Revising Your Writing: Like Piecing Together a Puzzle

By Kim Childress

Ever since I was a child, I’ve enjoyed puzzles. To this day, putting them together remains one of my favorite ways to unwind and unplug. One day, it dawned on me that revising a piece of writing is much like piecing together a puzzle.

When starting a puzzle, I always begin by finding all the edge and corner pieces. These pieces form the frame, giving me a sense of the puzzle’s size, how much table space I need, and providing direction for assembling the rest. Similarly, the first draft of any writing project is like creating that initial frame. No matter how experienced a writer may be, getting the first draft down is a significant accomplishment. But seasoned writers know—and beginners quickly learn—that this is just the first step. The frame provides a foundation, but the real work begins when you start connecting the pieces within it to reveal the full picture.

Sometimes, life interrupts the process, requiring a pause to attend to other responsibilities. These breaks can be beneficial, allowing ideas to simmer and take shape in the background, preparing the writer to dive back in when the time is right.

Once the frame is complete, I separate the remaining pieces into piles by color and pattern. Smaller, distinct sections come together quickly, while larger areas of similar color—like the sky or water—are trickier and take more time. I save these challenging parts for last, but occasionally, I find random connections that snap into place while working on easier sections.

The process of organizing a piece of writing is similar. Each author has their unique style and method, but generally, it involves figuring out where sections fit best and what needs to happen where and when. Some sections might come together effortlessly but have no immediate place, so they get moved around until they find their home. As the piece builds out from the frame, these smaller sections help to establish the larger narrative, ensuring a smooth flow from one part to the next.

For me, the last sections of a puzzle are often the hardest. The pieces are so similar that I have to study their subtle differences to find the right spot. The final stages of revision are just as meticulous, involving a close examination of every sentence and word choice. It’s about enriching the story—adding setting details, developing characters, and finding places that might fit better when reorganized. Each sentence is scrutinized to ensure it is strong and active rather than passive. “Telling” statements are reworked to “show” through dialogue or character actions.

Sometimes, just like with puzzles, you might reach the end of a draft only to realize something isn’t working. Maybe a piece is missing, or perhaps you find an element that doesn’t belong at all. This is the moment when you might need to take the puzzle apart and start again or set the story aside for another time. It’s okay to feel disappointed, even to cry a little. But after some reflection, you’ll start anew, just as I do with my puzzles.

But when the puzzle is finally complete, the last piece placed, or the last page written, there’s a profound sense of satisfaction. It’s like childbirth—once you reach the end, you forget the struggle and pain of getting there. You find yourself ready to do it all over again, with enthusiasm.

Revising is an integral part of the writing process, a piece-by-piece journey of discovery and refinement. And when you need a break, when you’re tired of staring at your screen or can’t read another word, I suggest doing a puzzle. It’s a wonderful way to unplug, refocus, and find inspiration anew.

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Kim Childress is an award-winning editor and author of hundreds of books for children and adults, including Find Your Future in Art. She is a product developer in children’s publishing, book editor for Girls’ Life magazine since its 1994 debut, and former middle-grade acquisitions editor for HarperCollins (Zondervan). She has maintained a successful career while raising a personal focus group of four children through diapers, doctors, broken bones, college, and plagues. Learn more about Kim and follow her adventures at ChildressInk.com and Ink-a-Dink.com. You can purchase her workshops at penconeditors.com, including on editing middle-grade and YA fiction and nonfiction, creating books of excellence for young readers, How a Book is Made from Start to Finish, and Trends and Opportunities in Fiction and Nonfiction Picture Books. Find these and more workshops from editors of excellence at penconeditors.com.