How to Edit Your Novel in Layers

by Stephanie Morrill

Stephanie writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and the Ellie Sweet books (Playlist). You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out samples of her work on her author website including the free novella, Throwing Stones.

When I tell a young writer (whether they're literally young or they're new to the art of novel writing) that editing is my favorite part, I have no trouble interpreting the look on their face. It's usually one-part shock and two-parts, "You're crazy, lady."

And I have no trouble interpreting it because it's probably the same expression I wore the first time a writer told me the same thing. Because how could editing possibly be your favorite part? It's so overwhelming! So tedious! So impossible to know if you're ever done!

While I can't promise you that editing will become your new favorite—many seasoned, successful writers continue to love the first draft process and bemoan the need to edit—I'll do my best to bring some organization to the vastness of the task.

Because Jill and I know that the editing process is a common struggle for new writers, we released a book on the subject last spring. Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft Into a Published Book will walk you through not just edits, but also the querying process, critique groups, and dealing with issues like self-doubt and procrastination. We've put the ebook on sale for $2.99 during my editing series, and you can download free resources from the book on my website.

So...you've written your book. Now what?

If you're anything like me, your first draft is a mess For the first couple chapters, the story is pretty cohesive. Somewhere around the middle, however, a prominent character from the beginning appears to go on vacation and never return. I start referencing conversations or events that never actually happened. A plot twist comes out of nowhere—and not in a good way. The climax lasts about two pages, and then I meander my way to a closing line that has zero oomph.

And those are just the problems that I knew about before I re-read the draft.

I'm the type of writer who works best when she writes bare-bones first drafts. Many writers have found this works for them, but certainly not all. Some writers edit as they go, and if that's you, great. But for me, it works best to break the process into two clear tasks—writing the story, and editing the story.

In a perfect world, after I've finished my first draft, I take six weeks off. But in the reality of deadlines and working around my kids' school schedules, sometimes it's only two or three weeks. That time off is critical, though. The best thing it does for me is it helps me to hold on loosely to the way my story is and to think more creatively about what it could be.

Step One: Read your book and take notes

Cake photo courtesy of Elizabeth Liberty Lewis
Baked by Gretchen Lewis

In some ways, editing and creating a book is like baking a layered cake. When it's frosted and sitting on the plate, the cake is one cohesive object. Chocolate Cream Cake, or however you want to imagine it. When you take a bite of it, all the flavors and layers combine to make a taste, but they were once separate elements that the baker pieced together.

Writing your first draft was like mixing together the cake batter. And with step one, it's like you're picking out your cake pan. You're looking at the story as a whole and figuring out what you have and what you're going to shape it into. 

After my weeks off, I send my manuscript to my Kindle, grab a pen and sheet of paper, and settle in for a long chunk of reading. I like to read on my Kindle because it prevents me from editing, but other writers work best on their computer or with a printed copy. 

I'm a little embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize that I should take notes during my first read-through. I keep a running list of two things: Stuff to Research and Stuff to Fix/Consider/Change. 

By the end of my reading, I usually end up with two or three pages of ideas for how to change the story. For the historical book I'm working on, I wound up with a list of twenty nine topics I wanted to research - from bullet proof vests to school uniforms. For one of my contemporaries, the list is usually only half a page long.

For the Fix/Consider/Change list (which could really use a snappier name) I take notes on all things story related:

• Events I foreshadowed but never followed through on.
• Characters who seem to matter a lot in the beginning, but who I kinda forgot about after a while.
• Ideas for how to tweak a plot thread I'm not totally sold on.
• Scenes that I need to add to the first half of the book in order to better sell an event in the second half.
• Ideas for improving a character's backstory.
• Ideas for how characters might be linked to each other.
• Themes or symbols that I notice and want to do a better job of drawing out.
• Inconsistencies with storylines or characters.

While a lot of the list are things I need to improve, you'll notice a decent amount are ideas for how to change. If you like all the pre-book brainstorming stuff, you might really enjoy this part of editing too.

Even though I've written the first draft, I find in the first step of editing, I'm still working to define what exactly my story is and how to most clearly tell it. That's why you want to make sure to start with the read-through. Otherwise you might find yourself perfecting a cake that's not taking the shape you intended.