A Reflection of Your First Draft and How to Start the Revision Process
Finally! You type those precious words—THE END.
First and most important, Congratulations. Writing a book is hard. Don’t let anyone take this achievement away from you. This is the time to relax, open a bottle of bubbly, and know that there’s a huge possibility you may sleep through the night; you know, because all those characters aren’t running around in your head any longer. They are home. Your characters are safe. They are enjoying the freedom of not being thrown into scary scenarios or down staircases any longer.
Take at least a week away from your manuscript and enjoy the moment, because I’m here like the mayor in Footloose; I’m coming to break up the happy dance bubble. It’s time to get back to work.
The Revision Process starts now!
Okay, you’ve had your joy and relaxation, but it’s time to pull ol’ Betty out (or whatever you call your manuscript) and reread your masterpiece from beginning to end. On this first read through, don’t take notes, don’t change a sentence, and don’t pull your hair out and yell to no one in particular, “I suck!” Because you don’t suck. You need to revise.
There are several levels of revision. And to reiterate, the first draft is just that, the first; so, stay positive. Remember, not a lot of people can type those emotional words-The End.
Keep Going:
Now that you’ve reread your story, without taking notes, pretend you’re in book club talking about your book. Think about the main topics your book club discusses. I’m not sure about yours, but my book clubbers are over-thinkers that over-analyze everything. We talk about plots and character arcs. We discuss point of views and protagonist decisions, as well a dialog and narration. You know, all the fun stuff. And while we dive deeper into symbolism, tropes, and structure, let’s focus your revision process on the lower hanging fruit, shall we?
Low Hanging Fruit
This cliché is important. If you’ve ever went to a pick-your-own-apples at an orchard, you’ll notice that picking an apple at ear height is a lot easier than climbing a tree, hanging onto the limb with one hand, while the other holds a bushel basket. The same holds true with revision. Pick the easy stuff first. Here’s a few items to consider.
- Does your story have point?
- Does your story have a purpose?
- What does your protagonist desire most and will they achieve their goal?
- Do you start the story with backstory?
Point & Purpose:
Focus on the point, or message, that you want to make to your audience. What do you want your readers to think about long after they close the book? Does your story emphasize one universal concept or a simple cliche, e.g., Love conquers all or Cheaters never prosper… This is a one-liner to determine your story’s purpose. The point of your story is what is borne from the protagonist’s inner struggle. The purpose is to hit the reader it the heart strings and make them sing.
Desires:
I know this sounds crazy to ask, but did you identify what the protagonist wants most? This desire is imperative for readers. It gives them a sense of how the story may or may not unfold. It gives them direction and makes them feel valuable, that they think they know how the story ends (but feel free to add twists to throw your readers off guard.) Let me give an off the wall example of why setting desire is essential, starting on page one.
Let’s say you have to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things. When you make a list at home, and actually take the list with you to the store, you can check off every item from the list that was placed in the cart. You get everything you need. Sure, there might have been an angry guy in line in front of you, or there maybe three carts blocking the eggs (these are examples of conflict), but you get home with everything you needed (desire achieved, obstacles defeated).
Now, let’s say you’re stopping at the store after work. You know you need some things, but you didn’t plan. You didn’t make a list. Can you guess the result?
There were still crabby people and obstacles in your way, but when you got home and started putting the few things away in the fridge, the brighter than usual light became blinding because there’s nothing in the fridge. You didn’t make a list. You didn’t predetermine what you (the protagonist) set out to accomplish and now you’re stuck with ten Snicker bars and no dinner.
Backstory:
You’re at the grocery store and just as you’re pulling out your cart, another shopper walks up (this is your reader). What would it sound like if you started talking to the other customer about how your dog has Lyme Disease because your property butts up to the forest full of deer? What the heck does your story have to do with grocery shopping?
Same holds true for starting your book with backstory. No one cares! What readers want to care about is that you organized a list and will stop at nothing until the perfect bundle of bananas are in your cart. They want to care why bananas are important to your list, but there’s no need to give a full rundown, to a stranger no less, about the benefits of potassium when you first meet them.
Conclusion:
The revision process is a long and difficult one, but with practice, you can take that debut manuscript and make it a debut novel. Enjoy your wins and the success of completing a very difficult task of starting…and…finishing a book.
Keep writing!
-RADolence