In an Ask the Editor column in Jane Friedman’s blog, Tiffany Yates Martin responds to a reader who wonders how a beginning writer can fix problems in their writing when they don’t know how.
“I read my writing and know it is not up to par,” the reader says. “It feels flat and dull, but I don’t know why or how. I read about what needs to be looked at developmentally, but I don’t know how to recognize what needs fixing in my first draft or how to fix it. Do you have any advice on how I can learn to see and fix my story-level problems?”
First, Yates Martin suggests we take it easy on ourselves. Self-doubt and judgment aren’t conducive to creativity, even though both are common to creative people. “Try not to judge your initial draft by the standards of a finished one or published book,” she says. “Revision is a process—often a long one.” Treat your first drafts as playgrounds and the process should feel less fraught.
In her practical advice, Yates Martin differentiates between editing and revision. “Many authors plunge right in at the beginning and start revising—but that skips the crucial step of actual editing, and that’s often where overwhelm begins,” she says. “Before you can effectively address what may not be working in your story, you have to assess what you have on the page.”
In other words, you have to find your problems before you can fix them. This is when you should set aside your work for a bit and come back with fresh eyes. You might also ask beta readers or critique partners to give you feedback. Once you’ve identified weak areas, then you can diagnose why they aren’t working. “For example, if you feel that a character doesn’t ring true, first identify specific places in the manuscript where that strikes you,” Yates Martin writes. “Only then, using all the benefit of the work you’ve been doing to learn this craft, do you figure out how to address that issue and weave it into the narrative—in other words, revision.” Repeat as needed.
Second, Yates Martin suggests working from the foundation up. Writers often start revising their sentences and word choices, when the real problems are at the structural level. When she edits her own work, Yates Martin uses the following process:
- Macroedits. “These are the story’s main foundation: character, stakes, plot,” she says. “I always start here; if these aren’t solid, the story won’t be either.”
- Microedits. “These are the essential elements that support the macroedit elements and make them maximally effective, like momentum, structure, suspense, tension, point of view, etc.,” she explains.
- Line edits. Writers often start here, because it’s fun, but this won’t fix structural problems.
“Once you finish and feel you’ve plugged all the holes in the dam, you start over and do it again…and again…and again,” Yates Martin says. “Editing and revision are most of the real work of writing.” Taking the time to review and identify your story problems is the best method for learning how to do it. Yates Martin also suggests analyzing other authors’ work. “Amazingly, when you get into the habit of doing this, you will find these skills osmose into your artistic subconscious not just in your writing, but also in your editing and revision,” she says.
She suggests picking apart books, tv shows, and movies to find out what makes them effective. Identify places where your emotions were engaged and figure out how the writer did it. Critiquing other writers’ work is also helpful. “You get practice with other people’s stories where you already have built-in objectivity in spotting what may not be working as effectively on the page as it could and why,” Yates Martin says.
