, March 2023)

“I’m a fan of possibilities. I believe in writing several options for a beginning or ending or another part of the story and asking critique partners to weigh in on what works best. Sometimes the best revision involves combining two or more of the options.”

—Valerie Bolling, author of RIDE, ROLL RUN: TIME FOR FUN!, illus. Sabrena Khadija (Abrams, 2022)