TL;DR
Revise from the biggest problems to the smallest. After a rest, read the whole draft without changing it, sort your notes into categories, and work through story, scenes, consistency and lines in that order. Sources disagree on whether to print, and on how many drafts a book needs.
To revise a novel, rest the draft, read it from start to finish as a reader without editing, then fix the book in passes from the largest problems to the smallest: story, then scenes, then consistency, then sentences. Each pass has one question to answer. That order protects your time, because there is no point polishing a paragraph in a chapter you may cut after you fix a plot hole.
Writing teachers describe the same logic in building terms. Monica Cox, writing on Jane Friedman's site, compares it to a home inspector who checks the frame, plumbing and wiring before the contractor walls them in. Jericho Writers' step-by-step guide to revising a first draft says to make sure the structure is solid and the roof waterproof before you paint the walls.
Step zero: rest, then read as a reader
Cox advises several weeks away from the draft if you can afford them, and Reedsy also says to put the book aside so you can read with a reader's mind. Then read the whole manuscript once. Cox's tricks for becoming a reader are to change the font, read on a different device and read where you would read a book you did not write. Her rule is not to make edits. Keep a notebook beside you and note page or chapter numbers where a problem appears.
Sources disagree on paper. Jericho's guide says the best way is on paper with a pen, with track-changes on screen a poor second. Reedsy suggests printing the manuscript and marking it with highlighters, one colour per type of issue. Cox allows a printout only if you promise not to write on it yet. Choose what lets you notice problems without starting to fix them.
Sort the notes before you touch the text
Jericho's guide recommends sorting your notes into four rough categories:
- Problems that run through the whole story, such as a character who vanishes or a muddled plot thread.
- Problems in particular sections, such as a saggy middle or a flat scene.
- Continuity and consistency, such as names, dates and how dialogue is punctuated.
- Small fixes, such as typos and one clumsy paragraph.
Here is an invented example. Perpetua Rook's novel about a river surveyor produces these notes after a first read: Halvard knows about the letter in chapter 12 but is told in chapter 15 (consistency); chapters 18 to 21 are four conversations in a kitchen (scenes); Perpetua never chooses anything between chapters 8 and 14 (story); "realized" appears six times on one page (lines). Four notes, four different passes. Write the list down and keep it open while you work.
The passes at a glance
| Pass | Question | What you check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Story | Does a protagonist want something and act on it? | Trajectory, stakes, agency, who does what to whom |
| 2. Scenes | Does each scene earn its place? | Purpose, pace, cuts, emotional build |
| 3. Consistency | Do the facts agree? | Timeline, names, rules, who knew what when |
| 4. Lines | Does each sentence do its job? | Repetition, rhythm, crutch words |
| 5. Feedback and proof | What does a fresh reader see? | Beta notes, final proofread |
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Arrow keys work when the table is focused.
Pass 1: story
Cox lists what to look for in a first read: point of view that stays consistent, a protagonist whose wants and stakes are clear, agency, a decision that drives each chapter into the next, and places where you lose interest. Allison K Williams, also on Jane Friedman's site, draws a useful line between a dramatic situation and a story. A newspaper report is a situation. It becomes a story when a protagonist takes action. Amy L. Bernstein offers a checklist of five building blocks for a second draft: the main character, emotional stakes, essential scenes, pacing and worldbuilding.
Kris Spisak, in an excerpt from her editing workbook on the same site, proposes an exercise: find every moment where the direction of the plot changes because of a character's choice. If you cannot find any, you have work to do. For Perpetua's missing chapters, that means giving her a decision, even a wrong one, in each. Fix one category at a time across the whole book. Cox warns that starting on page one and fixing everything as you go puts your brain back in line-editing mode.
Pass 2: scenes
With the story sound, test each scene. Does something change between its first line and its last? Spisak says sitting-and-talking scenes should be rare and should accomplish something more than a review of events. She also asks you to examine emotional shifts inside a scene. She notes that emotional variance within a scene pulls a reader in when it is built, and otherwise turns jumpy, with characters who become a little manic.
