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Beyond the First Draft: Deep Novel Revision
BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT supplies the tools to understand and polish every aspect of the novel. How do you escalate work from good to great, from a manuscript to a published novel? This comprehensive, accessible book offers not only tips and techniques, but encouragement and motivation.
How often do writers say, “What’s wrong, and how do I fix it?” As a writing instructor, novelist, and writing coach, Laurel Yourke realizes that the number of writers starved for knowledge of craft is countless.
Decades of first-hand experience inspired BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT. What makes fiction work? Revision! And superficial revision only wastes time. The real transformation begins when the writer examines and reworks the deep structure of scenario, scene, and sentence. Analysis, illustrations, checklists, charts, and exercises help the writer to diagnose the issues directly pertinent to a particular manuscript. Of the many writing guides on the market today, none use this combination of myths and tips to promote clarity and practicality. And since revision can feel overwhelming, the book urges writers not only to assess weaknesses, but to capitalize on individual strengths.
How often do writers say, “What’s wrong, and how do I fix it?” As a writing instructor, novelist, and writing coach, Laurel Yourke realizes that the number of writers starved for knowledge of craft is countless.
Decades of first-hand experience inspired BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT. What makes fiction work? Revision! And superficial revision only wastes time. The real transformation begins when the writer examines and reworks the deep structure of scenario, scene, and sentence. Analysis, illustrations, checklists, charts, and exercises help the writer to diagnose the issues directly pertinent to a particular manuscript. Of the many writing guides on the market today, none use this combination of myths and tips to promote clarity and practicality. And since revision can feel overwhelming, the book urges writers not only to assess weaknesses, but to capitalize on individual strengths.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 21, 2018
4 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 31, 2020
Beyond the First Draft by Laurel Yourke is the greatest novel revision guide bar none. I’ve been an editor for ten years now; I have learned more from this book than I learned in college classes and high-dollar conferences. The amount of knowledge in this book is worth ten times the retail price.
Yourke said, “Revision is even more important than talent, yet many novelists dread it. That's because they omit the ‘vision’ part.”
She genuinely wants writers to enjoy the revision process as much as they enjoy the writing process. I didn’t think revision could be this fun until I read her book. After each lesson, I felt excited to make revisions! Who would’ve thought that could even happen . . .
The foundation of Yourke’s teachings are built upon thesaurus syndrome versus deep revision. I’m sad to admit it, but even I’ve fallen prey to thesaurus syndrome, which is altering individual words instead of revising deeply. With deep revision, the writer will diagnose and strengthen characterization and plot. Once this clicks, you almost can’t help but to write a better novel.
I was so impressed by this book that I used it as a curriculum for the Yukon Writers’ Society (YWS) here in Oklahoma. As the organizer for YWS, I wanted my members to strive for greatness in their stories. I wanted them to understand what goes into an unforgettable novel. I am convinced that Beyond the First Draft has been the best thing to happen to YWS this year. Maybe even since I took over in 2017. We all learned so much—from beginner to advanced—and have been able to apply it to our stories. As a group, we soaked up Laurel’s teachings and applied them.
I highlighted so many paragraphs in this book too. I wrote notes in the margins and used sticky tabs for my favorite parts. This is a book you will come back to again and again. It also makes the perfect gift for a writer friend in your life.
My favorite lessons in Yourke’s book are:
—Abstract vs. Concrete Imagery
—Dilemmas
—The 4 Cs from Aristotle: 1) Characterization; 2) Credibility, 3) Causality, and 4) Coherence
—Inciting Incident
—Pressure Points
—Scene vs. Summary (this was life-changing for some of my members!)
—Sexy Syntax
Favorite Quotes:
“Instead of changing how or how often you revise, why not change your perception of the process? Revision isn’t a tedious cleanup after a lovely dinner; it’s the exciting culmination.”
“Why read a book on revising your novel? Because you love your characters. So it can—and should be—an act of love.”
“Novels feel contrived when novelists insert mishap, luck, or talent as needed. Overnight rock star success can astound your protagonist, but never your readers. Nor should a contemporary deus ex machina, or divine intervention, rescue your helpless hero with a conveniently positioned ally or automatic machine gun.”
“Fiction creates the exquisite illusion of timelessness by maintaining the perfect pace.”
“Verbose, stiff, or impenetrable sentences don’t merely irritate—they bury the prose that evokes a small smile of price.”
“Unless you know exactly what you want to say, how beautifully can you say it?”
“Any word that can be a verb should be.”
“Verbs tease and tantalize. They dazzle, darken edges, and drizzle sensuality. Exercise them. Reduce flabby syntax. Better still, metaphorical verbs capture the complex, ephemeral nature of emotion.”
