From Rough Draft to Real Deal

By: Heather Kroell

You finished your first draft! Amazing, you deserve a pat on the back. I hate to break this to you, however. It is horrible. Worst thing I’ve ever read. Do you even know how to maintain tenses? Also, nobody talks like that. Revising is so incredibly daunting when these are the voices lurking in your head. If you’re anything like me, you would rather write out your rough draft and pass it off as a final but, also like me, you are not so incredibly gifted. So, let me ease those voices and break down the process into something more digestible.

Maintaining a motivated mindset is incredibly helpful in this process. You need to understand that there is room for improvement and be excited! If you feel like there is nothing you would change and you are dreading this adventure, then stepping away and coming back to the piece after some time would be best. You should separate your piece from your emotional attachment. Once you are able to do this, it is go time.

Acknowledge your goals early on. Start with the main thing you want your piece to communicate: your theme. Then break that down into the components necessary to clearly communicate that. Now it is time to address the weak points that do not accomplish that. “ReedsyBlog” is a wonderful resource for writers for many topics. In terms of revision, some basic points of focus are as follows: 

1. Timeline and pacing 

2. Flat characters 

3. Gaps in world-building 

4. Scene to scene pacing and dialogue 

5. Address bad habits 

Once you have worked your way through your piece fixing these issues, you are open to focus more on the bigger picture. 

At this point I would be asking myself if I checked all the boxes to communicate my theme. If I have, then I am ready to pass it off to someone else. That’s right. Having someone else read your work without bias and with a critical mindset is the best thing to build the integrity of your piece. Without it, you might be suffocating your writing without airing it out to the world. Think of it as a trial run to readers. You write to be read, so be confident in your work and distribute; then, you take the criticism they have. 

Take your time. This is not supposed to be an in-and-out process where you completely revise your manuscript a week after completion. No, it is unlikely to do that well. Instead, pace yourself how you need. Some manuscripts take years to revise. If you need to set your short story aside for a month or two to come back for, that is completely ok. 

By now, you should have a well rounded out story. Congratulations! Hopefully your writing reflects quality dialogue, consistent tenses and more. Revising is scary, but if you break down the process it is much more digestible. It is possible for everyone to revise well. So, pick up that piece that has been sitting for six months, embrace the journey, and turn it into something extraordinary!