You’ve done the impossible! You’ve finally finished your novel. But now what? This is just the rough draft, you still need to revise and edit before you can send it to others to read. Self-editing can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be a mystery with these 5 tips.
Take A Step Back
Don’t feel like you have to rush into editing your book. You may feel very excited about your work and think it’s perfect or you may be dreading having to read back though because it didn’t turn out the way you wanted. Either way, take some time away. I suggest a full 30 days but do what works best for you. You’ll come back to it with fresh eyes and a less-biased perspective.
Print Out Your Manuscript
Another great way to get a new point of view is to read your work printed out, rather than on my computer or phone screen. It’s tempting to save yourself a bit of time and money by keeping everything digital, but having a hard copy of your book is invaluable. You’ll read the book differently and can handwrite notes to yourself for editing.
Color-Code Your Notes
Grab a few different color pens, high lighters, tabs or whatever best helps you organize your thoughts and notes. I like to have one color for “problem areas” that I can’t figure out how to fix yet, another color for areas that need more details or explanation, and a separate color for typos. When I go back to read later on, I can adjust my revision by color.
Read Your Words Aloud
If you’re like me and are absolutely terrible with typos and wordiness, reading your work aloud will save your life. It will help you find misspelled words and sentences that are just too long. You’ll also find the sections with tricky phrasing because you’ll stumble over the words as you read. If you’re very uncomfortable reading your own words out loud, most word processors have a “Read Aloud” function you can use.
Act Out Your Problem Scenes
If there are scenes and moments in your book that just don’t feel right, consider putting yourself in the scene by acting it out. What do you see? What do you smell and hear? What emotions are you feeling? It’ll help you better picture the moment and be able to figure out what element you’re struggling with.
