get distance from it.

A few years ago I was on a plane, flying home with my family after a vacation in upstate New York and Manhattan. It was the best vacation, filled with lots of road-tripping, museums, lazy days by the lake, and relatives we hadn't seen in a while. I'd recently finished revisions on a novel I'd been working on, and had set it aside for a few weeks after completing some revisions suggested by an agent who'd expressed interest in the book. I was excited to read it on the plane after being away from it for so long.

But not excited to learn there was more work to do to get it where I wanted it to be. Looking back on that reading experience, I realized that the distance I'd gained allowed me to see the things that needed fixing more clearly than if I hadn't taken the time to gain perspective.

I tried to puzzle out what it was, exactly, that had worked so well. The experiences on vacation had changed me, and that change in myself gave me the greatest distance from my work, because I was not the same person who wrote it.

The experiences changed me, and that change in myself gave me the greatest distance from my work, because I was not the same person who wrote it.

After you've finished a draft of your novel, whether it be draft 0 or 19, you need to gain distance from it so you can approach the next revision with a fresh perspective. Viewing your work with new eyes will help you spot places in the narrative that need attention.

There are three perspectives to keep in mind for different stages in the writing process.

1) The Writer's Perspective

This is you telling the story. That's all you're doing at this stage. You're the writer, getting it all out onto the page. You're not worrying now about how it reads or who will like it or hate it. You're just getting it down. This is the stage you are in for early drafts.

2) The Reader's Perspective

This is where you are when you return to the draft for revisions. You want the most distance from the writer's perspective for this one. You want to get as far away from the work as possible so you can return to it with the eye of someone who is picking it up for the first time. It's hard to do, and you won't be able to fully get the distance of someone who has never read it before, but the bigger you can create this distance, the better. Tips on how to do this are below.

3) The Editor's Perspective

This happens after 2) when you've got your revision plan in place and you're ready to dive in with an editor's eye. It's important to have a little distance from the work at this point because the closer you are to it, the harder it is to change.

How do you get perspective from your work?

Time.

This is the number one way to gain perspective. The longer you are away from it, the less you remember, and the fresher your story appears when you return to it. How much time is not prescriptive. You will hear two weeks, two months, three months, six months, and on and on. It can vary from writer to writer. Find the time that works best for you, which will require trial and error. Try two weeks. Then, if that doesn't feel fresh enough, try three, or four. If you're on a deadline, this may not apply.

New Experiences.

Nothing gains more perspective than travel. For me, I'm always changed after traveling somewhere new. This is my second-best recommendation after time. During this time, when you are not looking or thinking about your book, get out and find new experiences. The best way is going to a place you've never been. Two weeks away from your normal day-to-day life in a part of the world you've never been to is like two months away from your book. You're filling your head with new sights, sounds, smells, and experiences. If traveling is not an option between drafts, explore places near home. Even if it's just a road you've never been on, or a hiking trail you've never tried. Fill your head. Go to a local museum you haven't been to before, or an art gallery. Visit a park or nature preserve. Listen to live music, attend an open mic. Try a new restaurant. Look at new things and listen to new things as much as possible.

Different Views.

When you're ready to return to the work for the first fresh read, try it in a different view:

• Font. Change the font from your normal writing font to a different one and read it single-spaced.

• Print. Make a physical copy on paper and read.

• Digital. Format it for an e-reader and read on the device of your choice.

• Locale. Read it somewhere other than where you write or read at home. Go to a park, or read it in a cafe or at the library, or on a plane.

• Listen. Use your word processor's read-aloud feature and have your story read back to you.

I hope these tips help you gain perspective so you can see your work with fresh eyes. Do you have any tips not mentioned here that have helped you?