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You’ve completed the first full draft of your book. Congratulations! You’ve achieved what most people aspire to but few accomplish.
Now comes the crucial step that every book needs but too few writers understand: editing.
Don’t let the process of making your book more cohesive and polished intimidate you. Here are some practical tips to help you edit for maximum effect.
1. Take a Break
Before diving into edits, step away from your manuscript for a few days or even weeks. This cooling off period will give you fresh eyes on your story when you get back to work.
Related: How to Think Like a Publisher
2. Read the Entire Manuscript
Read your manuscript from start to finish without making any edits. Even better, read it out loud to yourself. Best of all, have someone else read it to you. You’ll get a better idea of how your readers will perceive the book and shed light on issues that need your attention.
3. Dev Edit
Start with a developmental edit to ensure your story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Each chapter, paragraph, and sentence should serve a purpose that contributes to the overall narrative. Reorganize or cut sections that don’t add value to the plot or character development.
4. Strengthen Your Characters
Make sure your characters are well-developed and portrayed with consistency. Each character should demonstrate a distinct voice, clear motives, and measurable growth over the course of the book. Remove any unnecessary characters or merge them to streamline the story.
Related: How to Handle World Building
5. Eliminate Redundancies
Look for echoes: repetitive phrases, descriptions, or dialogue. Echoes can slow down the pacing and bore readers. Bored readers put down books, and a book that’s put down has a coin flip chance of ever being picked up again. So don’t give readers an excuse! Be concise and ensure each sentence drives the story forward.
6. Refine Dialogue
New authors are inundated with ideas of what good dialogue is. But it’s easier to describe what good dialogue isn’t. It’s not purple prose. Nor is it real-life speech. Instead, effecitve dialogue is the best of IRL speech. When insulted, your characters should deliver the kind of perfect comeback that only comes to you in the middle of the night. They should talk like they have an expert author writing for them. Because they do – YOU!
7. Check for Consistency
Ensure continuity when it comes to names, descriptions, and timelines. Create a checklist or use a tracking document to keep details consistent throughout your manuscript. Outlines drawn up before writing – or afterward for pantsers – work wonders here.
Related: How to Master Pacing
8. Enhance Descriptions
Review your descriptive passages to ensure they are vivid and engaging. Use sensory details to immerse readers in the setting, but avoid overloading them with unnecessary information. A good rule of thumb is to give the three most important details of any character, setting, or important object the first time it’s introduced. At least one detail should always be non-visual.
9. Line Edit
Focus on sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. Look for awkward phrasing or convoluted sentences. Don’t use seven words when five will do or use five when you can get away with three. Aim for clarity and readability over cleverness. Remember: Bored or confused readers stop reading.
10. Get Feedback
Share your edited draft with a trusted friend, writer’s group, or beta readers. Constructive feedback can highlight problems you may have overlooked and offer new insights.
Related: How to Manage Your Influences
11. Avoid Editing Tools
Resist the temptation to use software like Grammarly or Microsoft Editor to catch grammar issues and improve readability. I’ve done extensive experimentation with multiple editing programs, and they all suffer from the same forced brain rot that infects all corporate sfotware products these days. If you want your prose to sound like it was written by an alternate universe version of Joss Whedon who works in a junior coillege HR department, go ahead. But it’s your funeral.
12. Hire a Professional Editor
Hiring a professional editor is invaluable. An experienced editor can provide the objectivity you can’t get alone and a knowledge base far beyond beta readers’. If you want your car tuned for ultimate performance, you go to an expert mechanic. If you want to get in top shape, you book time with a personal trainer. If you want to maximize your book’s emotional impact, you hire a pro editor.
Editing is a vital part of the writing process that requires patience and attention to detail. Following these tips will help you prepare your book for success.
Happy editing!
The deep lore of Tolkien meets the brutal struggle of Glen Cook in the dark fantasy prelude to the acclaimed Soul Cycle.
