Revision and What Matters

While some people can make their way through rough drafts without having a map (worldbuilding and such in place) others can't even write their first sentence without knowing in great detail who their characters are...what their motivations are...the conflict and plot and so on. Some people don't start until they have built their world complete with cultures and languages and designs for clothes. But I would say most writers are somewhere in the middle. They don't write without having SOME idea of what comes next. They don't start unless they have SOME idea of the theme they wish to express.

I have been able to get through rough drafts without much planning and come away not too badly burned. Revision is a different monster. Lethal even if you make the wrong move. If you don't plan your attack before you actually make your move you can end up cutting what matters out of your novel. 

If you don't have some idea of where you'd like to end up at the end of your revision...you aren't going to reach the end. Or you are going to end up with a tangled mess that doesn't make much sense. So I propose that you figure out what matters to you before you revise. If you didn't figure out your theme in your first draft...or it has changed since then...figure it out now. And write it down on paper. Use it as a guide to get you through these next months. You will need it to keep you on track. Figure out what conflict is essential to your theme. Ask as many questions as it takes to get what you need. This is important. Without knowing the heart of your book you will end up with something that doesn't quite sing...that gets rejections and you won't quite know why.

Author Holly Lise goes into depth about this and her entire writing process with her online course How to Revise Your Novel. I am not an affiliate. I do not get money from reffering you to her course. I just love her class. It has helped my writing in ways I cannot express. If you don't know how to get through a revision...how to do it right the FIRST time...then this is something you might want to look into.