Revising a Novel

Hello friends,

Usually I share resources I’ve discovered here, or writing advice of my own. Sometimes I share my struggles or current writing projects I’m working on. Today, I’d like to ask for help. Cover image for this post: Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay

Recently I decided to revise an old steampunk novel that I wrote in college that I think has potential. I was really excited to use the NaNoWriMo document about revising your novel; I purposely didn’t look at it until ready, though.

Now that my YA historical novella is complete (! feels so good!), I decided this past weekend to check out the NaNoWriMo novel revision document. I somehow thought that, like the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, for those who don’t already know) outline document, the revision document would help me a lot. Truly deeply was hoping for a template that would help me revise, step-by-step.

Nope! The revision document just shares basic information that I’ve seen everywhere, about putting your book in a drawer for a while after completing the first draft, printing it out, making major plot edits before getting into proofreading way down the road…etc.

I am disappointed and worried now, about revising my steampunk novel. It feels like a gigantic math problem that I can’t solve; and I’m not good at math! There are too many moving pieces. Too much rewriting to do. Where to start? How to decide what to cut or keep? How to edit? Just…oof. It feels overwhelming.

One thing I know I am going to do, is use the NaNoWriMo outline document, put it alongside my rough draft, and do a rough outline of how the story plays out now, and see how it compares to the outline template. Then, I am hopefully going to be able to write an outline for the second draft, before rewriting, and then editing, that.

Currently though, I am really seeking more tips other than the basic tips on revising a novel. Does anyone out there have resources or step-by-step tips, etc. on revision? If so, please share in the comments! I would really appreciate the help.

Until next time,
Chaitanya