If I could go back in time and give 26-year-old me one tip as I struggled to write that first novel, it would be: Learn to revise deeply.
Because I came from a business writing background, I thought nailing it at the sentence level was enough. I was very, very wrong—and it showed in my first couple of books.
Even once I figured out how to revise an entire story for character arc or voice or plot structure (thank you, Pitch Wars!), I still hoped I could get through a draft → developmental edit → line edit cycle in two revisions, with only one deep revision along the way.
Maybe there’s a writer out there who can pull that off. But in my experience (and in the experience of my clients, critique partners, and other writing pals) most working writers do multiple rounds of deep, developmental revision before sending a manuscript to an agent or editor. And of course, those agents and editors will have significant notes too, especially on your first few books.
So get used to revision. It’s where the magic happens. Whoever said it first was right: writing is revising.
Managing the Mental Game
Overwhelm is often the first reaction to revision. Notes from readers, agents, or editors almost always reveal more work than you expected. Cue the internal protest: “I can’t possibly do that! You don’t get what I was trying to do! No, no, no!”
"I can't possibly do that!" "You don't get what I was trying to do!" "No! No! No!" (stamps foot like disgruntled toddler).
One way to reframe your approach to revision is by remembering that plot, character, and stakes must all be intertwined for a story to work. Think of this as the foundation upon which story is built. Weakness in any one of these areas will show up as cracks in the foundation. Line-level beauty won’t save your manuscript. Start with that guiding principle, and everything else will build stronger.
Need a little bit more detail to get you started? I've got you covered, in multiple formats even! You can read the transcript of my talk on assessing plot, character, and stakes in your story, listen to it on #AmWriting, or watch the video.
Another way to keep your motivation up is by making your progress visible. When I was a kid, I counted down the last 30 days of school with a pyramid chart, crossing one off each day until summer break. I use the same trick for revisions: if I’ve got 26 chapters, I draw a pyramid with 26 blocks and joyfully cross off a chapter every time I finish revising it.
Revision is too big to think of as “fixing the whole 80,000 words.” But breaking it into chunks, whether by chapter, by theme, or by editorial pass (more on that later), lets you feel a sense of accomplishment and momentum. That little mental game is what keeps you going.
Planning Deeply to Revise Deeply
When we talk about “revision,” it’s important to understand that not all revisions are the same. A structural edit happens when you’re adding, removing, or moving major story beats, characters, or aspects of worldbuilding. If your novel starts too early or too late, if you’ve got a soggy middle, if you need to add a second POV, that’s all structural.
Other revisions are deep but not structural. They involve weaving changes through nearly every chapter: clarifying worldbuilding, deepening character motivations, adjusting themes, enriching settings, or threading in subplots. These changes may not alter the skeleton of the story, but they absolutely strengthen its muscles and connective tissue.
The key is to plan. Know what you’re tackling and why. Then break it down so the work feels doable. Here are a few tips that have helped me and my clients break through revision overwhelm:
1. Brainstorm the “how”
Good notes, whether from an editor, critique partner, or yourself, often tell you what needs to change. But you still have to figure out how.
And there are infinite ways to solve the same problem. Sometimes a brainstorming session with your critique group, or writing a quick synopsis of different options, is a much lower-stakes way to test an idea than trying it out inside the manuscript and later realizing it doesn’t work.
2. Get organized
One of my favorite tools is, yep, a spreadsheet. On the first tab, I dump everything I know needs to change: small things like renaming a character or adding sensory details, but also bigger issues that need to carry through the manuscript.
Then, on a “Themes” tab, I track changes across chapters. Color coding helps, but the most important part is checking off when and where each change has been implemented, so subplots, side characters, and themes don’t vanish for fifty pages.
3. Break it up into passes
It’s tempting to try to fix everything in one pass. Sometimes that works for light revisions. But for deep revision, breaking your work into multiple passes prevents burnout and helps you stay focused.
I love Author Accelerator’s Hierarchy of Editorial Concerns for this. For revision, I recommend starting at the bottom of the pyramid and doing three passes:
One for world-building
One for narrative drive (plot)
One for character
Don’t bother polishing sentences (top of the pyramid) while you’re still fixing plot holes or deepening character motivation. Breaking things out this way helps ensure you don’t run out of steam before addressing each layer.
One step at a time.
Revision is long. It takes multiple drafts. You’ll be tempted to declare “good enough” and move on to the shiny new story idea. But every pass, every deep revision, makes your manuscript stronger and brings it closer to your original vision.
The trick is to manage both the logistics and the emotions of revision:
Plan deeply.
Identify the tools that work for you, whether it’s a spreadsheet, checklist, or something else.
Break your work into passes.
Find ways to see your progress so you don’t lose steam.
Most of all, remember: writing is revising.