The drafting process of writing a book is extremely important, but the editing process shouldn't be forgotten. No piece of literature becomes a masterpiece after only the first draft and although editing occurs near the end of the writing process, it is essential. Editing helps tweak and transform a jumbled piece of writing, into a bestseller! But, it's not always as simple as it sounds. Editing your piece of writing can be hard, after all, your novel is your baby and it can be hard to revise it. Thankfully, I have collected the 10 best tips for self-editing your work.
Start With The Big Picture, Then Narrow It Down
The first thing you should examine when editing your work is how the story develops. Look for any issues with the storyline and how the story progresses. Make sure each chapter is important and flows with the story. Every book should have a logical succession of events, there shouldn't be any inconsistent plot holes. The first part of editing should be spent identifying plot holes and fixing them. Another feature of "big picture" editing is making sure characters are complete. Boring stories are typically the consequence of boring characters, so when editing look through all the characters and make sure they're three-dimensional and believable. Be sure that every character has fears, a motive, and quirks.
Read It Aloud
Reading your story aloud will highlight problems in your story. It may help you identify hard-to-understand sentences, poor word choice, and more. When reading your story, it is best to read now and edit later. Although it is appropriate to edit minor details (i.e. misspelling or incorrect punctuation), you shouldn't edit major, big-picture mistakes. Stopping to edit may disrupt your flow and attention, instead quickly jot down notes and continue reading.
Edit Scene By Scene
When you edit your work it is helpful to edit by scenes. Every scene should have a purpose and shouldn't be random. It may introduce characters, kill a character, escalate conflict, or advance the motive of a character. When you edit each scene individually, you can dive deep into the scene and focus on what you need to change. Make sure the opening and ending are engaging and the dialogue is strong.*
Don't Feel Bad About Deleting Scenes
Deleting scenes can be difficult, especially for new writers. Everything you write from emotion is vulnerable, which is why it can be hard to press delete when editing, however, it won't be that bad. When you are editing you will find sentences (and even scenes) that you need to delete. It is important to remember that by deleting redundant and unnecessary words or scenes, you are improving your novel, rather than making it worse. Readers don't want to read writing that feels unnecessary, so by deleting useless parts, you are bettering your work. Your first and second drafts won't be flawless, they will need to be edited, so although it may feel hard it is okay to delete parts of your writing.
Show Don't Tell
Make sure that the majority of what you write is "showing" not "telling." If you have something you want readers to know show it with actions rather than telling it. When editing make sure you primarily use showing because it is more expressive and powerful than telling.
Focus On The Characters
Characters are super important in writing and carry the book. Ask yourself, "Will my readers find these characters relatable and interesting?" If you feel a character doesn't have a purpose or won't be interesting, you need to give them a purpose or remove them from the story. When you edit keep in mind that even minor characters should feel three-dimensional.
Imagine Writing For A 12-Year-Old
A good rule of thumb for editing is to imagine writing for a 12-year-old. Even though your book may not be intended for tweens, if you write as though a 12-year-old is reading, your writing will be more concise and easy to understand. You don't need to dumb down your writing or make it super simple, but envisioning a young person reading your work will force you to be direct and understandable, which is important for any reader.
Set Editing Goals
To edit your book promptly, it is helpful to set goals. Your goals should be descriptive and attainable. Break up your novel into sections that you can edit based on your goals. For example, edit one chapter per day or two scenes every hour. You may want to try editing two chapters to understand your speed, before creating goals.
Avoid Unnecessary Words
No one wants to read a story packed with unnecessary or random lines or words. Redundancies can make a simple point hard to understand and even though, it is easy to include redundancies in writing when revising make sure to cut out useless words. Don't try to preach a message by repeating a point several times in different ways. Trust that your audience will understand the point you are trying to get across. When we speak we often include many words that don't need to be there and we include these words in our writing. When looking at your work, be aware of the usage of these words:
Um
So
Just
Basically
Like
Just
Even though you haven't reached the end, reaching the editing process is a huge accomplishment and no easy feat, so you should be proud! Editing may be challenging, but I hope these 10 tips help you feel less confused and help you self-edit your novel.