Building a Page Turner

I'm still in those revising stages.  And I must admit, I used to hate revising.  It used to be a necessary evil.  But now, I'm enjoying the process.  It's like my manuscript is a little piece of dirt in a shell and every time I cut and change entire scenes I'm adding a layer of polish and shine.  And each revision is leading me closer and closer to that finished pearl.  Yes, sometimes it's dull, but sometimes it's very exciting to see the story get molded into a better, shinier, more intriguing story.

I've learned a lot about the craft of storytelling through the revision process.  I've got to raise the stakes, make the story more intriguing.  Here's what I've learned:

1. Build up the conflict.  There should be conflict in every chapter.  It could be teeny tiny, like a moment of self doubt within the hero.  Or ginormo, like when the hero finally confronts the villain.  But there must be continual conflict to keep the story going.  My rough draft only had a few conflicts.  With the climax being the biggest one and boy was it lame.  Up the stakes, Jenn!  Up the stakes!
2. Build up the character.  Who wants to read a story if they don't like a character?  I've realized I didn't fully understand a character's motivation in my first draft.  But by understanding where they're coming from and making that clear, wow does that change the story!  And this part is hard, but I've had to build up my characters by not being so nice to them.  I mean, I love these characters, I created them.  But if nothing bad happens to them, they don't grow and change and it's rather boring.  So I had to consider, what is my character's worst fear?  And then BAM!  I have to make it happen.  Or at least the threat of it happen.  Hard to do but so worth it for the story's sake.  And the characters. ;)
3. Build up the pacing.  And I do that through building up the conflict and building up the character and balancing that with describing everything.  It's all about balance while moving forward.  Hard to explain but super important if you want a compelling story.  Which is what I'm trying to write.  

Sometimes I feel like I'll be writing this story forever.  That it'll be months before it's completely done.  But I'm learning so much in the process and trying to soak in the journey as I go.  My goal of being done with revisions by September doesn't seem likely, but I have no problem changing it.  Because I'm working toward my final goal, which is a completed, compelling story.

So my measurable goal for the remainder of August?  To revise at least 20 minutes a day.  And to enjoy the revising journey.  :)