Rereading the novel after completing the first draft can be an eye-opening (and sometimes spirit-crushing) experience. With fresh eyes, we often find that the plot can be meandering or lacking in specific direction in places, or maybe characters fall flat. Whatever the issues may be, there are always ways to fix it as long as we’re prepared to put the work in.

With the rough draft, we’ve at least got a general idea of what we’re trying to achieve, no matter how discouraging it may be when we see all the flaws in our work. Putting in time for reflection, and some honest self-evaluation will go a long way towards finding the diamond in the rough.

First things first, establish exactly what the overarching premise is, or should be.

To get to the core of it, write a summary as you would to pitch agents or publishers, and hone in on the heart of the matter. What is the story you’re trying to tell? Who is your main character? What do they want? Why do they want it? What is preventing them from getting it? How far will they go to achieve/obtain it? What are the stakes?

Oftentimes, this mere practice of stepping back and regaining perspective on the novel can help overcome issues with focus, and tighten up scenes or chapters where we get carried away with mundane, less interesting details, or subplots that have no relevance. It is easy to get carried away with character or world building history, or side stories that in the end serve no real purpose or function to the overarching storyline. Cut anything that does not serve the purpose, and save it in another document or folder for safekeeping. These ideas can be recycled into other stories for other purposes. It can be really difficult deleting large sections of our work, especially if we feel that certain passages are beautifully worded, or evoke emotions, but the overall story is more important than a few pages. When they’re saved for other potential projects, it’s much easier to cut sections as needed. And remember, being ruthless gets easier the more you write.

In taking a real hard look at the overarching story we are trying to tell and cutting all the unnecessary bulk, we can also shed light on the supporting characters and interesting subplots that serve the story, and better deepen and enrich the main plotline.

Once the summary is worked out, we can refer back to it as often as needed as we work through the revisions to ensure that we stay on track. It can be very easy to get distracted with all the potential what ifs, and having a point of reference can be invaluable. All those other ideas that may pop up can be jotted down in another notebook and used for future projects.

An advantage of having even a general summary worked out prior to the revisions is that once we’re ready to start querying agents or publishers, it can then serve as a brief draft on which to build the synopsis. We can now really develop it, figure out what makes the story stand out, and work out the details to pitch it in a compelling way.