NaNo Coaches: The Specifics of Editing a NaNo-novel

This season, we’ve brought on published authors to serve as NaNo Coaches to help guide you to reaching 50,000 words. Last week’s NaNo Coach, Jessica Taylor, author of the forthcoming novel Wandering Wild, shares how to start thinking about revision:

We’re in the final week of NaNoWriMo and whatever you have to show for your efforts—whether that’s 50,000 words, 100,000 words, or one badass chapter—you’ve accomplished something amazing. You’ve written, and that takes a tremendous amount of courage and dedication. Many people only dream of writing, but you stayed the course and actually dared to write a novel.

Now that NaNo is coming to an end, many of you are thinking about the next step: publication. Editing a draft for publication requires a different kind of daring…

My best writing is always the result of turning off my inner editor and simply letting the story flow. In fact, I’ve written every novel I’ve completed under NaNo-like circumstances, meaning I’ve drafted each book in a month or less. Wandering Wild, my debut YA novel, was my 2012 NaNo project and it’s now slated for publication in fall of 2015 from Egmont USA. But—and this is the important part—from the last day of NaNoWriMo 2012 to the first time I sent Wandering Wild to my agent, the manuscript underwent a significant transformation.

I strongly believe in the importance of letting a draft sit for at least a month before tackling revisions. While my novel is marinating, my mind is still in writing mode, and I’m thinking of all the ways I could have written more compelling characters, or ways to strengthen the plot. This not-writing period is sometimes the most important part of the process for me because when I open the document again—a month or two later—I’m revising with a clear head, and most importantly, with direction.

Editing a NaNo novel can require a different skill set because what we value in good writing—tightness and brevity—aren’t considered when we’re cranking out 50,000 words within a month. In the days and weeks after NaNo, my words still feel precious because I vividly remember how hard I worked to create them. This is not a good mindset for revision, and this is another reason why I let my drafts sit.

What I’m often looking for when revising are the places where I overwrote and the places where I underwrote. Writing fast usually means I overwrite backstory and description (it’s just so dense and I love to see the word count climbing). The parts I underwrite are transitions between scenes, action attribution, and the lulls (the ones the story should have). Basically… the necessary but boring parts.

Revision, just like drafting, can sometimes feel soul crushing. One piece of advice I’ve doled out over and over again as a NaNo Coach is this: In your darkest hours, when you’re facing writer’s block or rejection or self doubt, think back on the day you said to yourself, “Yes, I will write this book.” Whether you’re revising or fighting to see your novel in print, it’s remembering that over-the-moon-in-love-with-this-story feeling that will keep you and your story going,

Jessica Taylor is a young adult novelist who adores sleepy southern settings, unrequited love, and characters who sneak out late at night. She lives in Northern California with a sweet-yet-spoiled dog and many teetering towers of books. Her young adult magical realism debut, Wandering Wild, is slated for fall 2015 release from Egmont USA. Find her on Twitter @JessicaTaylorYA.