How to Tackle an Edit Letter

Have you ever received an edit letter or notes from a beta reader, and you’re not sure where to begin?

Everyone’s revising tactics will be different, but sometimes it helps to see how someone else digests information and figures out what to do. 

This is how I tackle an edit letter:

I read it once, sleep on it, then return to it in the morning and reread. During my second read, I color-code. Personally, I highlight the parts that resonate with me, bold the parts I want to think about more, and turn the biggest hurdle issue red. I will also cross out parts that I know, without a doubt, don’t resonate with me, but I typically don’t start crossing out until I’ve genuinely given everything a chance to ruminate. It’s important to note that I never delete anything (just in case I change my mind later). Crossing out allows me to still reference it if needed.

Now that I have a color-coded setup of the edit letter, I create a new document where I start piecemealing my plan together. 

Since I use Scrivener, I often find myself in Side-by-Side mode. At the top, I put the biggest issue that I need to solve. This is generally about character motivations because it’s the driving force of the story and I’ll need to keep it in mind as I consider the other puzzle pieces. 

Now that I have that at the top, I divide my plan into three pieces:

Character ChangesWorld Building ChangesOutline

The reason I separate these is because character changes and world building changes need to be decided upon before I start outlining plot. I need to truly understand them before I dive into the book or the domino effect could derail everything.

Once I get those elements solidified, I will tackle my outline. 

When I look at my outline, I need two documents: My original outline and my blank document where I will start to create my new storyline with all the notes I’ve collected from the edit letter. 

I think it’s vital to reread your original piece before jumping into your new piece because you may have forgotten some details that could change the direction you want to go. If I haven’t already reread it, this would be where I would stop and reread. While rereading, I will most likely create a bare bones outline (if I don’t already have one) or crosscheck it against the one I do have (while taking any notes that I feel are relevant to the revision). 

For example, if I know I want to cut Chapter 3, I will color-code notes to let myself know what I’m keeping (purple), what I’m cutting (red), and what I’m changing (green), so that I know I’m being consistent. 

With all this in mind, I will start putting my plan in order. 

For example, I will write “Chapter Three: Add in a new world building element, remove an unnecessary character, adjust cliffhanger, change dialogue” etc. 

As I write my revision, I will cross out the details, but I won’t delete them. That way, if I need to go back for whatever reason (most likely a domino effect of some kind), I can reference it to find the information I need. I will continue this method until the very end, and I will keep my revision notes afterward (again, in case I need to reference it for whatever reason). 

Typically, I use Revision Mode in Scrivener so that my revision is color-coded for my agent (or editor). I will also turn in a bare bones outline of the changes I made. This helps everyone refresh their memories of the original, the requested changes, and the changes I actually made (versus the ones I didn’t). I will even add in explanations as to why I didn’t change something. 

Anyway, I hope this helps you tackle your next edit letter!

How do you revise?

~SAT

P.S. I will be teaching Revising Your Manuscript on September 10, 2024 at 7 PM EST via ZOOM: Learn how to revise your manuscript for publication. Author and mentor Shannon A. Thompson will provide self-editing tips and discuss how to handle feedback from critique partners. (You do not have to have an Orange County Library card to attend.) Register.