A Five-Pass Revision Checklist: Fix the Big Things Before the Small Ones

What happens when you fix sentences first

Many people finish a draft and start polishing from the first sentence. But if you later fix the structure and have to cut that scene entirely, the time you spent polishing its sentences disappears. Revision is more efficient when you go from big problems down to small ones.

Try the five passes below in order. It matters to decide that each pass looks for only one kind of problem. Even if you notice a structural problem while reading sentences, just leave a note and deal with it in that pass.

Pass 1. Structure

Summarize the whole work one line per scene to make a list. Looking only at the list, check the following.

• Does the story still hold together without this scene? (If so, it's a candidate for cutting.)
• Is there a scene that would create more tension if the order were changed?
• Is there a missing scene, such as a character's decision or the trigger for a conflict?
• Are the turning points in the right places?

Pass 2. Characters and settings

• Are each character's speech and behavior consistent from start to finish?
• Is the reason a character changes shown clearly enough?
• Have the seeds you planted earlier paid off?
• Are there contradictions in settings such as time, place and age?

Pass 3. Scenes

Write the purpose of each scene in one sentence. A scene whose purpose is hard to state is a scene with a problem. If a scene only delivers information, add a line of conflict or emotion. If the same feeling repeats, see whether you can merge scenes into one.

Pass 4. Sentences

Now polish the sentences. Reading aloud lets your ears catch what sounds awkward.

• Places where the same sentence pattern or ending repeats three or more times
• Sentences so long you run out of breath
• Expressions that drain force, such as "it was the case that..." or "it could be said that..."
• Repeated words with overlapping meaning (for example, "advance warning" or "revert back")

Pass 5. Proofreading

Finally, check spelling, spacing and punctuation, typos and how character names are written. Run a spell checker once, then check by hand the proper nouns and homophones it misses. It is more efficient to do this pass once the text is nearly final.

Rest between passes

I recommend leaving about a day between passes. Distance from the text brings you closer to the eyes of a first-time reader. If a deadline leaves no room to rest, slip in even a short break such as a walk or a meal between passes. If you keep looking at the same screen, your eyes keep missing the same errors.

Try it yourself: practice the five passes on one episode

At first, doing all five passes takes a long time. Until you get used to it, try keeping at least pass 1 and pass 4. Just the habit of looking at structure first changes how efficient your revision is.

1. Pick an episode you've already written, make a one-line summary of each scene and see whether any scene can be cut (Pass 1).
2. Mark whether each character's speech and behavior is consistent (Pass 2).
3. Write the purpose of each scene in one sentence (Pass 3).
4. Read aloud and fix awkward sentences (Pass 4).
5. Finally, run a spell check (Pass 5). Leave at least a few hours between passes.