Reusing material you’ve already written is a huge help during revisions.
Don’t get rid of anything permanently! Whenever I delete a scene, or even a part of a scene, I tuck it away in a OneNote notebook in case I’ll need it later. In the case of Talio’s Codex, there was an entire pages-long scene where protagonist Talio observes prosecutor Cale arguing a medical negligence hearing. I cut it for length. During the dev edits, the publisher requested I show more of Emara, another advocate. Back went the scene, with Emara replacing Cale in the hearing. A few changes, and I had a ‘brand-new’ scene much faster than I could have planned and written a new one.
Similarly, you can often change the meaning or direction of an existing scene with some judicious edits. Here’s another example from Talio’s Codex. Talio, Pazli and Darra (members of the judicial review committee) go to another city to meet Magistrate Kallis to discuss his idea of expedited hearings. The purpose of this scene was to show that other city, and advance one side of the love triangle.
During the dev edits, I decided to bring up the matter of mediation in another part of the storyline. Then it occurred to me: why not have Kallis be interested in mediation, instead of expedited hearings? That would tie him closer to the main plot, and give an additional reason for Talio et al to travel to the other city. Let’s take a look…
Original Scene
That evening, they met the magistrate at a small, cozy tavern. Kallis was a tall, gangly man with an unfashionable frizz of white hair.
“To business,” the magistrate said once they had ordered. “Let us talk expedited hearings.”
“Before we begin,” Talio said, “I would ask with respect whether we need expedited hearings at all. Most hearings in Nuciferia take only a few days, if that.” He tried to frame his objections gently. “Faster hearings seem to bring with them the chance for sloppy justice. And what if the defendant is ill for a week?”
“Excellent,” Kallis said, clapping him on the back. “Excellent points. But you are wrong.” He chewed the hunk of bread in his hand with great relish.
The other three looked at each other. “Do you have a response to Advocate Rossa’s objections?” Darra asked.
Kallis blinked and looked up. “Well yes, of course.” He waved the bread at Talio. “This is not expediency for expediency’s sake. Scodel created our legal system to provide swift, effective justice. Before his Grand Experiment, hearings in some cities could take weeks. Months. Years, even. Defendants and plaintiffs alike could end up in the poor house before a mage would reach a verdict. In fact, it put pressure on the public to avoid bringing causes of action entirely.”
Their bowls of stew arrived. Now Kallis could wave at them with his spoon instead. “The faster a hearing, the sooner a plaintiff can receive damages. The sooner an innocent person can go free. The sooner someone can file an appeal.”
“In Nuciferia, appeals are quite rare,” Pazli said. “Would you speak to the appeal process here in Aurania?” And the conversation continued.
Revised Scene
I’ve indicated the changes in bold text.
That evening, they met the magistrate at a small, cozy tavern. Kallis was a tall, gangly man with an unfashionable frizz of white hair. “To business,” the magistrate said once they had ordered. “Let us talk mediation.”
“Before we begin,” Talio said, “I would ask with respect whether we need a separate mediation system for causes of action against the government at all. Scodel was against a two-tiered system of justice.” He tried to frame his objections gently. “And there are barely any hearings against the government as it is. Doesn’t this seem like a waste of resources?”
“Excellent,” Kallis said, clapping him on the back. “Excellent points. But you are wrong.” He chewed the hunk of bread in his hand with great relish.
The other three looked at each other. “Do you have a response to Advocate Rossa’s objections?” Darra asked.
Kallis blinked and looked up. “Well yes, of course.” He waved the bread at Talio. “My plan would require a separate group of arbiters to administer the mediations. Not our dear magistrates. Possibly promoting some of the existing private advocates to these positions, so they could become experts on the issues at hand.”
Their bowls of stew arrived. Now Kallis could wave at them with his spoon instead. “Scodel may have wanted advocates to be generalists, but he created his legal system when the courts were still tiny in size. We are at a very different place today.”
“Do you imagine the mediation would still follow the underlying principles Scodel set down?” Pazli asked. “Or would there be a need for a separate framework?” And the conversation continued.
A few changes and I’ve made this far more relevant to the main storyline, while keeping the scene’s overall structure the same and saving myself time.