how to rewrite your novel
A few months ago, I did a post called 5 Horrendous Books I Wrote As A Child – which consisted of me laughing at my early writings and also thanking them for giving me much-needed experience.* It’s fun to look back at the stories you’ve written in the past and cringe at how bad they are…but sometimes there’s gold hidden in those old stories, too. All you have to do is mine it out.
I like to think of it like the bookish version of Fixer Upper (otherwise known as the only tv show I EVER WATCH HAHA.) What Joanna Gaines does to an ugly house, I do to a messy manuscript. No matter how rotten, condemned, and falling-apart any house/book is, it CAN be restored to glory! It just requires time, effort, and lots of imagination – but US WRITERS HAVE PLENTY OF THAT, RIGHT?
Today I’m going to spill all my secrets about my Novel Rewriting Process™. We’ll go through it start to finish – from the first and most scary encounter with your worst writing ever to putting the final touches on your novel so that others can enjoy it, too. (Yikes!) I’ve tried many different methods of rewriting and this method works like none other. SO GRAB YOUR SHIPLAP AND LET’S GO.**
*btw that post was a tag!! So if you didn’t participate already, please do!! It’s super fun!!
**there are going to be SO MANY FIXER UPPER REFERENCES in this post. You’ve been warned.
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| still! can’t! get! over! how! pretty! my! macbook! is! |
STEP #1: BRACE YOURSELF
DON’T BE SCARED. You’re about to walk through the door of your Old Manuscript™ and WHO KNOWS WHAT HORRORS YOU’LL FIND?? It’s a mess, you know that. But you also have to remember why you chose this book to rewrite: because YOU SEE POTENTIAL. There’s something about this story that’s worth saving. EVEN IF THE WHOLE THING LOOKS LIKE A DUMP.
It might not even be too old of a manuscript. Maybe it’s simply a project you never finished; something you weren’t feeling at the time. BUT NOW YOU WANT TO GIVE IT ANOTHER GO. Good for you! I’m here to tell you that you can do it! But you have to be prepared for the mess you’re going to encounter. Some books are obviously messier than others – but that doesn’t make them less fixable. EVERY STORY IS FIXABLE…you just need to have a vision. Which brings us to the next step.
STEP #2: MAKE A BLUEPRINT
Create a vision for your new-and-improved book. What do you want to do with this story? Where do you want it to go? This is the part where imagination comes in. I’m not going to tell you how to write a story because YOU HAVE YOUR OWN AWESOME WAY OF DOING THAT. But if you feel totally lost at this step, try asking yourself these questions:
- Whose story is it?
- What’s happening here?
- What’s at stake?
- Do you know what your protagonist wants?
- Do you know why they want it?
- What’s going to get in the way of their goal?
Once you know the answers to these questions, you should have a pretty solid basis for what can stay and can be hauled away in a dump truck. Don’t overthink the blueprint step – there’s no need to follow someone else’s Novel Writing Advice™. All you need is a few necessary elements (listed in the above questions) and BRO YOU CAN TELL THAT STORY HOWEVER YOU WANT TO. But first we have to cut out the stuff that isn’t working (which might end up being A LOT OF STUFF.) Here comes my favorite part….!
STEP #3: DEMO DAY
There’s nothing so satisfying as tossing all your rubbish writing into a trash folder and clicking DELETE FOREVER – is there??? Well, I guess it’s probably more satisfying to actually write something that isn’t rubbish but PFFT HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN, RIGHT?? We can worry about making pretty words later. This step of the process is all about eliminating everything that is working against your blueprint – preferably with a large sledgehammer.
Obviously, there are several ways to do this. But my favorite method is to simply start reading what you have. When you hit a rough spot, delete it, then write a note to yourself, explaining what you want to go here instead. It’s kind of like ripping out a wall to make room for something else. When I sit down to rewrite a book, I like to have a clear understanding of everything that happens in the book start to finish – because sometimes things need rearranging, too. I write a detailed synopsis of every chapter as it originally is, then I start reading through the manuscript and editing it line-by-line. I save pieces of dialogue and narration that I like, and work around them so that I can later weave them into the story in a new way.* There will definitely be stuff that belongs in the garbage, but KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE GOLD.
*LIKE RECLAIMED WOOD HAHAHA are you sick of my home renovation analogies yet?
STEP #4: BUILD THE FOUNDATION
After you finish giddily hacking through your manuscript with a sledgehammer, you might be discouraged by the pile of rubble you’ve left behind. BUT FEAR NOT – you still have your blueprint! I like to think of rewriting a book as more than just revising…because you’re actually making something completely new. The revised versions of my Old Manuscripts™ are QUITE DIFFERENT than the original versions. And that’s good. Because you’re using the skeleton of the idea you once had and putting new-and-improved flesh on the bones.
So be open to new ideas! You never know what untapped potential your story has until you roll up your sleeves and get messy. Having a solid blueprint is a good idea – but there’s nothing wrong with making last-minute changes, either!
Like I said before, there are many different methods of rewriting – it’s a game of trial and error until you find what works best for you. Maybe you’re like me and enjoy transforming your book sentence-by-sentence. Maybe you prefer to start from scratch. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WORKS UNTIL YOU TRY IT. So I urge you to be adventurous with this. Build the foundation – the first revised draft – however it feels good to you. Then, when your new-and-improved first draft is finished, you’re ready for the final step!
STEP #5: STAGE IT!
Something tells me staging a house is WAY MORE FUN than editing a novel, but SOMEONE’S GOTTA DO IT, RIGHT? You know how this step goes: look for plot holes, missing information, and anything that need fixing. It’s super important to remember that when a book has been rewritten, it is more likely to have errors. But it’s okay: everything is fixable! Be patient with yourself and your work – if you’ve come this far, you’re serious. Don’t sell yourself short.
I usually put a book through four complete revisions before I give it to my alpha reader (aka mom) for feedback. The process of editing can be tedious, yes. But it can also be fun! Just think of it like this: you’re making your book better and better. Even the tiny adjustments all add up to create a seamless work of art.
As writers, we all know how grueling the editing process can be. It’s not going to be quick or easy – but it’s going to be worth it. Fine-tuning is what makes the difference between a 4-star book and 5-star book. REMEMBER THAT, because one day when your awesome novel is published and people are reviewing it, that one little star is going to matter A LOT. Take the time to make your work truly splendid.
Rewriting a book is an impressive feat, and YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU DID IT. I hope, after reading this post, you go forth with a little more courage and ambition to REWRITE THAT MESSY OLD MANUSCRIPT and make it something beautiful. Oh, and…I hope you live happily ever after. 😉
TALK, BRO
Have you ever rewritten a novel? What’s your favorite method? If you haven’t rewritten a novel, have you ever thought about doing it? And has this post given you some inspiration?! If you DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT ANYMORE, let’s just chat about your current WIP! What have you been writing lately, my friend??
rock on,
abbiee
