From Rough Draft to Runway Ready

I think we can all appreciate a good glow up.

Some of my personal favorites are The Princess Diaries, Miss Congeniality, and My Fair Lady. Those iconic transformations where the beauty was always there, just waiting to be channeled, unleashed, and brought into the light for everyone to see.

That is exactly how I feel about writing revisions.

A few weeks ago, I finished the second draft of my second novel. I felt happy with it . . . well, happy enough that I took a deep breath and dove straight into the revision process.

And friends, the process of writing a novel is definitely a glow up.

The story has good bones. Most of the plot holes are filled (at least the ones I can currently see, though I fully expect my editor and beta readers will discover a few lurking in the shadows). Working on this revision has been so much fun. I am adding depth, layering emotional beats, weaving in physical sensations, refining dialogue (my favorite part), and shaping those swoon-worthy moments so they truly swell and crescendo just before we gently close the door. I am tightening the action with the hope that it makes you read as fast as you can to find out what happens next.

I am giving this story a touch of makeup, a fantastic haircut, a dimensional color, and a blowout that makes the waves really bounce. I have picked out a new dress for it, one that hugs and flows in all the right places while still letting its natural beauty and character shine.

It is a glow up, and it’s only going to get better and better.