In a post on Writer Unboxed, Matthew Norman suggests three ways to save a troubled novel during the editing process. If you have a disaster on your hands, Norman suggests you:
- Revisit Your Pitch. Your pitch – whether a formal pitch to a publisher or an informal statement on your desktop – is the reason you wrote your story in the first place. It other words, the pitch is what you intended to write. If you’re having trouble with your novel, review your pitch to see what promises you made and whether you kept them. If the answer to any question is ‘no’, start revising there.
- Go Back to the Basics. Review the basics of Writing 101. Do your characters have clear motivations, an emotional journal, and compelling obstacles? If your characters’ decisions seem random or if they don’t take action at all, start strengthening the bones of your story before you get into specifics. Review your theme or story question. Did you stay on track or answer the question? If not, look for ways to strengthen your story thematically.
- Commit to Writing the Hard Stuff. Did you avoid writing certain scenes because they were too difficult? For example, did some research seem daunting or were you concerned that a big emotional moment would fall flat? Or does your story have big questions that you can’t answer? Take the time to figure it out.
