NaNoWriMo is over. So what now? This series lays out a game plan for revising your manuscript. The first blog covered the initial steps to take. Now we’re moving on to editing, starting large and moving toward the smaller details as we go. The final blog will cover the final steps of manuscript preparation.
But first, editing at the story level.
STORY LEVEL:
Revise the Content
Following your two read-throughs (one silent and one aloud), it’s time to start fixing your story issues. This is when you fix the big problems with your story arc, throughline, character arcs and the like. You want to look for those spots that seem awkward or clunky. The story should flow from start to finish without unnecessary detours. If you find unrelated side quests that don’t deepen the story or character development, eliminate them. This is the hardest step because it can mean dumping entire scenes that don’t fit the overall story.
Plot Holes
Fill in the gaps. Smooth out the bumps in the story itself so you have a smooth story arc. If you skipped over sections because you needed to do research, this is the time to fill in the missing information. What you are trying to do is smooth out your book so it is as clean as possible on the story side. Don’t worry about grammar and style issues. You will fix those later.
Lost Narrative
Sometimes narrators go off the path. They wander and lose the reader. This is like Uncle Arnie telling a story that takes an hour and never makes a point. It’s painful in real life and death in books. This is your chance to pull your narrator back to the story. Keep in mind that everything in the book should move your reader forward. There shouldn’t be any scenes or sections that are not vital to the understanding of the character and story. If there are, eliminate them.
Logic Problems
No, I’m not talking about those puzzles where you have to figure out who lives in the blue house which is next to the pink one. But I am asking you to look at the cause and effect or causality of your story. Does it proceed in a logical manner? Are your characters moving from one action to another in an understandable and realistic way? Is there a logical progression in your scenes and storyline? Or will your readers be throwing their hands up and yelling, “Why don’t you just… (fill in logical act here)?”
Character ArcsCharacter Arcs (Part I of III)
Make sure your characters arcs are logical too. You can’t have your protagonist jumping from reaction to reaction if they don’t make sense for who that character is. Look for places where you can develop your characters arcs more fully and eliminate confusing or contradictory bits that don’t fit in with who you meant your characters to be. This is mainly focused on making sure your characters stay in character.
Theme
This is a great place to look for thematic material. Did you subconsciously (or more rarely, consciously) add thematic material? For example, was light a theme throughout your novel? If so, then look for ways to develop that theme more fully and make sure it is present throughout your novel, not just in one location. But don’t go overboard and beat your reader over the head with your theme. A little works, a lot drives readers away.
PAGE LEVEL:
Structural Elements
Once you have the story set, it’s time to go deeper…or smaller. At the page level, check for structural elements—your opening, hook, inciting incident, rising action, climax, ending. All the structural elements that make up a story. Make sure they are as good as they can be as plot devices. Don’t worry about how you got to each scene, just check each pivotal scene carefully to ensure it is as strong as possible. These are the key points in your novel and they need to work.
Pacing
Next up is to review your pacing. Does your story read too fast or slow? Is it varied? Readers get bored if the pacing is too consistent. You will want to mix it up some by having some slow scenes and some fast ones. The key is to keep your reader engaged, not to tire them out with a breakneck pace or put them to sleep with a snail’s pace.
Tension
Next look at your tension level. Like pacing, it needs to be balanced. Too much tension and you wear out your reader. Too little and they will drop the book for another. Look for places where you can change the tension to strengthen the reader experience.
To Oxford or Not: Consistent Punctuation
Consistent punctuation is a must. There are a ton of style guides out there, though Chicago is arguably the best for fiction writing. Still, pick one guide and use it. Or create your own guidelines and stick to them. If you are going to use Oxford commas, use them all the time. If you loathe Oxford commas, eliminate every instance of them in your manuscript. There is no right answer as to whether or not to use Oxford commas. It’s a widely debated and heated topic. Choose your stance and stick to it. Likewise, make sure you are consistent with everything else too. If you capitalize a place once, do it every time. If you spell your character’s name a certain way, it has to be that way all the time. Consistency is everything. Even if your grammar is wrong, it helps to remain consistent. (But it is better to be right on grammar.)
Transitions
Next look for awkward transitions. This usually happens between scenes, but can happen anywhere. You will want to smooth out those rough transitions so it doesn’t feel like a jump cut in a video where the person was on one side of the screen and then is on the other with a jump between. Bad transitions are choppy and rough. Look for ways to transition your characters from one place to another with a small bridge.
NaNo: Now What? will continue next week with edits on the sentence level and tips for preparing your manuscript and getting ready to submit it.