The completion of the first draft of your manuscript is actually not the end of the creative process, but the beginning of it. The rewriting process is far more time consuming, and the average amount of rewrites is around six before the novel is ready for the publisher. You may have asked a friend to give you an honest and unbiased critique of your script before the rewriting process begins. It may be returned to you with notes and corrections. Please do not let this deter you from your goal. Remember that even the most experienced novelists have had to rewrite their novels before they are ready to be published.

When you are beginning your rewrite, the following three things must be taken into account. They are three simple actions but extremely effective.

You need to begin by looking at every single paragraph, piece of dialogue and action scene. Ensure that everything makes sense to you and that they tie into each other, but are as descriptive and emotive as possible. If you have requested feedback on your manuscript from a friend, then ask them to point out areas (preferably via notes on the manuscript itself) that confused them or didn’t make any sense. Although you must build up tension and mystery within your story, you do not want to totally lose your reader in the storyline.You will need to cut out pieces of dialogue which do not add to the story or move it along; even though you may love the piece of dialogue, if it doesn’t tie into the story then lose it. The same is also true for any action in your story. For example, if one of your characters has received bad news from home, would it be necessary to write about their journey home, or would it make more sense to begin with them entering through the front door?

My next recommendation would be around the characters in your novel. Many writers do not pay enough attention to the backstory of your characters. There are many writers that do not understand how to show the values and beliefs of the character, and how to reveal these traits within the story. It results in half a chapter of one character speaking to another and relaying his entire life story. This is not only tedious, but it disrupts the flow of the story. For example, if your main character is a divorced father, you could show him in a bar paying for a drink. As he opens his wallet, you see a happy family picture of him with a woman and child. Then see him entering a cold and empty apartment. By relaying this in the novel, you have effectively shown to the reader that he once had a happy home life, and now has no reason to rush home. The reader will understand the backstory of the character without him uttering one word of dialogue.

Finally, I would suggest you listen to your instinct. You know your story better than anyone else, so if something doesn’t seem right to you, and stops the flow of the story, then remove it or rewrite it until it does.