Sometimes authors get stuck in the muck and mire that revision can become, going in foggy circles and making little progress before eventually burning out. Then the true crime occurs: giving up on your novel. It can be overwhelming to try and fix every single problem at once. Step back, take a deep breath, and relax. It’s time to game plan.
Breaking the revision process down into rounds makes the entire process more manageable and helps writers avoid burnout. What exactly does that process entail?
STEP ONE: Honestly evaluate your manuscript. As you reread your story, what issues do you see? Write down the big plot holes and small inconsistencies in each chapter and overall. Don’t be overwhelmed if your list gets long. Remember, we are turning this all into actionable steps.
STEP TWO: Code your issues. This is where I like to bring out the highlighters. Sort or highlight your things-to-fix into the following categories:
- Big issues: problems that affect the overall plot, go across chapters, or will take a significant amount of time to fix. For example, an unclear character motivation or incomplete character arc.
- Medium issues: problems that affect a chapter or scene or will take a modest amount of time to fix. For example, a character lacking reactions or seeming to disappear in a scene.
- Small issues: problems that are at the paragraph or sentences level (often fine-tuning prose) and take a smaller amount of time to fix each one. For example, character names that are too similar or a line of dialogue that doesn’t read quite right.
STEP THREE: Sort your issues into rounds. Your goal with revision is to maximize your efficiency in order to avoid burnout and keep yourself on schedule with your publishing goals. With that in mind, working on big issues first allows you to focus your energy on content that will end up in your book. You don’t want to spend hours on tiny setting details when that particular scene may end up getting cut all together because your pacing was off. Start your first round(s) of revision focusing on Big issues, then work on Medium issues during your next round(s). Finish up with fine tuning your manuscript by addressing Small issues.
This is not a rigid system. Oftentimes an author can take care of smaller issues as they are rewriting a scene that fixes a larger problem. The time spent on each round of revision will vary depending on your project. Also, every book will have different problems and challenges, even for the most experienced writers. Just remember to tackle manageable tasks with each round and do as many rounds as you need to get your book polished up and ready to go.
Happy revising!
Want a more comprehensive guide to the revision process? Check out The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers by Arielle Haughee, out from Writer’s Atelier Books this Friday! Want us to send you a one-time email when it’s released? Sign up here.
Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a three-time RPLA-winning multi-genre author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She is the Contest Coordinator and a writing coach at Writer’s Atelier writing studio, as well as a judge for the Royal Palm Literary Awards. Arielle is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers as well as the picture books Grumbler and Joyride (2019) and the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series. Learn more about Arielle at www.ariellehaughee.com or follow her on Facebook or Instagram @orange_blossom_books.
