Physh's Deep-Dive Editing Checklist
Based on a post I made elsewhere: I’m the type of writer who jumps at the chance to trim things from my WIP based on beta feedback. I can either spend a whole paragraph or more adding in lore/worlduilding/context for a joke that doesn’t land, or just delete the joke and carry on. Sometimes I really do want to keep a detail, and sometimes it’s just not that important.
So here’s some things I’m thinking about when I’m editing my own WIPs. Not every single scene goes through a gauntlet, I can sort the iffy ones from the solid ones pretty easily. This gauntlet is already for scenes where I’m like “This isn’t working but I can’t figure out why yet”.
Does this scene do at least two things at once?
If I have a heavy sitting-and-talking scene that’s just information and static movement, if the setting and timing don’t matter, if I could drop this conversation elsewhere with no changes, to me it’s not doing enough. So I justify its existence to myself.
If this is critical info, what other information could I be giving with the subtext, or things unsaid? What can I convey in the body language of the speakers about how they feel about what they’re saying? How do I ground it in this location, why are they having this conversation here instead of somewhere else? Is this room a place of security, or where anyone could walk in and eavesdrop, and are they concerned about being overheard?
Does this scene embody at least one side of my themes?
Your theme is the thesis of your book, and the more characters and circumstances that support (or argue against) your core message, the more cohesive the piece will feel.
This isn’t necessary for every single scene, as that would probably feel repetitive and too tight of a script, unorganic.
But if I have a theme of ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ and a subplot that takes up a fair amount of time that can’t speak to this theme either agreeing with it or criticizing it, I can either tweak the subplot so it fits better, or add it to ‘deleted scenes’ to maybe salvage later.
Am I advancing the plot, worldbuilding, relationships, or backstory?
I like very lean storytelling and not a ton of redundancy. Repetition is good, like a rule of threes, but rehashing the same concept with no new context, understanding, or relevancy is a bit of a waste.
Not every scene must advance the plot, but some forward momentum in one of these categories helps your book feel like it’s always working toward something and not stagnating. If you like a slower novel that marinates in itself, then that’s your taste. I’m very aware of when a story just plateaus, with themes and characters stuck in a proverbial waiting room for the next big event to move them all forward at once.
Do I have enough variety?
I am very prone to “sitting-and-talking” scenes where it’s not exposition, but it is two characters just dialoguing to each other. Dialogue comes very easy to me and I can let a scene run away from me and start peeling away from being grounded in the setting.
So if I have, say, 5 “sitting-and-talking” scenes (and they can be walking, or laying down, anything where they and their environment are divorced from each other) even if they’re all between different characters about different subjects, I’m looking for what I can have them be doing while they’re talking.
One or two of these in isolation isn’t bad! It’s when this becomes your only vector through which your characters have important conversations.
Maybe they’re also making dinner for the big upcoming feast, and I can detail all their movement with kitchen tools and ingredients, and have a bunch of background details about the recipe they’re making. Keeping it grounded in the setting.
Or they’re sparring, they’re making repairs to a necessary machine, they’re getting ready for an outing. Something that either speaks to who they are and their purpose in the story, or that will be important later.
Other things I’m looking for:
Is this foreshadowing subtle/obvious enough, where can I sneak in more details?
Are these big emotional beats balanced through the narrative or too rushed?
Have I lost any background characters that I meant to follow-up with?
Is the story too crowded, and if so, who can I cut so it’s not overwhelming?
Do the characters who need arcs have the page time necessary to see it fulfilled?
Where am I telling, not showing, and where can I change between the two for a better story?
Am I contradicting my lore, magic system, or worldbuilding in any un-justified way?
A non-exhaustive list that's hardly the end-all/be-all, just my proceses for the story that I want to tell.
