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The Ultimate Novel Revision Checklist: A Guide to Polishing Your Draft
You have finished your first draft. Take a moment to celebrate this incredible accomplishment. You now have the raw clay of a story. The next stage of your journey, revising your novel, is the process of sculpting that clay into a work of art. But where do you even begin?
A systematic approach is key. A novel revision checklist is a powerful tool that helps you move from the big, structural “macro” issues down to the granular, sentence-level “micro” details in an organized way. This checklist will guide you through the essential questions to ask yourself as you transform your first draft into a polished, publishable manuscript.
Key Takeaways & Summary
- A Systematic Approach: This checklist guides you through the revision process in a logical order, from the big picture down to the small details.
- Work from “Macro” to “Micro”: You must fix the big story problems (plot, character) before you start polishing individual sentences.
- This is Not a One-Time Pass: Revision is a multi-draft process. You will likely go through this checklist multiple times, focusing on a different layer with each pass.
- The Goal is a Stronger Story: The purpose of this checklist is to help you identify and fix the weaknesses in your manuscript to make your story as compelling as possible.
Before You Start: The "Fallow Period"
Let your manuscript rest for at least 4-6 weeks. You cannot revise effectively without objective distance. Put your draft in a drawer and do not look at it.
The “Macro” Revision Checklist: The Big Picture (First Pass)
In this first, big-picture pass, read your manuscript from beginning to end without stopping to fix typos. Your only goal is to analyze the story as a whole.
Plot and Structure
Does the story have a clear beginning, middle, and end? Can you identify your three acts?
Is the Inciting Incident strong enough? Does it happen early enough (usually within the first 10-15%)?
Does the middle of the novel “sag”? Is there a clear escalation of conflict and a powerful Midpoint reversal?
Is the Climax satisfying? Does the protagonist resolve the central conflict through their own actions?
Is the pacing effective? Are there scenes that drag or feel rushed?
Character Arc
Does your protagonist have a clear, tangible goal?
Is their motivation strong and believable?
Does the protagonist have a clear internal flaw (a “Lie”)?
Do the events of the plot force the protagonist to confront this flaw?
**Does the protagonist change from the beginning of the story to the end? Is the character arc complete?
The “Meso” Revision Checklist: The Scene Level (Second Pass)
Now, go through your manuscript chapter by chapter and scene by scene.
Does every single chapter have a purpose? Does it advance the plot or reveal character?
[ ] Does every scene have a goal and a conflict?
Are you “showing, not telling”? Are you grounding the reader in the character’s sensory experience?
Is the dialogue purposeful? Does your dialogue reveal character and advance the plot, or is it just small talk?
Is the Point of View (POV) consistent? Have you avoided “head-hopping”?
The “Micro” Revision Checklist: The Sentence Level (Final Pass)
This is the final polish before you send your manuscript to an editor. Here, you focus on the prose itself.
Read your manuscript aloud. This is the best way to catch awkward phrasing and clunky sentences.
Cut weak words. Search for and eliminate adverbs (-ly words), filter words (“he felt,” “she saw”), and filler words (“just,” “really”).
Strengthen your verbs. Replace passive voice (“the ball was thrown by him”) with active voice (“he threw the ball”).
After you have completed this entire checklist to the best of your ability, it is time for a professional. Our book editing services provide the expert, objective feedback needed to take your novel to the next level. This process of deep revision is a core principle of our novel writing services.
Short FAQ
Q: Do I have to do this all at once?
A: No, and you shouldn’t. The best approach is to do a separate “pass” or draft for each stage. Do one pass focusing only on the plot, another focusing only on the character arc, and another focusing on the sentence-level prose.
Q: What is the difference between this checklist and what a professional editor does?
A: This checklist is for your own self-editing process. A professional editor is a trained, objective expert who will see the problems you are too close to see. They bring a level of craft and market knowledge that is essential for a publishable manuscript.
Q: When is my revision “done”?
A: A novel is never truly “done,” but it is ready for a professional editor when you have gone through this checklist and taken the story as far as you possibly can on your own.