“Rhythm, variety, and echo orchestrate not just poetry, but prose. Some writers sense this intuitively: ‘That’s a pretty sentence!’”
Thank You
A very special thank-you to Laurel Yourke and her team for providing me with a copy of my new favorite book. I am indebted to you!
Five sparkling stars.
Yourke said, “Revision is even more important than talent, yet many novelists dread it. That's because they omit the ‘vision’ part.”
She genuinely wants writers to enjoy the revision process as much as they enjoy the writing process. I didn’t think revision could be this fun until I read her book. After each lesson, I felt excited to make revisions! Who would’ve thought that could even happen . . .
The foundation of Yourke’s teachings are built upon thesaurus syndrome versus deep revision. I’m sad to admit it, but even I’ve fallen prey to thesaurus syndrome, which is altering individual words instead of revising deeply. With deep revision, the writer will diagnose and strengthen characterization and plot. Once this clicks, you almost can’t help but to write a better novel.
I was so impressed by this book that I used it as a curriculum for the Yukon Writers’ Society (YWS) here in Oklahoma. As the organizer for YWS, I wanted my members to strive for greatness in their stories. I wanted them to understand what goes into an unforgettable novel. I am convinced that Beyond the First Draft has been the best thing to happen to YWS this year. Maybe even since I took over in 2017. We all learned so much—from beginner to advanced—and have been able to apply it to our stories. As a group, we soaked up Laurel’s teachings and applied them.
I highlighted so many paragraphs in this book too. I wrote notes in the margins and used sticky tabs for my favorite parts. This is a book you will come back to again and again. It also makes the perfect gift for a writer friend in your life.
My favorite lessons in Yourke’s book are:
—Abstract vs. Concrete Imagery
—Dilemmas
—The 4 Cs from Aristotle: 1) Characterization; 2) Credibility, 3) Causality, and 4) Coherence
—Inciting Incident
—Pressure Points
—Scene vs. Summary (this was life-changing for some of my members!)
—Sexy Syntax
Favorite Quotes:
“Instead of changing how or how often you revise, why not change your perception of the process? Revision isn’t a tedious cleanup after a lovely dinner; it’s the exciting culmination.”
“Why read a book on revising your novel? Because you love your characters. So it can—and should be—an act of love.”
“Novels feel contrived when novelists insert mishap, luck, or talent as needed. Overnight rock star success can astound your protagonist, but never your readers. Nor should a contemporary deus ex machina, or divine intervention, rescue your helpless hero with a conveniently positioned ally or automatic machine gun.”
“Fiction creates the exquisite illusion of timelessness by maintaining the perfect pace.”
“Verbose, stiff, or impenetrable sentences don’t merely irritate—they bury the prose that evokes a small smile of price.”
“Unless you know exactly what you want to say, how beautifully can you say it?”
“Any word that can be a verb should be.”
“Verbs tease and tantalize. They dazzle, darken edges, and drizzle sensuality. Exercise them. Reduce flabby syntax. Better still, metaphorical verbs capture the complex, ephemeral nature of emotion.”
“Rhythm, variety, and echo orchestrate not just poetry, but prose. Some writers sense this intuitively: ‘That’s a pretty sentence!’”
Thank You
A very special thank-you to Laurel Yourke and her team for providing me with a copy of my new favorite book. I am indebted to you!
Five sparkling stars.
January 28, 2019
I just finished my second read (and study) of Laurel Yourke’s Beyond the First Draft: Deep Novel Revision. As a result, my novel’s manuscript has vastly improved. How do I know? Not only from the feedback of my writer’s critique group, but also from my own subjective impression: when you write something that hits the mark, you know it.
Many excellent fiction writing books are on the market. How to choose? This book stands out in its focus on deep revision. It’s a serious book, intended for those who’ve completed a first, second or third draft, but want to take the next qualitative leap.
Can a book be both accessible and sophisticated? This one is. It’s chalk-full of the writing wisdom Laurel spent decades developing, refining, and distilling. Beautifully arranged in bite-sized chunks, it’s easy on the eyes, full of insight, and a delight to read.
Of the many insights offered, the most unique is Laurel’s brilliant and original Character Presence (CP) system. She breaks down and makes intelligible the various levels of character presence in each sentence, paragraph, page, and scene of your manuscript.
In my first read-through I found this system challenging; I’m glad I took on the challenge because it has yielded powerful results.
Writing in first person, I felt stymied about bringing in a larger perspective without violating point-of-view. I also lacked insight into balancing the narrator’s and the character’s contributions; the character’s inner thoughts with physical action. Studying Yourke’s book has helped me become more competent and versatile in handling these issues. Strongly recommended.
