14 Revision Tips! | How to Edit Your Novel

RELATED VIDEOS:

MY SHORT STORIES:

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
2:02 - Drafting vs revision focused writers
4:21 - It's normal to be overwhelmed
5:21 - Revision isn't a punishment for bad writing
7:11 - Accept that it gets worse before it gets better
8:29 - Get organized
9:59 - Make the tools your book needs
11:45 - Write a pitch or synopsis
12:55 - Build the process around your book's problems
15:03 - Order tasks in a manageable way
16:13 - Cut, order, add, adjust
16:49 - Fix two problems with one solution
18:08 - Don't try to fix everything in one draft
18:48 - Slow down
19:53 - Fix anything you don't like
20:24 - Don't add filler

FAQS
→How old are you? - 25
→How long have you been writing? - Since I was 8
→Where do you live? - I keep that private for safety reasons, but I grew up in Vancouver.
→Where did you go to university and what did you study? - I keep my university information private, but I majored in writing with a concentration in fiction.
→What are your pronouns? - They/them or she/her
→Where can I read your books? - None of my books are published yet, but you can read my published short fiction in my linktree (linked above!)
→So when will your book be published? - I don’t know! I’m in the revision process right now, but I can’t predict exactly when I’ll have a book published. But I’m working on it!
→Do you plan to traditionally publish or self publish? - Traditionally publish
→Will you read my book/story/chapter/mentor me? - Unfortunately I cannot accommodate these requests because editing/critiquing is a labour intensive task that I can’t afford to do for free alongside my job, my own writing, and running this platform. If you would like to hire me for paid editing work, contact me privately on twitter or instagram.

OUTRO MUSIC: "l u v t e a [acoustic]" by Autumn Keys

SOCIAL

[KrisMF]

I've just started revising a book seriously for the first time last month (after years of never revising anything lol) and I love your mindset around revision *not being a punishment* !! it's so reassuring and insightful to hear other writers struggle with the same things. these are SUPER helpful tips! ✨

[emgeeklees]

I've been prepping for a big revision for a few weeks and I'm freaking out. Thank you for your positive vibes encouragement. I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little excited now!

[shebreathesingold]

I'm definitely a revision-focused writer who absolutely loves rewriting, which is strange because so many people absolutely hate rewriting that for the longest time I thought I hated it too. But once I actually started to rewrite my drafts the experience itself wasn't draining or terrible at all. I didn't feel agonized about "starting all over". Every new rewrite, I'm more laser focused on my vision for the project. I find that the good parts stick, and everything else fades away. For me, rewriting doesn't feel like repeating the work. It feels like re-experiencing the magic of drafting and being right back inside the story . My least favorite stage is actually editing prose because that feels like focusing on the minutia. If I had all the time in the world, I would rewrite my books over and over. But because time is limited and I'm writing a massive series I have to cap my rewrites to 2-4 per book otherwise I'd never move on! 😂 With that said, I do draft/rewrite extremely fast so that's why this works for me. If someone takes months per rewrite, then I can see why rewriting as a process would be overwhelming. Anyway, I find this conversation immensely interesting so thanks for bringing it up!

[pjalexander_author]

This is just... invaluable. Shaelin, you're the best thing going when it comes to writing education. 👍💯

[amandarandomtube]

About not adding filler, I actually put a section in my draft that said "fun and games needed here showing this story related stuff happening" then I continued on with the draft like I had written it. I hit that section in the revise and it was so easy to write now that I already know the ending. (I'm a pantser)

[Avatar_Brandy]

I would love if you did a video talking about more substantial editing, like having to rewrite an entire first draft, because I haven't seen many videos on that subject. It can be really disappointing when you begin editing and realize halfway through the identity of the story is what's flawed and it needs to change.

[RaymondHulha]

Wow, editing feeling like punishment for being a bad writer totally resonates with me... 😯

[rachelthompson]

Because I plot, my first draft doesn't need content, structural or concept revisions. Once the first draft is complete: my first editing round is for logistics to make sure the dots connect and the time lines mesh correctly. Next I fine turn characters, and I go on from there dealing with smaller and smaller issues one at a time, until I reach line editing; that for me is the hardest part. But line editing has its own magic and fun. Each stage requires a slow full reading. I can do a novel in 3 months, but then it takes 6 to prefect it.

