Yoanna - Editor | Book Coach | Writer on Instagram
Yoanna - Editor | Book Coach | Writer · Instagram post · source
4,218 likes · 19 comments · August 20, 2026
You can study these in less than 10 minutes but they definitely have an impact on your draft 🤌🏼
follow @bookish.with.yo for more writing breakdowns, tips and mindset shifts 💚
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What I always do when I start an edit is scan the draft for emotions that have been named directly. Try picking three and ask: what would make me know this without being told?
When a scene feels predictable, don’t immediately change what happens. What I do is first ask whether the reader has anything left to be uncertain about.
I like to take one important decision and list what it could cost the character practically, emotionally and relationally. If only one column has an answer, you may have room to deepen it.
I always recommend before making an important moment louder, to ask whether you could make it noticeable by breaking something the story has taught us to expect.
When planning a complication in my draft, I ask: does this merely cause trouble, or does it close a door? The second usually has more narrative weight.
I advise authors to find one neutral event in their novel and ask three characters what they think it means. If they all give roughly the same answer, their internal lenses may need sharpening.