Revising a First Draft of Your Work-in-Progress - Arabella Sheen

 

How to Revise a First Draft Without Losing Your Mind

You did it. You wrote the draft of your novel. 

Whether it’s a novel, memoir, nonfiction book, or collection of essays, finishing a first draft is a big deal. Now comes the part many authors dread: revision.

Revision can feel overwhelming. Messy. Personal. Endless. But it doesn’t have to cost you your sanity.

Here are practical, mindset-saving tips to help you revise your first draft without losing your mind.

1. Step Away Before You Step Back In

Before you start revising, take a break.

Distance gives you clarity. Even a couple of weeks can help you:

• See plot holes you were blind to

• Notice weak character motivations

• Spot repetitive phrases

• Detach emotionally from “precious” sentences

When you come back, you’ll read your manuscript more like a reader and less like its exhausted creator.

2. Change the Format to Trick Your Brain

Your brain gets used to seeing the draft a certain way. Change the format to make it feel new.

Try:

• Changing the font

• Converting it to an e-reader file

• Listening to it using text-to-speech

Many authors swear by reading their work aloud. Even writers like Stephen King have emphasised the importance of hearing your prose to catch awkward phrasing and clunky dialogue.

When you hear your words, weak spots become obvious.

3. Don’t Line-Edit First 

One of the fastest ways to burn out is to start fixing commas before fixing structure.

Revision works best in layers:

Big picture first:

• Plot structure

• Character arcs

• Stakes and tension

• Theme consistency

Then:

• Scene flow

• Dialogue clarity

• Pacing

Finally:

• Sentence-level edits

• Word choice

• Grammar

Think architect before interior decorator.

4. Diagnose Before You Prescribe

Before changing anything, ask:

• What’s the core problem?

• Where does the story drag?

• Where do I get bored?

• Where am I confused?

Resist the urge to tinker randomly. Make notes first. Then create a focused revision plan.

You are not “fixing everything.”
You are solving specific problems.

5. Cut More Than You Think You Should

This is painful. It’s also powerful.

First drafts often contain:

• Repeated backstory

• On-the-nose dialogue

• Scenes that exist only because you love them

Be ruthless—but strategic.

If cutting feels terrifying, create a “Cuts” document. Nothing is truly lost. It’s just ... relocated.

6. Separate Drafting Brain from Editing Brain

Drafting is creative chaos.
Editing is analytical precision.

Trying to use both at once causes mental overload.

When revising, switch into editor mode:

• Be objective

• Be curious

• Be calm

You are not judging your talent. You are shaping raw material.

7. Get Outside Eyes 

Feedback is powerful—but timing matters.

If you share too early:

• You may get overwhelmed

• You may lose confidence

• You may rewrite before you understand your own vision

Revise until you’ve made it as strong as you can on your own. Then seek critique partners, beta readers, or an editor.

And remember: feedback is data, not a verdict.

8. Watch Your Inner Narrative

Revision often triggers thoughts like:

• “This is terrible.”

• “I can’t write.”

• “Real authors don’t struggle like this.”

They do.

Writers from Ernest Hemingway to Anne Lamott have openly discussed messy drafts. Lamott famously coined the phrase “shitty first drafts” in her book Bird by Bird.

The chaos of a first draft isn’t failure. It’s a process.

9. Set Revision Boundaries

Endless revision is a trap.

Instead:

• Set a deadline for each revision round

• Define what you’re focusing on in that round

• Limit how many full passes you’ll do

Perfection is not the goal. Progress is.

10. Celebrate the Invisible Wins

Revision can feel thankless because you’re not adding new pages—you’re refining them.

But every improved scene:

• Clarifies your story

• Strengthens your voice

• Builds your craft

You’re not “just editing.”
You’re transforming a draft into a book.

A Final Reframe

Your first draft is not the book.

It’s the raw clay.

Revision is where the artistry happens. It’s where intention sharpens. It’s where themes deepen. It’s where characters become real.

You don’t need to revise perfectly.
You just need to revise patiently.

Take it step by step.
Layer by layer.
Scene by scene.

And remember: you already did the hardest part.

About Arabella Sheen

Arabella Sheen is a British author of contemporary romance and likes nothing more than the challenge of starting a new novel with fresh ideas and inspiring characters.

One of the many things Arabella loves to do is to read. And when she’s not researching or writing about romance, she is either on her allotment sowing and planting with the seasons or she is curled on the sofa with a book, while pandering to the demands of her attention-seeking cat.

Having lived and worked in the Netherlands as a theatre nurse for nearly twenty years, she now lives in the south-west of England with her family.

Arabella hopes her readers have as much pleasure from her romance stories as she has in writing them.

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