Now that the first draft is done, it’s time to deep dive into the editing phase of this Crafting A Short Story series. This is one of my favorite parts of the creative process. Sure it’s tedious and frustrating and a blistering reminder that first drafts are, in fact, actual trash, but it’s amazing what a big difference editing makes. It’s like turning a blob of clay into a beautiful sea turtle. At least, that’s the end goal.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at what we’ve written and make sure it lines up with our initial objectives. I’ll be using my three round editing process, which I will describe in detail one of these days, but for now I’ll give you the short version. Round one is structure and big picture stuff. Round two focuses on craft. Round three is polishing.

We’ll kick off round one by pinpointing problem areas through a series of questions. I recommend printing a physical copy and redlining or using the comment feature on a digital copy.

Plot

Our first set of questions will focus on the plot and story structure. These are the bones of your story. Without them in place, the story can’t stand on its own.

Does the story follow my predetermined plot?

Go back through your plot points. Did you hit each one? For my story, the plot points were fairly simple, and I did, in fact, hit each one. They’ll need to be shaved back later on, but for now, they just need to be present.

Does the story logically make sense?

Look at the events that transpire. Is that how things would play out in real life? If not, how big a leap would it take to get there? Depending on the genre (and the age demographic), some wackiness or eye-rolling plot stuff is allowed, but there needs to be an element of believability. If the believability meter is low, you’ll need to adjust.

Is the inciting incident compelling?

If you were to write a one-sentence summary that included your inciting incident, would it be compelling enough to read? Try it and see! I’ll give it a go below.

An ambitious teenager applies to become her high school’s first black Valedictorian.

Does the story slow down or get boring anywhere?

You’ll probably have a few places where you kept writing words to get to the other side of your point. These are the areas you’ll want to find right away. After a read-through, they’re often unnecessary, or easy to summarize in a word or two.

Are there other elements crowding the story?

Most definitely the answer to this will be yes. Especially if you’re like me. Too many rabbit trails and side stories and backstories that never get fully fleshed out in the actual story. Ach. The beef with the ex-best friend. The dad who disappeared. If they aren’t pulling any weight in the story, cut them out, or cut them down.

Are there confusing parts?

We writers are often too close to our stories to do a great job of answering this question. But due diligence requires us to try our best. Look out for name switches, mentions of details that were never given to the reader, changes in location (your character leans against a desk, but she’s in gym class… Oops.).

Does the story have a satisfying ending?

Satisfying is a relative term, but I guess fitting is a better one. Poignant. Resonant. Meaningful. Poetic. Reflective. All good terms. What you don’t want is an ending that falls flat with no tie-in to the story’s themes or the character’s arc.

Character Development

On to character development. Think of it as the soul of a character-driven story. If your story is plot driven, think of it as the story’s subconscious mind. Eh, whatever. The story comes alive with proper character development, so don’t skip this part.

Does the character’s progression feel natural or forced?

This is a hard one in short stories. Packing a lot into a tiny space means you’re gonna force some things. Want an example of a forced progression? A bully spends ninety percent of the story being awful, but in the last 3 pages suddenly realizes the error of his ways and becomes a good person. Yikes. You may not know how to fix this part right away, but if you can identify where you went wrong, you can start brainstorming and circle back to it.

Is the character dynamic?

Results may vary. In this story, the character’s progression happens fairly quickly, but the change isn’t very dramatic. I’ll need to fine tune this in later revisions to make it more distinctive. For your story, this may mean really honing in on your themes and making them stand out through the character’s emotional responses and actions.

Has the character arc been successfully completed?

Is your character in a different place at the end than they were at the beginning? Physically, emotionally, maturity-wise? My character’s arc is a bit fuzzy in this first draft. I’ve got some work to do.

Is there any action on the character’s part that doesn’t align with the arc?

Look at the events leading up to the character’s decisions. Do they track logically? How can you adjust them to align better? I think the actions are okay for this story, but the internal struggle isn’t well represented through the character’s introspection and responses to those actions. More work to be done there.

Well, there’s a lot to unpack in this first round. Whether you redline and comment first and then revise, or revise as you go, you’ll find these questions helpful in creating a strong story. Keep working on the big picture stuff. Once you’re satisfied with it, join me for the next step, which will focus on Crafty Editing.

That’s my Write or Die Advice for now. Happy revising.