Joyce Carol Oates’s Tips for Revising a Novel or Short Story

Completing the first draft of a story is a big accomplishment. You’ve probably produced a great deal of world building and character development, with an A-story revolving around your main character and various subplots that rope in ancillary characters. As impressive as all this is, your work has only just begun. The revision process is where good stories become great novels, where an interesting plot can become a gripping bestseller thriller that wows literary agents, critics, and audiences alike.