September 25, 2018
The first draft of my novel came in at a hefty 176,000 words. It took three years, twenty beta readers, and four editors to chisel it down to 113,000 words. It was finally done. Not so fast. I queried countless agents and received little interest. Last summer Laurel Yourke did a talk at a conference I attended about revision. After her presentation, I spoke with her about the lack of interest in my novel. When I told her the word count, she informed me no agent was going to sign me at that word count. I purchased her book and went to work. This last revision was excruciating as it became clear I needed to cut two plot layers, a number of scenes, and several characters to get the word count down to 99,000 words. The pain was eased when I had some trusted beta readers read this version and inform me that this latest draft was indeed leaner and more polished than the last one. They did not miss what I cut. I sent more queries out and received requests for partial and full manuscripts and two offers of representation. Deep revision is hard—really hard—but critical in crafting a compelling story. Many thanks to Laurel for pushing me out of my comfort zone. Highly recommended for serious writers.
January 27, 2019
First of all, I love the heart of this book comes from a teacher. Laurel Yourke had me on this point to begin with. Then, the inviting voice...the clear organization...reading this was a joy, especially for someone who teaches, as well as someone who writes.
The chapters go by smoothly and are easy on the eyes. Yourke includes phrases and ideas that I am sure, whether I mean to or not, I will be citing when I teach my own students. These ideas will also come back as I engage in yet another draft of my own work.
Yourke hits the macro concepts in this text, including the power of creating a working narrative, and even dips into the micro ideas of syntax and structure.
I'm glad I had the chance to read this book, and I appreciate its well-written nature. There's nothing as ironic as a book about writing that isn't well-composed, but Yourke succeeds. I will happily point students to this text as I guide them through their own stories.
The chapters go by smoothly and are easy on the eyes. Yourke includes phrases and ideas that I am sure, whether I mean to or not, I will be citing when I teach my own students. These ideas will also come back as I engage in yet another draft of my own work.
Yourke hits the macro concepts in this text, including the power of creating a working narrative, and even dips into the micro ideas of syntax and structure.
I'm glad I had the chance to read this book, and I appreciate its well-written nature. There's nothing as ironic as a book about writing that isn't well-composed, but Yourke succeeds. I will happily point students to this text as I guide them through their own stories.
October 18, 2019
Eureka! I’ve found it! BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT is the writing craft book I’ve been searching for. I’d never imagined that receiving multiple awards for my first novel would prove so daunting to finishing my second. But with the added pressure of meeting the expectations brought on by critical success, and with my sequel sprawling ever wider, I needed nothing short of divine intervention to govern my revision process. Dr. Yourke’s book has proven to be just that godsend. From such details as structure and syntax to the complex relationship between author, narrator and character, and her groundbreaking guidelines for nuancing character presence, Dr. Yourke makes it all understandable, and more importantly, doable. You’ll leave your first reading of BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT with a clear plan of revision and the confidence to see that plan through to fruition. With the help of Dr. Yourke’s book, I’m sure my sequel will exceed the successes of my first novel, and more importantly, will serve to delight my readers. If your serious about writing, you seriously need her book! I'm happy to give BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT an enthusiastic five stars. G. Egore Pitir, author of the award winning novel, FACE OF OUR FATHER.
December 16, 2019
I have been working on my first novel for years—and seriously working on it for the last 8 years. Over those years, I’ve spent more dollars on “how to” books than I care to count.
This lady’s “Beyond The First Draft” deserves to be on the desk and within arm’s reach of anyone who considers themselves a serious writer.
(Which is why I haven’t listed a Finished Date—because this book is a resource I am constantly referring back to...)
Full of practical advice and suggestions that so often have prompted me to ask myself “why didn’t I see that before?”
Best writing/editing reference book I’ve read to date...
This lady’s “Beyond The First Draft” deserves to be on the desk and within arm’s reach of anyone who considers themselves a serious writer.
(Which is why I haven’t listed a Finished Date—because this book is a resource I am constantly referring back to...)
Full of practical advice and suggestions that so often have prompted me to ask myself “why didn’t I see that before?”
Best writing/editing reference book I’ve read to date...
September 20, 2020
A Valuable Support Text
The short manageable chapters of Yourke's book contain useful advice that you can immediately apply to your writing style. A must have for anyone working on their 1st, 10th, or 1000th revision. Thank you so much, Laura for writing this.
The short manageable chapters of Yourke's book contain useful advice that you can immediately apply to your writing style. A must have for anyone working on their 1st, 10th, or 1000th revision. Thank you so much, Laura for writing this.
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