Revising can be difficult if you don't know what you might need to change. Here are twelve aspects to look for to get you started. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it will greatly improve most drafts.
Look for back story that can be changed to dialogue. As a rule, I try not to add more than two or three sentences of back story, if that, to any story. I write it as it comes during the draft, but during revision, I try to figure out better ways to sneak in that information. Dialogue is a great option, but remember to keep it realistic. If the characters involved already know the information, then you need to make it believable why they’re discussing it.
Remove situations that never pan out. When you’re writing the draft, sometimes a character will get hung up on something. . .and then nothing comes of it. One example that comes to mind is an indie book I read where the main character, a teen boy, found himself becoming annoyed easily and continued to wonder about it. Except, nothing ever happened with that situation. Remember, in fiction, everything should have a purpose. Everything.
Consider if a scene is told from the right POV. This mostly applies to books with multiple point-of-views. One way to make sure the chapter has the right POV is to look at each scene and ask yourself which character is being impacted the most by the situation. Whose story is this, really? You might be surprised to discover the chapter has the wrong POV. Yes, it takes a bit of work to correct, but it will be worth it.
Check your characters. Your characters should hold true through the entire manuscript. This can be a little tricky when drafting, but that’s why we have revisions. Scrutinize aspects such as speech patterns, hates, likes, dreams, ticks, and relationships with other characters. In my first manuscript, I fine-tuned one character’s speech patterns six—count ?em, six—times before I knew it was perfect for him. I might have headdesked a few times, but now I’m happy I did it.
Judge your scenes. As I mentioned earlier, everything in a fiction novel should have a purpose. Maybe the greatest of everything is scenes. If a scene does absolutely nothing for the characters or plot, get rid of it. Then make sure to rid of any references to it.
Beef up your action scenes by parring down. The biggest problem I run into with action scenes in drafts (which sometimes slip through and become books) is how they are executed. When writing, it’s easy to get caught up with conjunctions when writing fast paced scenes. That’s how you would probably tell it, if you were speaking. But you aren’t speaking; you’re being read. And long sentences with conjunctions are read slower than short sentences. So highlight your action scenes and start break down the sentences. Of course, keep in mind you want varied patterns, but overall, keep the action brief. While you’re at it, get rid of superfluous details too.
Remove cliché phrases. Cliches happen, especially in drafts. Stopping to think of a witty turn of phrase can be distracting. That’s okay: let the sword pass through his neck like butter. But during revisions, come up with something that won’t make your readers snicker for the wrong reason.
Play out summaries or recaps. I see this one a lot too. It’s related to the show, don’t tell guideline, but it can be difficult to spot. Look for signs such as telling the reader what was said, instead of actually writing the dialogue; of telling the reader what had happened, instead of showing it occur; and of telling the reader what the character had thought, instead of acting it out. More often than not (but not always) you should play out those scenes during the revisions. Recaps are dull. Recaps are also cheating.
Add actions or beats to dialogue. People rarely sit or stand perfectly still while talking. Go back over your stretches of dialogue and add some movement to the characters. Not too much; you don’t want them twirling around like dancers (unless they’re dancing, of course). But a little goes a long ways. Also, use this as a chance to drop some tags (said, whispered, etc.) and replace them with actions. Your scene will be livelier for it.
Compare and contrast the beginning and ending. Consider where the character started, and where he or she ended. How are these two points related? And how has the character changed? Is there anything you can add to the beginning that will make the end more profound? What about vice versa?
This can be a bit overwhelming, but no one said revisions had to happen in only one pass. Break down the list into manageable chunks then go get ‘em!
If you have revised before, what other revision steps would you suggest?
