How to Do a Substantive Edit

Okay, so when are we doing a substantive edit?

• In the middle of the writing
• As I am writing
• When the first draft is finished

 Gold star if you picked (c). Your reward is to continue reading. For you others, remedial reading of Should I Edit as I Go? and Copy Editing and Substantive.

Okay, so now we get into the guts or DNA of your novel.

Steps to doing a substantive edit

Step 1. Read the novel from start to finish.

• Do not make any corrections/changes while reading. I know this is killing but remember you are doing a substantive edit, not copyediting.
• Do read it as close to continuously as you can to get the full sweep of the story.

Step 2. Write down what you observed

Some questions which might help:

• Does the novel move at the pace I want? Are there any places where it slows down too much? Or where I skipped over something which needs more elaboration?
• Does your protagonist change and grow? This is not about him doing a lot of different things; this is about him learning and changing emotionally as a result. In an upcoming post, I’ll go into more detail on this one.
• Does the ending feel satisfying? If it doesn’t to you, it probably won’t to your reader. ‘Satisfying’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘happy.’ Satisfying means that the ending flows in an emotionally logical (is that an oxymoron?) way from the story.
• Is the theme represented strongly enough? You may have a theme in mind but the novel needs to show more than a couple of indications of it.

Step 3. Decide what needs to be changed

• Make a list. Strengthen Dylan’s motivation for the stabbing; cut down the number of chase scenes; reinforce the theme with scenes which illustrate it; reshape the ending so it links better to the story.
• Focus on what the novel needs, not whether or not you know how to make the fix.
• Sometimes, just wrestling with a particular scene will help you find a way forward.
• It can come down to craft —I don’t know how to show his determination; I want the ending but I don’t know how to make the prior events flow inevitably to it. If so, then go to writing blogs (like mine—ADV), work with a writing teacher, or ask fellow writers. Craft is learnable and teachable.

Don’t get discouraged

Step 3 may well generate a long list. It might feel daunting or as if you didn’t do it right the first time. Nothing can be further from the truth. Editing of all kinds is the lot of good writers. Don’t compare the present state of your manuscript with your favorite author’s completed novel. It’s apples and oranges.  Your author’s work has undoubtedly gone through the same process as advocated here. That’s why it reads so well and flows so beautifully. And yours can, too.