Weaving Details and Carving Icebergs: Revising a Novel

Guest post by Andrea Torrey Balsara

When my publisher asked if I was interested in revising my young adult novel, The Great & the Small, for a second edition, I said a resounding, “YES!” Authors never get the chance to revisit a published novel…until now. My other projects got pushed aside, and for the next eight months I was all in—weaving a new story into the first edition—a story that had been on my mind a long time.

In the first edition I had focused on telling the story through the eyes of Fin, a young rat and nephew of the rat colony’s charismatic “Beloved Chairman,” and explored themes of good and evil, authoritarianism and the cost of blind obedience. However, the human protagonist, Ananda, received less attention. I hadn’t realized that her story was underdeveloped until my book-baby had already fledged into the world. I thought I’d lost my chance. Now, I seized the opportunity.

I had grown up with buried trauma and its impact was far-reaching: over-the-top reactions, emotional shutdowns, pushing people away, battling bulimia, all while the constant lure of suicide buzzed in the background. In my early twenties, the memories of what had happened resurfaced, suddenly making sense of my bizarre, inexplicable behavior throughout my childhood and teen years.

I had wanted to write about what it feels like to be a stranger in your own life and in your own body. I’d attempted several stories, but they fell flat. Nothing felt right, but now I knew why—my story had been waiting for Ananda. 

The story that I hadn’t been ready to tell for the first edition, became my guide for the second. The question was, where to begin? The first edition was like a locked house—I needed to find a way in, rearrange the furniture, and tear down some walls without burning the house down.

Tracking Chapters, Scenes and Elements

As someone with PTSD, I am easily overwhelmed. I needed a straightforward, visual, and tactile way to track everything. A spreadsheet wouldn’t cut it--I needed something I could physically handle, scribble notes on, and engage with directly. 

Using long sheets of paper, I created three columns: rats’ POV on the left, human POV on the right, and intersecting scenes in the middle. Chapters and scenes were slotted in chronologically down the page under each column, allowing me to quickly assess the balance between perspectives. No matter what kind of story is being written, mapping scenes and chapters by specific characters or elements will aid in ensuring balance.

After completing the rewrite but before resubmitting it, I reviewed each chapter to ensure nothing was overlooked, marking each one with a checkmark down the middle of the page.

To integrate new characters, behaviors, flashbacks, and locations consistently throughout the story, I listed these elements on a sticky note, color-coding them for clarity, and stuck it to my chapter/scene tracker. Each time one of these elements appeared, I marked it down using its designated color beneath the corresponding scene. This method ensured the new elements were woven consistently throughout the narrative. 

For instance, in the second edition, Ananda has an intuitive ability to communicate with animals. On my “elements” list, I wrote *animal communication in lavender. On the chapter/scene tracker, every time Ananda communicated with an animal, I used a lavender pencil to note *animal communication. 

I did that for every major element. It streamlined the revision and reduced overwhelm.

As Fin and Ananda’s narratives mirror each other with scenes often occurring on the same day, I also tracked weather and timelines. To clearly see the time and weather relationship between chapters, I highlighted timeline information in yellow, and weather in orange, sometimes drawing a line from one column to the other, to show their shared weather and time.

Writing the Iceberg…and Carving it Away

The first draft of the second edition was almost its last. I had written everything. They say that you only see 10% of an iceberg and 90% is below the surface. 

In my first draft, I poured my soul into it, writing my story, exploring every dark edge until--with brain smoking from effort and emotional catharsis--I submitted it for review. It was a tough read, I thought, but it was good.

It was good. And it was waaaaaay too much. I had written the iceberg. The whole 100%. The publisher, Kirsten Marion at Common Deer Press, was very kind but firm. No, we couldn’t publish something that would drive every single reader screaming into the nearest therapist’s office.

I was crushed. But then I realized I could pull it back. I could show the 10%, and leave the rest for the reader to fill in. It was a lightbulb moment. I dove back in and by the end of it had a much stronger story. And it was readable--no trigger warning required!

For writers tackling tough issues, carving out the 90% gives a story room to breathe even as the iceberg’s shimmering depths reverberate throughout the story.

Light and Dark--The Power of Contrast

I’m a painter and illustrator as well as a writer, and I illustrated the story. A key element in creating art is the use of light and dark--the deeper the shadow, the brighter the light appears. 

The first doomed draft of the second edition was too dark and lacked balance. For the second draft, I sprinkled moments of connection, humor and joy throughout the story, in the same way that it had been sprinkled throughout my own life.

When we write about difficult topics, finding authentic ways to add humor and hope will make the story more readable and hopefully, inspiring.

Weaving It Together

Rewriting The Great & the Small was a masterclass. It taught me the art of seamlessly weaving new elements into an existing story, carving the “iceberg” to leave room for the reader and layers of subtext, and underscored the importance of balancing darkness with light.

Whether you are writing the initial draft of your book, or revising for a second edition, charting points of view, scenes, and story elements while finding moments of contrasting light and dark, will breathe life into your narrative. Just watch for those icebergs!

Andrea Torrey Balsara, author and illustrator for children (writing as A.T. Balsara for young adults,) is set to release the second edition of her award-winning YA novel, The Great & the Small, in September 2024. This edition portrays her personal journey from darkness to light through the protagonist’s eyes. Alongside her writing & illustrating, Andrea offers school presentations and motivational speaking. She is currently pursuing certification as an Eden Energy Medicine practitioner and is working towards becoming a Reiki Master. Her energy medicine work extends to both people and animals, and she volunteers at a donkey sanctuary, where she aids in rehabilitating sickly or abused donkeys. Find Andrea at www.torreybalsara.com or connect with her on social media. 

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