Revision Strategies for Writers: Beyond Self-Editing

First drafts are discovery. Revision is where writing becomes good. Professional writers often spend more time revising than drafting. Here's how to approach revision strategically.

The Levels of Revision

Revision isn't one process—it's several, each focusing on different aspects:

• Structural revision: Story, plot, pacing
• Character revision: Arcs, motivations, consistency
• Scene revision: Each scene's purpose and execution
• Line editing: Prose, sentences, word choice
• Copy editing: Grammar, punctuation, errors

Work from big to small. No point perfecting sentences in scenes that might be cut.

Before You Revise

Give yourself distance:

• Wait at least a week (ideally longer) after finishing
• Work on something else in the meantime
• Read the manuscript in a different format (print, e-reader)
• Read the whole thing without stopping to edit
• Note impressions and problems, don't fix yet

Structural Revision Strategies

The Outline-After Method

Create an outline of what you actually wrote (not what you planned). For each scene, note:

• What happens (plot)
• What changes (character)
• POV and time

This reveals structural issues: missing scenes, scenes that do nothing, pacing problems.

The Question Method

For each scene, ask:

• What question does this scene answer?
• What new question does it raise?
• Why can't I cut this scene?

Character Revision Strategies

Character Pass

Read through focusing only on one character. Track:

• Do they have consistent speech patterns?
• Do their reactions make sense for who they are?
• Can you chart their emotional arc?
• Do they change by the end?

Scene-Level Revision

For each scene:

• Does it start late enough?
• Does it end at the right moment?
• Is there conflict or tension?
• Does something change?
• Is the POV maintained throughout?

Line-Level Revision

Only after structure is solid:

• Read aloud—your ear catches what your eye misses
• Hunt for pet words and repetitions
• Vary sentence lengths and structures
• Cut filter words (she saw, he felt, they heard)
• Replace weak verbs with specific ones
• Eliminate unnecessary adverbs

Getting Feedback

External perspective reveals blind spots:

• Beta readers for general audience reaction
• Critique partners for craft-focused feedback
• Professional editors for publication readiness

Ask specific questions: "Does the middle sag?" "Is the villain's motivation clear?" Vague asks get vague feedback.

When to Stop Revising

Revision can become avoidance. You're ready when:

• Changes are getting smaller, not larger
• You're changing things back to previous versions
• External readers say it's ready
• The story does what you intended

Related Resources

• Self-Editing Checklist →
• Get Beta Reader Feedback →
• Version Control →