Maybe I'm just panicking...

Ooft - that sounds like a bit of an emotional blow! Stay strong, MinaJane, you can do this

I'm not sure how much you normally like to plot in advance versus writing it as it comes, but it might be helpful to take a step back and look at the big picture. What's the structure of your story? Beginning/middle/end, three acts, major plot points - however works for you.
Once you have that template of what needs to happen, you can compare it to what you've written and identify any gaps, or if anything needs to be moved around. With those "bones" in place, you can add on the flesh of characterisation, etc., with a bit more clarity.

TheMontess and Maryn both have great advice. I just want to add that maybe you should focus on editing one aspect of the story at a time? Go through the entire story once and just look for the info-dump parts. Then go through again and just look at the characterization. It will definitely be a long process, but it'll be worth it in the end.

My advice would be to finish your edits, take a break, then go back fresh and reread. It can be really hard to be objective when you're right in the thick of it. Also, sometimes giving yourself time for reflection can help you clear up those problem spots.

MinaJane said:

As I said before, I'm revising my book, trying to clean up all the paragraphs of info dump, deleting unnecessary dialogue tags, and struggling through this "show, don't tell" nightmare.

Click to expand...

My writing method involves a chapter outline and nothing more. That means that the early chapters are often pure garbage. In the first draft, their only purpose is to get me started. Before long, the story takes off on its own and the characters are fully developed. But those first garbage chapters are the ones that a potential reader will use to decide whether to continue reading. So they deserve a lot of effort. There are two techniques I use.

(1) Rewrite the chapters, sometimes several times, in order to incorporate early character portrayal. This is a process that I have to do just right. I don't try to paint a detailed picture of the characters. Just a few details that are critical to the story, and I let the reader make up the rest. This process has to happen early, because by the end of chapter 1, your reader already has mental images of your characters, especially the main ones, and you tinker with those at your peril. At the same time, there has to be enough movement in the plot to intrigue a reader to carry on.

(2) The second method is to write a first chapter (formerly called a prologue) that may be out of chronological order, but injects something intense, in our genre, an explicit sex scene, in order to entice a reader to plow through those drab early chapters. In one of my stories, I discovered that I had to burrow though five chapters of introductory material before the first sex scene. So I wrote a new chapter 1 set six years earlier, in which my FMC had her first intense sexual encounter. It comes back to haunt her much later in the story.

EDIT: Let me add that Browne and King's 'Self Editing for Fiction Writers' is the most valuable tool a confused writer can have. It has helped me out of may a jam, and I re-read it at intervals just to keep fresh. My copy is at my elbow as I write this.

Dangerous Bill

Also remember to take a break from editing once in a while. Going layer-by-layer can seem like a long and daunting task, so when you're getting frustrated, save it, close the program, walk away, grab a lemonade (or your preferred drink), and breathe. Watch some TV, cook dinner, etc.


My method is "just write it". I might write out some notes if I need them before writing a chapter, but regardless, I just write. Which usually means my first drafts are extremely messy. So, yes, a short rest between edits is necessary.

I am a scatterbrained as it comes with writing. I, like you, have been there. And returned there. And did it again with my edits. Everything posted on this thread is amazing advice! The only thing I can add is to yes do some edits, but don’t let it paralyze you to where you do not add new work to your story. Go back and forth between adding new content and revising the old. This way, writing and editing are not so overwhelming. If you only edit then completing the rest of your story can seem daunting. If you do no edits until you finish the entire story, that is daunting as well.


I know I repeated myself over and over I can’t stress how important it is to keep what you do fresh.


I would also suggest you read (or listen to as I did) the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She has inspired me. She explains the troubles that even successful author has. She has good advice on how she dealt with feelings of doubt how she handled being overwhelmed.


Thank you for posting what you are going through. It reminds me to remember that I am not alone.

You are not alone!

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've hit "save as" and then proceeded to butcher my story to the point there is nothing left but bones. But don't be too hard on yourself, every time you sit down and write/edit etc you are growing, learning and that is a good thing. Think about it this way....anybody who has ever learned to do anything has learned through failure, like riding a bicycle or skating or painting or playing the piano.....nobody(well except the rare genius) has to practice and work really hard.

Being a Canadian here's a great quote I like "You miss 100% of the shots you never take" Wayne Gretzky So never quite trying and writing and changing things. Maybe you will write the beginnings of a hundred novels....surely one will stick

On top of what others have said, I'd just reiterate to take a break for a while. And not just a day or two, but a week or two. Even a month, if you can stomach it that long. Work on something else, or jot down ideas you have for what you're working on now, but don't try to insert them into the story yet.

When you come back you'll be able to see it clearer--either it's not as bad as you thought (we've all been there), or, worst case, it is, but you'll be able to see more clearly what you need to do to fix it.

I've come back to a project only to realize it's not nearly as bad as I thought it was. On the other hand, I've decided to entirely rewrite a 100k word novel from scratch because i decided it was unsalvageable. Both of these decisions came after a hefty break to grow new eyes, though. Either way, don't despair!

This is first draft, right? Have you considered mind-mapping to get your structure into a visual form? You can do it on paper, and there are lots of mindmapping software titles out there - many of them free - for Mac, Linux and Windows.

I’ve come to view story problems as gifts: right there on the page is a problem alerting you to it. Far better than to sense something’s wrong, and yet be unable to see it.