I FINISHED MY NOVEL. NOW WHAT?

November is coming quick, and a November with COVID restrictions should be a great time to write a novel. My biggest problem is that I haven't finished the one I started last year, and I hardly remember the details!

So to review my current novel in hopes of finishing it for at least the two precious friends I would trust to share it with, and to get a leg up on my upcoming new November project, I am going through the NaNoWriMo workbook that are comprehensive and practical.

What you want your beta reader to do:

• Read through the draft once without writing comments
• Forget about grammar, spelling, and how you would say something. Focus on the content - characters, events, setting, writing devices used
• Highlight words, sentences, and sections that you really like. Annotate them.
• Ask questions, especially if something doesn't make sense
• Be kind, and specific, while you point out things that aren't working.
• Keep criticism private!

READER REVIEW WORKSHEET:
Novel title:

Author:

Based on the beginning, what do you think this novel is about?

Who is the most important character so far? Describe them.

What do you like most about the first line? paragraph? chapter?

What is the setting? What other details would you like to know?

List three parts where the story was working so well you couldn't stop reading.

Is there anything else you really love about the story so far?

List 3 parts that didn't work well.

List 3 big questions that you have about the story.

List any suggestions for the writer to try when they revise, especially character, plot, dialogue, or conflict.

Finish this sentence: This is a story about...

UNLEASH YOUR INNER EDITOR

What is the heart of the story? Does it keep things alive, strong, and moving forward?

• Change how your draft looks
• Read as fast as you can, like other books. Jot down notes and highlight what you like
• Write a 1-3 page synopsis
• Answer the revision questions
• REWRITE!

REVISION QUESTIONS:

ORGANISATION

Is it organized into chapters? If not, where can you make chapter breaks?

Are chapter transitions clear?

Name three places readers might be confused. Fix them.

CHARACTERS

Is it clear what the protagonist wants?

Will the reader root for them?

Are you characters flat or complex?

Change 3 things that would make them feel more real.

CONFLICT

Name the conflict

What will happen to the protagonist if they lose?

Can you foreshadow at the very beginning?

Is there anywhere the reader would lose interest? Revise.

Name three changes to keep the conflict present throughout (on every page?)

LANGUAGE AND LITERARY TECHNIQUES

Dialogue that moves the story forward, reveals things about your characters, and increases tension

Detailed settings that create moods and reinforces characters

Specific sensory details, including sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and sensations

A beginning that hooks the reader and introduces the main character

A climax that makes the read gasp "What's next?!"

An ending that resolves the conflict and shows how the character changed.

If your first draft doesn't contain these, try and add them to your second.

COPY EDITING

Use correct capitalization and end punctuation.

Check your spelling.

Pick and stick to one verb tense.

Use commas to combine.

Choose correct pronouns.

Use capital letters, quotation marks, and sometimes commas to make it clear where the dialogue is.

Indent new paragraphs.

Start a new paragraph each time the story moves to a new place, time, action, idea, speaker, or section.