Monica Cox

I felt completely lost when it was time to revise my first manuscript. There were countless books, articles, and classes available on the art of drafting a story, but few seemed to focus on revision. 

Through my own trial and error and work as a book coach, I realized many writers are making these same five mistakes. 

1. Jumping Right Into Line Edits 

It’s so tempting to type “the end” then turn back to page one and start editing. The problem with this strategy is you get sucked into line edits too early, and if you haven’t solved the big problems in your manuscript first, it’s wasted work. 

The Fix:

Take a step back before you start and diagnose your big story problems first. Look for things like a weak story trajectory, murky motivations, low stakes, and big plot holes. 

2. Pantsing Your Revision 

While you can pants your way through a draft, during a revision, you need a plan. Revising without intent can create more problems down the road. 

The Fix: 

Create an outline of your story and edit that first. It’s much easier to play with changes in a smaller container. 

Next, plot your outline into a spreadsheet, note where those big structural issues are happening, and add the changes needed to fix those problems. This spreadsheet will be the basis of your revision plan. 

3. Editing linearly 

Many writers write their stories linearly. You start on page one and write forward. Editing this way can lead to overwhelm, missed fixes, or inconsistencies. 

The Fix:

Address your revisions by topic (stakes, a subplot, layering in emotion). It can feel strange to skip from chapter three to chapter eight, but if you’re revising places in your manuscript where the stakes are unclear, focusing only on stakes allows you to pull the thread even tighter through your story. 

4. Trying to Apply all the Feedback

Feedback is a necessary part of the process, whether it’s from beta readers, critique partners, or hired editors. But sometimes, there can be too many chefs in the kitchen. Attempting to make all your feedback readers happy means your book is losing its unique flavor. 

The Fix: 

Analyze feedback as data points. Prioritize the feedback that helps you better tell the story you set out to tell. That doesn’t mean you ignore something you disagree with, but instead consider each piece of feedback with curiosity and implement it with intention—not to please anyone else. This is YOUR story after all. Own it! 

5. Setting Soft Deadlines

If there isn’t an agent or editor waiting for your pages, it can be easy to set and forget a revision deadline. Soft deadlines mean you end up revising much longer than you need to, never knowing when it’s “done.” 

The Fix: 

Consult the plan you made, as well as your calendar, and set a realistic deadline. Revisions always take longer than you think so build in some extra time. 

Set deadlines with built-in accountability to avoid an endless loop of revision. Line up a beta reader and tell them to check in if they don’t have the manuscript by a certain date. You could also hire a book coach or an editor. There is nothing more motivating than having money on the line or people who are waiting for your materials. 

Be intentional with your approach to revision and you will begin to find a more efficient process that gets you to a completed manuscript faster.