The Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Revising Their Novels — And How to Fix Them
You finally have a finished draft of your manuscript but now comes the tricky part: figuring out how to revise a novel. Revision can feel confusing and overwhelming, leaving you tempted to stuff the whole thing in a drawer and never look at it again. But with a clear approach, you can transform your draft into a polished, compelling story.
Revision is actually my favorite part of the writing process (maybe not surprising given I’m an editor, but I preferred revision long before becoming an editor). Revision is where you have the opportunity to take that rough draft and shape it into the story you envisioned when you began writing it. While drafting is a constant game of “now what?” revision allows you to take what you’ve written and turn it into a story readers will fall in love with.
Through my own experience writing and revising novels as well as my work with writers, I’ve seen common mistakes writers make when revising. In today’s post, I want to share with you not only what those mistakes are but how you can avoid them in your own revision process.
Why Revision Is Hard (And Why Writers Often Dread It)
Revision feels overwhelming to many writers because, unlike drafting, there’s now an expectation that you’ll turn this messy draft into something readers actually want to read. For writers who struggle with perfectionism, this can feel incredibly intimidating. After all, no novel is perfect, so placing the expectation on ourselves to create something perfect can be paralyzing.
But another reason revision scares writers is because there’s simply so much to do and trying to determine where and how to begin is daunting. You may have an idea of what’s not working in your manuscript, but you may or may not know how to fix the issues. Even if you have an idea of what needs to be done, figuring out where to begin can be confusing.
(Read More: Behind the Scenes of a Developmental Edit)
When I work with writers in revision, we break down the process into smaller steps. By removing the expectation that all issues will be resolved in the second draft, a lot of the pressure is removed. By accepting that revision will likely require more than just a second draft, the feeling of needing to fix everything all at once is lessened. If we head into draft two knowing that we’re focusing on story structure and will address any concerns with characterization and dialogue in a subsequent draft, we’re better able to focus on one thing rather than feeling torn in too many directions.
By having a solid understanding of what the revision process looks like and how to avoid the pitfalls many writers fall into, revision can be an enjoyable part of the process rather than something to fear and dread.
Mistake #1: Starting with the Details Too Early
Many writers will jump into their second draft and immediately begin focusing on making their prose read smoother. They spend a lot of time and energy on grammatical fixes or finding the best words to describe things.
But the issue here is that at this stage of the process, there are likely some major changes that need to happen. Whole chapters may be changed, deleted, or added. Characters may still need to be developed, or we may even need to cut certain story lines. And so, if you spend a lot of time perfecting sentences before addressing these issues, you end up wasting energy. You may have edited your opening scene so it reads beautifully with no typos or punctuation errors, but if that’s ultimately not the best place to start your story, all of that work will be thrown out the window anyway.
How to fix it: Begin by focusing on macro issues, such as plot, character arcs, and pacing, before moving on to micro issues, such as sentence-level changes. Before jumping into fixing dialogue or perfecting descriptions, ask yourself if the overall story works. Do you have plot holes that need to be rectified? Is your middle sagging and in need of work to improve the pacing? Are your characters’ stakes and motivations well defined? By focusing on these high-level revisions first, you’ll save yourself time by not tweaking scenes that may be completely changed or deleted altogether.
Mistake #2: Not Getting Distance Before Jumping Into Draft 2
It can be tempting to type “the end” on your first draft and immediately scroll back to chapter 1 and dig back in. After all, you’ve maintained enough momentum to finish a full draft, so why would you want to risk losing that momentum by taking a break?
But the problem with jumping right into the next draft is that you haven’t allowed yourself any distance from the work. One of the biggest reasons critique partners and editors are so beneficial is because they have complete emotional distance from the story. As the author, you’re incredibly close to the story, and it can be difficult to see it objectively. You may overlook major issues simply because you’re seeing what you intended to get down on the page rather than what’s actually there.
Jumping back in immediately also doesn’t allow you any time to reflect on the story and consider alternate ideas. As a developmental editor, a lot of my “work” on a manuscript is done when I’m not even in front of the manuscript. I spend a lot of time considering the story while doing other things, such as cooking dinner or at the gym, and a lot of times these are the moments when I’m able to determine what isn’t working and how to fix it within a manuscript. As the author, taking time to reflect on your story when you’re not physically working on it can allow you to have these same “ah-ha” moments (just be sure you remember to jot them down somewhere so you don’t forget them later).
How to fix it: As tempting as it is to jump back in and begin the next draft, I’d encourage you to set the manuscript aside for at least some length of time. Typically, I give myself at least two weeks between drafts to gain some distance from the story before going back to it. This gives your brain a chance to disconnect at least a bit from the story and come back to it with fresher eyes. I also always recommend doing a complete read through of the story before moving onto the next draft as this allows you to see the full picture of what you’ve written and can help you to identify any areas that aren’t working the way you’d intended.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Scene Function
Many manuscripts I work with for developmental editing include scenes and/or chapters that can be cut entirely. While they may be well written, if they don’t serve to move the story forward in some way, I generally recommend that the author consider either cutting it or revising so it does serve the story.