[Wriste]

This video came at almost the exact right time. Currently nearing completion of the first draft of a novel and I'm going to give it a serious attempt at editing. I definitely fall under the "drafter" side of the spectrum, lots of editing and revising as I write before I move on. Appreciate you leading with that, helps contextualize everything. Looking forward to the next video, thank you for sharing what you've learned!

[Exayevie]

Of all the writing advice and writing bloggers I know of these days, shaelin is the one who thinks most like me. Honestly, it’s such a relief – I feel like I’ve been waiting 20 years to hear all this.

[J.W.Ellenhall.BookLover]

Shaelin, Thank you! I keep coming back to this video because you give one of the best discussions I’ve ever heard about the whole process of revising a novel. Most others are vague & ambiguous, but you offer extremely helpful points that are so practical and positive. Super grateful. ☺️

[IsabelA-hpyt]

I’m in the last stages of self editing before my editor comes in and really struggling. This is motivating and teaching me so much!

[Aryaissuccessful]

First of all—I loved the video! I loved the painting example you gave. That's EXACTLY how I say it too !! Writing a book is like painting a picture. It happens in layers !!

(Random but I love your top! It's so pretty! Looks good on you!)

I'm writing my fourth book rn. And I personally draft without looking back. I don't necessarily check back on the chapter I just wrote. I keep drafting, and edit it later later. Seperately. With fresh eyes. So yeah, I do leave out the fine details for later. 💕💕

My advise is a bit practical. I would tell other writers to have faith as they go. Some thoughts can overwhelm you. But keep going anyway, keep drafting or editing. There's nothing that can't be improved in a book. So your book will be fine. It'll happen through you, so keep going, take breaks, have faith, and do not edit for entire days. Don't edit for 8-9 hours everyday! That can leave you exhausted! Know how much you can take in a day! Take care! 💛💛

[mjpennell]

great advice! each of these points was relevant and extremely useful. thank you!

a tip on not getting jammed up on process “rules” for anyone who needs it: revision and drafting don’t need to be entirely separate steps. im someone who writes linearly and I get tangled up if previous sections of the story don’t mesh with the final product im currently envisioning. instead of drafting out an entire messy novel and then starting to revise - or, alternatively, getting so caught up in revision that I never make it past the first few pages of the book - I make certain “checkpoints” for myself. basically after writing each section/act of the book (but not before I finish the first draft of it!), I go back and revise it to fit with my current vision and to line-edit. this reduces a lot of stress for me while drafting and ensures that I don’t have as tall of a mountain of revision to do at the end of the work. the process doesn’t have to be completely linear and you can break everything up however you want in order to work best for you

[edsonvieiraa]

I'm so relieved knowing about the drafters. I'm definitely one of them. But I always heard that revising was the most important part of writing and felt bad cause I always find out that my draft was already pretty good. Thought I was resisting revision or being naive.

[christinabriggs]

Exactly what I'm going through now with my first ya SFF novel. I've had to get rid of paragraphs, rewrite, add more and though it was a rough three months in revisions, I'm thankful because it's helped shape my story so much better. Now I'm waiting for another set of revisions. Hopefully it will only take three rounds of revisions.

[Teckno]

Revision makes your book better and better. I like to see what I come up with in the many revisions. I usually have to add to my bare bones first draft, but some additions are very obvious and greatly appreciated. First book: wrote beginning to end. 2nd book: I revised every chapter until it was “perfect’, then revised the whole thing many times, third book: minimal First draft (hand written), then, many revisions

[FablestoneSeries]

don't add filler is great advice. I have discovered i have 6 hours of great writing in me each day, and all the stuff I force myself to write beyond that is essentially filler garbage and gets cut immediately the next day. So now i don't do that. Once i run out of energy i spend the remainder of my work day doing mindless stuff like research, punctuation edits, file housekeeping.

[ChrisAlexander]

So good and so helpful! This is exactly what I need right now as I'm going to start revising my draft 1 in a few weeks.

[cjpreach]

I made a list of 8 rounds of edits for my novel current WIP. (1) Insert elements from notes that I did not included in the First Draft. (2) Inter-cut/re-sequence scenes (I have two story lines in different centuries). (3) Scour every scene for opportunities to add Specificity. (4) Strengthen verbs in all scenes. (5) Improve dialogue in all scenes. (6) Insert historic quotations prior to each chapter. (7) Fluidity - read through in one sitting and polish transitions. (8) Final Line edit. Thanks for another good video, Shaelin!