It can be overwhelming to look over the first draft of your novel and decide how to revise it. Errors can either leap off the page or remain elusive. First, take a deep breath and relax! You can do this—and you can even plot out the blueprint of your next draft in just a month. Nobody knows more about your novel than you do—and through revision, you’ll learn even more about what you can do to make your novel better. Set aside just a few hours each week to follow these steps and become reacquainted with your novel.
Tools for Revision
- binder to hold everything together
- dividers for the binder
- notebook
- index cards
- pencils or pens
- clean manuscript
Week 1: Familiarization
Re-read the entire novel, from beginning to end. Don’t skip around. Set aside enough time to read through the novel in one sitting. Above all, keep in mind the reason you wrote this novel and what your original vision for it was.
As you read, revision ideas will come. Have a notebook by your side and write them down as soon as you can. Make lists and take notes on characters, scenes, settings, important objects or symbols, and elements of your story that might require more research. Take note of any inconsistencies in the work.
Once you’ve finished reading and taking notes, consider your novel’s title and whether it fits your vision of the completed novel. Write down other title ideas that may be appropriate.
Week 2: Characters
During the second week, you’ll discover who your characters are and how you can make them stronger. Index cards will come in handy at this stage. Write down each character’s name and any other pertinent details about her, both physical and psychological. What you have on the index card will be an at-a-glance reference.
Now dig a little deeper. Write in-depth biographies of your characters. Include any kind of information that’s relevant to your character’s role in the novel: back story, mannerisms, relation to other characters, etc. Ask yourself who your main character is and why she is the main character. Eliminate characters who don’t have defined roles in your story. How do the characters change? What are their deepest conflicts? Fiction author Jody Hedlund’s character worksheet is a great resource for creating character biographies.
Week 3: Plot
A successful plot consists of a progression of tightly-woven scenes. Take a look at each scene in your novel. Does each one steadily build up, leading to the main conflict? Make sure each scene is like a miniature story in itself; give it a beginning, middle, and end. If a scene does not lead up to the main conflict, remove it.
Writing your scenes down on index cards is a great way to see them in front of you, so you can easily rearrange, add, or delete them. Write down the important details of each scene: the characters in it, where the scene takes place, moments of conflict, objects or symbols in the scene, and anything else pertinent.
Week 4: Finalize
Now that you’ve taken a month to revisit your story, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want to focus on when you rewrite it. During the last week, create an outline that you can use to begin your second draft. If you have a fear of outlines, write a one-page blueprint of your story. Divide the page into three sections and write summaries of the beginning, middle, and end of your future second draft. Group your scenes into chapters. Decide on a word-count goal for your second draft.
Of course, this plan can be rearranged to fit your schedule. For instance, if you’re writing a longer novel, it may require two months for revision. Even so, setting a deadline for is an excellent way to urge yourself to finish your revision and begin your second draft.
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