This is also the pass for cuts. Harry Bingham, writing for Jericho Writers about trimming his own novel, says a new writer's first draft can often lose 10 percent quite easily, and that 20 to 30 percent is not an uncommon target. His own book was already heavily edited, and he cut it from 136,500 to 131,000 words, mostly through a great many small changes. Word counts differ by genre, so check average book word count before you cut or pad.
Pass 3: consistency
Reedsy recommends writing out a timeline of all the events exactly as they happen in your draft. Logistical problems show up at once: a scene that begins at morning and ends at closing time, or an event promised for next week that happens in three days. If you cannot work out when things happen, it adds, your reader will find it nearly impossible. Reedsy also asks whether you contradicted yourself, from eye colour to how long a device takes to power up, and warns that worldbuilding information should arrive when it is relevant.
This is where a written record repays itself. Keep a list of facts, rules and who-knows-what, and compare the draft against it. Continuity errors describes the families of mistake to look for, and a story bible is the place to keep the answers.
Pass 4: lines
Only now should you work on sentences. Spisak suggests searching your manuscript for crutch words and gives "realize" as an example, searching "realiz" so you catch every form. The reason is that telling the reader a character realised something weakens a moment the reader could discover alongside them. Reedsy asks about repeated phrases and gestures, such as characters who keep shrugging or sighing. Bingham adds a small craft point: the starts and ends of sentences carry more weight than the middles, so he rearranged some sentences to end on the strongest word.
Work forwards for each issue. Jericho's guide says to tackle a particular problem working through the story in order, so you stay in touch with how the reader meets information. It also recommends single-layer passes, such as one pass for a single character's arc, ignoring everything else. It is slower than fixing as you go, but you stop causing new problems while you solve old ones.
Pass 5: feedback and a final proof
Get other readers once the draft is as good as you can make it alone. Stuart Horwitz, writing on Jane Friedman's site, suggests a beta-reader questionnaire to ask the questions you still have. How to find beta readers covers whom to ask and what to ask. Proofread last, because cutting and moving text keeps creating new typos.
When is a revision finished?
Published advice on the number of passes runs from three drafts to more than twenty, so a count is a poor test. Ask instead whether your problem list is empty and whether each read-through produces smaller notes than the last. For what those counts do to a schedule, see how long it takes to write a book.
Frequently asked questions
How many drafts does a novel need?
Sources range from three to 22. Decide by the problem list: when a read-through produces only small notes, you are close.
What should I revise first?
Story problems, because they change everything else. Cox and Jericho Writers both say to deal with structure before scenes or sentences.
Should I revise as I write?
Many writers do a little. Cox, Reedsy and Jericho Writers all recommend finishing the draft and resting first, so you can see the whole book.
How long should I wait before revising?
Cox suggests several weeks if you can. Reedsy says to put the book aside for a while. Use the time to start something else.
Should I hire an editor?
A developmental editor is a paid professional who can suggest how to fix a problem, while beta readers report how the book felt. How to find beta readers covers the second kind.
Where Musael fits
In Musael you can take a named snapshot of the whole project before each pass, compare it later and bring it back safely, since Versions starts a new version when you restore. The plan board filters to the scenes you are revising and carries a status and notes on each, so your problem log lives beside the text. The style report, on every plan, counts repeated words, sentence length and overused phrases, with no AI involved. Continuity checks compare your rules with the manuscript. On Ink and Press, AI scene reviews give notes on pacing and clarity and never rewrite a line. When the draft is ready, a reading link sends a private copy to a reader, who needs no account.
Sources
- Monica Cox, "Why Your Revision Shouldn't Start on Page One", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com
- Emma Darwin, "How To Revise A First Draft", Jericho Writers: jerichowriters.com
- Harry Bingham, "How to Edit a First Draft Novel", Jericho Writers: jerichowriters.com
- Reedsy, "How to Revise a Novel": reedsy.com
- Allison K Williams, "How to Move From First Draft to Second Draft to Publishable Book", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com
- Amy L. Bernstein, "A Framework for Moving Beyond Your First Draft", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com
- Kris Spisak, "When Revising Your Novel Manuscript, Look for These Problem Areas", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com
- Stuart Horwitz, "Finish Your Book in Three Drafts", and Merilyn Simonds, "How Long Should It Take to Write a Book?", Jane Friedman: janefriedman.com, janefriedman.com
- Musael features: musael.com/features
