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So today I am revising a chapter for an edited book based on peer review. I thought some #phdchat people might like to see inside the process. :) follow along this thread.
So the first thing to note is that, while I replied to the email from the editors acknowledging receipt, I haven't done anything about this feedback for a few weeks. It's always good to leave a gap between receiving feedback and implementing it, c.f. https://researchinsiders.blog/2019/09/12/the-critical-distance-break/
One thing that continues to be true for all writers, no matter how successful, no matter how gentle or positive their feedback is... is that is really emotionally hard to be told anything except 'I unconditionally love your writing'. (But that is the job of fans, not reviewers!)
These are really nice reviewer edits by the way. They give me permission to add back some things I loved but cut out for space reasons. They also sort out something I felt was a bit off in the original, but balances better in the way they suggested. I still needed a 2 week sulk
Okay, now down to what I'm actually doing today. I found the email from the editor, and printed it out. As I fix things, I'll be able to tick them off.
Now... I find the file I submitted and open that up. (I had to pause the live tweet of this while I found it.) THIS IS HARD. TAKE YOUR TIME. *I shout encouraging advice to myself*
I see from my submission email that I was recovering from pneumonia and brain fog (which of course I now wonder if it was just pneumonia 
) over the new year, so I suspect I'll be in a better position to fix this chapter now... I hope so! Time to actually read what I wrote...
) over the new year, so I suspect I'll be in a better position to fix this chapter now... I hope so! Time to actually read what I wrote...
Most of the rearranging is done. One closer connection to the literature made. Now I can't access the other article so I'm on live chat with the always helpful @unilibrary people.
Yup, they delivered again. Well done @unilibrary!
Oh this is a really really good article. I'd forgotten how excellent it was. Need to really use it, not just hand-wave cite it, so I'm printing it out. 
Read through, highlighting aspects that I think might be useful, and then making a to-do list that includes which pages I want to reference, and then looking up two more books 
Make that 2 books and an article. 
Attempt to include the awesome article and Foucault's heterotopias (not the focus of my chapter) has failed again. Relegated to a footnote and moving on.
Oh dear. The reviewer has suggested (correctly) that I need to explain the school house system.
*Looks up Tom Brown's School Days, remembers that it doesn't explain the house system* There's often a reason you left out things that seem obvious to put in.
But I did find a good chapter in another edited book that explains the system so I can cite that. Moving on.
Oh, I've done everything on the list.. except check that the re-edited chapter still flows, and make sure I'm always signposting my argument clearly: 'X explains Y', rather than my too common 'Y explains X' 
Which means it's time to take a break! I'm starving! LUNCH TIME
1st step after lunch is to go through the original email and explain how I've addressed each point they sent me. This helps me feel like I'm making progress, + I'll need it to send to the editors. Done list AND part of my to-do list ticked off together! cf https://researchinsiders.blog/2019/01/10/start-making-done-lists-instead-of-to-do-lists/
Next, I think it's time to print off my chapter and read it through on paper.
Lunch was fantastic, by the way. Thank goodness for @melbournedean who braved the rain to get me a Colombian rice bowl from the cafe down the road.
Finding it hard to concentrate on my own writing, so it's time for a trick: listening to music with words at the same time. It distracts the 'OMG I've read this so many times I'm BORED' bit of my brain enough to focus on detailed edits. (I'm listening to Monet's Jaguar)
Weirdly, I also find I'm taking my glasses off to read the paper text (I'm short-sighted), and then putting my glasses on to fix stuff in the text on my laptop. 
It literally brings different things into focus. Use everything you've got.
It literally brings different things into focus. Use everything you've got.
Re-reading the heterotopia footnote, I've decided it DOES belong in the text, it just needed a bit of framing.
Use the magic words 'goes beyond the scope of this chapter' to keep your revisions moving!
Use the magic words 'goes beyond the scope of this chapter' to keep your revisions moving!
LOL, attempt to insert a simple reference turned into three references and re-reading an article I'd previously excluded and then having to quote it and add it to the bibliography. 25 minutes later... phew!
Ugh, sign posting is SOOOO hard. Even though I often write about how to do it! (is this blog post really 6 years old?) https://researchinsiders.blog/2014/08/05/effective-signposting/
Got to the end, once! Need a quick tea break, then back for a FINAL read through.
Back for the last run! Draft printed out, more caffeine to hand. I am sick of working in the same space (5 and a half hours later) so I’m swapping to a different sofa.
How can there be so many corrections... STILL? Mostly words, punctuation, page numbers though
Okay, paper based detail read through marked up... now I have to put them into the document.
I have a portuguese tart as a reward waiting for me. I can do this!
Music time again. 
DONE 
... except for the email to the editors.
... except for the email to the editors.
Remember how I started drafting my email at lunch time? THANKS PAST KATHERINE
Email rewritten (yes, it always takes this long, a good cover letter takes TIME). Now for ... One Very Very Last read through
Read through finished. Attaching document.
PRESSED SEND. Chapter is submitted! 
It took a full working day to get this chapter done—I’d say that is typical for a positive set of revisions. I didn’t need to substantially re-work my primary, secondary or theoretical readings or do any major new research, which would mean days or weeks of work.
Some people have said this thread made them feel more confident about tackling their own revisions—which is awesome! Exactly what I hoped.
And thank you everyone who read along and interacted with this thread. Editing is boring and solitary, and having a community and an audience makes it feel social, fun and keeps me accountable. Thank you!
Thank you!
