5 Must Checks in Book Revisions

I’m in the middle of book revisions right now for the third book in my Dusty Deals Mystery series.  I’m not actually done with the book yet, but I took a break from writing this novel to go back and revise a few things that were bugging me. I do this at times if something major isn’t working out and is causing me writer’s block. I have been having some major writer’s block or at least stumbling blocks on this book.

Since I was in the middle of the book revision process, I thought I’d share 5 must check items when revising your novel.

1.) Book Revisions for Characters’ Voice:

I am really big on character and usually I do a pretty comprehensive analysis of my major characters before even starting to write a novel, but sometimes that character profile doesn’t work as I’d thought it would, or sometimes I know upfront that I’m going to have to do some writing before I really understand what I need from a character. And that is when book revisions for character are a must.

There are a few parts of character voice you want to look at when revising your book. The first and probably easiest is keywords and phrases that fit the character. In my Dusty Deals series, I have a recurring character who is a giant jazz fan. She goes all out, dressing in the time period and using phrases from the time. During revision, I go back and review her dialogue to make sure I sprinkle in a few of those jazz terms.

I don’t recommend overdoing this, but it is an easy way to make one or two characters sound different from everyone else.

The other part of character voice that I look at when revising is attitude. By this I mean, is he laid back or uptight? Does he argue easily or have a long fuse? Does he talk a lot or not much at all?

Characters, like people, are all different. In the book I’m working on now, my main character’s brother appears for the first time. When I started writing I had one idea of what he would be… arrogant. But as I continued writing, I realized this was too obvious and over the top. He needed something different, something that would still annoy my protagonist, but not create an all-out war.

I am taking him from arrogant to surfer dude, attitude wise. This doesn’t mean I changed what he did or loved or what he looked like or his motivations for the things he did. It means I changed his core personality, how he reacts to things.

So, must check number one is character voice, making them unique and real.

2.) Book Revisions for Motivation Reaction Units.

I did a piece on Motivation Reaction Units here at the How To Write Shop a while back. I’m listing it as a much check during revisions because getting your motivation and reactions out of order is a major cause of things just not reading right. If you are getting that funny feeling that something is off, check your motivation reaction units.

3.) Book Revisions for Scene and Chapter Ending Lines.

At the end of scenes and chapters is when a reader is most likely to set your book down and not pick it up again. Because of that, you want to always give them a reason to keep reading. The best way to do this is to end every scene at a disaster or a dilemma. Yes, every scene and chapter. I know this can be hard. I know sometimes you want to end a scene with things tied up, but don’t. At least not really. If you must end a scene where the character thinks all is well, also make sure the READER knows it isn’t. Use hints and subtext to let the reader know “Uh oh, she may think this problem is resolved, but I know better…”

4.) Book Revisions for Scene Goals and Conflict.

Every scene needs a goal and conflict, or it isn’t a scene. And if longer than a hundred words or so this “not a scene” is going to be boring. If your book is dragging, check – does one character in this scene have a goal? Is someone or something working against them getting that goal? If not, rework or dump the scene.

5.) Book Revisions for  Scene Connecting to Story Goal.

Let’s say you have this fun scene where your character goes to the beach and is attacked by cotton candy wielding preschoolers. The character has a goal – to get to the beach. And there is conflict in the way of those preschoolers getting in his way, but if his need to get to the beach isn’t tied to the overall story/doesn’t move the plot along, the scene needs to go. Dump it or change it so it moves the plot/shows the character working toward the overall story goal. (Or a smaller goal that is tied to the overall story goal.) (Can also be tied to a subplot, but subplot should support the overall story in some way so the main point holds.)

There you have my top five must checks during book revisions. Do you have some of your own?

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Lori Devoti is the author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult fiction. Under the name Rae Davies, she writes the USA Today Bestselling Dusty Deals Mystery series. Check our her books at www.LoriDevoti.com and RaeDavies.com. Looking for help with your writing? Lori also does developmental editing and critiques for other authors and publishers. See our Editorial Services page for contact information and pricing.