Did you miss Installment One of REWRITE? If so, click here to read it.

Revising

After the editing of your story is complete (typos, punctuation mistakes, inconsistencies in tense, and misused words) it’s time to start the revision process. Before revising print out a copy of the freshly corrected manuscript so none of the previous errors are there to distract you. It may feel like you’re killing too many trees but the revision process is worth it, this is one of the most crucial steps in writing a good book. Now, read through the entire story again as quickly as your schedule allows, ideally in no longer than a weekend.

As you’re completing this second reading of your work it’s important to ask yourself things like:

Is the story engaging?
Does the story have the proper flow?
Does your story have continuity?
Is everything you’re trying to convey in your story clear to the reader?

This last bullet point, clarity, will be impossible to determine on your own. The level of clarity you’ve achieved in your writing is best determined by feedback from beta readers. Beta readers are people you choose to read your story for plot holes, problems with continuity, characterization, and believability. I’ll explain more about beta readers later in later installments. If you’ve never used beta readers you’ll be surprised by the value they will add to your project. You will quickly learn that the variety of opinions and differing perspectives beta readers provide make them worth their weight in gold.

The most engaging novel I can think of is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I would guess that more adults went to work tired due to this book than any other in modern history. Who doesn’t know someone who stayed up half the night because they couldn’t put it down? J.K. Rowlings made her characters extremely likeable, she infused the story with action, and included an intricate level of detail that brought such a sense of realism that the whole magical world comes alive!

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowlings endears the reader to Harry from the very beginning. As the story opens up with Harry living with an abusive aunt and uncle you can’t help but feel sympathy towards him. Shortly thereafter the gates to Rowlings’ magical world open as Harry receives letters from Hogwart informing him that he’s a wizard. From the first page, the flow of the story sweeps the reader, like a river, pulling them to smoothly to the end. Some scenes in the book are like white water rapids, leaving the reader breathless and exhilarated and in some scenes the current slows down and causes them to become more introspective.

When revising your story it’s very important to make sure it contains a high level of continuity. By continuity I mean consistency in the details of characters, plot, places, things, and events in your story. All these things must be logical and in alignment to make your story believable to the reader. When dealing with writing something as lengthy as a novel it’s not easy to keep all of the details straight as you’re writing. Many times continuity problems will only show up in hindsight, during the revision process.

"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." - Mark Twain

In real life people act and react is a mostly predictable way based on their personalities and you should make sure your characters do as well. Establish your main character’s personality very early on in your story and make sure their behavior is logical and consistent throughout the rest of the story. This allows your readers to feel like they’re getting to know your character as they read scene after scene.

In addition to the personality quirks and traits of your characters pay close attention to details like the style of their clothes, nicknames, possessions, appearance, and/or grooming habits. All of these aspects of your character must be believable and consistent throughout your story based the kind character you’ve created. When all of these things are in alignment you will have created a believable character that comes alive in your story. If a certain character seems flat give them a unique quirk or hobby and this will open up new avenues of thought that will make them seem more real.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Rewrite, coming soon!

(Harry Potter image sourced from Pixabay)

I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.