Writing a book is hard work. But you can make the process easier by writing a set number of words or pages, and then stopping to revise them before writing the next set. Breaking down the task in this way gives you a break from writing, will help you to spot an anomaly before it takes on a life of its own, and makes the revision process less stressful. Who wants to revise the first draft of a whole novel in one go? I know I don’t.
What happens when I get to the number I’ve chosen?
Once you get to your set goal, this is the moment you must stop and assess what you’ve written. If it’s possible, print out a copy of your draft so that you’re seeing it from a fresh perspective. Go somewhere different from where you normally write – to the park or to the coffee shop at the end of the street. Your mission is to forget that you’re the writer, and to read your draft as a reader would. Ask yourself the following big-picture questions as you read:
- Is it easy for readers to understand the big ideas your book is dealing with? Remember that readers need a clear path to follow through your book. If something is confusing, it’s because you haven’t been very clear about it.
- Is the story logical? Does it make sense that your characters behave the way they do and that their world functions the way it does?
- Are you showing, or are you telling? Let your reader experience your story. Don’t tell them what’s happening, let them live it!
- Is this the book you intended to write, or has it taken on a life of its own? If so, do you like where your story is going? It’s actually very common for stories to reveal themselves to their writers, and there’s no shame in it.
If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, you must work on strengthening these elements before proceeding to the next step. Delete what isn’t working. Don’t forget that you must fashion your first draft so that it hooks readers later on. You’ve written this book for them, not for you.
If you’ve answered yes to these questions, begin a bookmap of your novel and add to it after every revision you do. Now is also the time to check smaller-scale elements before writing more. This step isn’t about grammar and punctuation, it’s about the foundational elements of your writing. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you using tense consistently? Don’t jump from the past to the present unless it’s intentional and you have a valid reason for doing so.
- Are you using point of view consistently? Readers often criticize writers scathingly for head-hopping. Don’t do it unless you have an excellent reason for your choice.
- Are flashbacks and backstory handled properly? Flashbacks are triggered by a moment in the present and take us into the past. Don’t forget to let your reader know when we return to the present, and make sure they know what the point of the flashback was. Backstory must also be scattered throughout the entire book and only given to readers if it will help them understand the plot or connect with the main character.
- Is your dialogue natural and does it have a raison d’être? It must always be clear who is speaking, and speakers should only say things they would naturally say to each other. This means that characters must only say things that other characters need to know, not what you need them to say because you don’t know how else to move the story along.
As with above, if you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then sit down and work on these elements until you can answer yes to them.
If you’ve answered yes, you can crack on with your next writing goal, be it 20 pages or the next 2000 words. Working steadily at this pace and through these stages will get you from your first sentence to the end of your first draft.
Write, stop, assess, repeat.