In fiction, each scene should serve a purpose in moving the story forward toward the ultimate climax. Whether the scene’s purpose is character development, plot progression, or deepening conflict, it needs to be offering something new to the reader that is integral to the overall story, or you risk losing reader interest. I notice this most often in the “murky middle” of stories where writers often aren’t sure how to maintain the tension they started out with and end up with “filler” scenes that end up falling flat because there’s no clear purpose.
How to fix it: Create an outline of your story listing each scene, and then clearly define what each scene’s purpose is. If you can’t define a purpose or you have too many scenes serving the same purpose (for example, multiple scenes serving to show the dynamic between two characters), then your pacing is likely slowing down, and readers are more likely to lose interest and stop reading. Ensuring each scene is working to add to the story in a meaningful way is the key to creating stories that readers describe as “unputdownable.”
Mistake #4: Ignoring the Importance of Stakes
Just as scene function is important, so is the importance of stakes within your story. By “stakes,” I mean “what is at stake for your characters if they don’t get what they want?”
One of the biggest reasons stories fall flat is because the author didn’t clearly consider or articulate what is at stake for their protagonist. You might send your protagonist on an incredibly interesting journey throughout your story, but if they don’t stand to gain or lose anything by the end of it, readers aren’t likely to be interested. If readers aren’t sure why they should care if your protagonist completes their journey, if they’re left wondering “who cares?”, then they’re unlikely to finish reading the story.
How to fix it: Make sure something is at stake for your characters and make sure that something is clearly defined within your manuscript for readers. Stakes don’t always have to be as earth-shattering as “the world will end if my protagonist doesn’t complete this mission” (though sometimes they are), but even something like “my protagonist risks losing her relationship with her daughter if she doesn’t follow through on this journey” is enough to keep readers interested in their story. But if you, the author, can’t clearly articulate what is at stake for your characters and why readers should be invested in their outcomes, it’s unlikely readers will be able to either.
Mistake #5: Summarizing the Hard Stuff
One of the biggest issues I see in manuscripts I work with for developmental editing is authors summarizing scenes that ultimately would be better shown. Moments of deep conflict tend to be skimmed over or reflected on after the fact rather than dramatized in the moment.
Often, the reason writers do this is because dramatizing these moments is much harder than summarizing them. Writing a highly emotional scene requires us to sit with those emotions and show them in great detail, and this can often be uncomfortable for a writer. It’s far easier to summarize an argument between two characters than to craft and explicitly write out the exact hurtful words exchanged. This can be difficult as it might touch on something close to home for the writer that they’d rather avoid. But it can also be difficult because we, as authors, love our characters, and it’s hard to see them in uncomfortable or difficult situations.
But the problem with summarizing these scenes is that readers feel no connection to summaries. Readers connect with these moments by being shown those interactions. It’s the small details in these scenes that resonate with readers and allow them to empathize with your characters. Reading a summary of a difficult moment will never be as impactful as witnessing that moment unfold for the character.
How to fix it: Get comfortable being uncomfortable. As you go through your draft, be honest with yourself about any scenes that you’ve summarized: are these key scenes that would be better dramatized? If so, ask yourself why you chose to summarize it in the first place. Is there a difficult emotion in that scene you weren’t comfortable facing? When you go back through in revision, flag these scenes so you know they may be difficult for you to work through. When you know a tough scene is coming up, give yourself a safe place and a decent amount of time to really dig deep into the scene and process those emotions, both for yourself and your characters. It may be challenging to face those emotions and put them on the page (especially if they’re rooted in real-life experiences), but I promise it will be worthwhile in the end. Scenes that are emotional to write will be emotionally compelling for readers, much more so than a summary of events, and those are the moments that will stick with readers long after they’ve finished your book.
Mistake #6: Letting Perfectionism Get the Better of You
One of the biggest reasons writers never finish their stories is simply because perfectionism paralyzes them. Trying to write the “perfect” story feels intimidating because it’s truly impossible. No story is perfect. Even those published by top publishing houses will have the stray typo or a plot point that could have used some polishing.
The problem with striving for perfection is that doing so will only drain your energy and make you less likely to show up at your desk day after day to put in the work. By aiming for something that is ultimately impossible, revision will likely feel hopeless, and you’ll be more likely to stop showing up altogether.
How to fix it: Accept that revision is a process and that the end result will never be perfect. We talk about multiple drafts in revision for a reason: it’s nearly impossible for a writer to fix everything that needs to be fixed in just one draft. When you accept that revision is a process of rewriting and reworking over and over again, the process feels less intimidating. If you know each draft just needs to get closer to the end rather than producing a finished product, it feels easier. And when you accept that your finished manuscript is one you can confidently say, “I gave it my absolute best,” rather than one that must be “perfect,” you free yourself from the paralyzing grip that striving for the impossible can have.
(Read More: Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Writers)
Revising a novel doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or discouraging. When you understand the most common pitfalls, you give yourself the clarity and confidence to reshape your draft into a story readers will love. With intention, patience, and a step-by-step approach, revision becomes less about “fixing” and far more about discovering the best version of your story. And if you’d like support as you move through that process, I’d love to help. Through developmental editing and book coaching, I work closely with writers to strengthen their story, their writing skills, and their confidence, so you don’t have to revise alone.
