Hello! And welcome to another blog post! Today I want to share with you how I self edit my novels prior to sending my work off to an editor.
When I write a novel I use google docs. This way I always have my WIP with me on my phone for when inspiration strikes. I write the manuscript fast and come through the process with a rough draft that has all the basics of a story. It has the setting, overarching plots, subplots, descriptions and dialogue, however there are holes and a lot of polish is required. Some sections are underwritten, others are overwritten. I also find areas of telling rather than showing and weak dialogue tags. This way of writing works well for me since my brain is racing with ideas and I don’t want to lose a single thought while I am drafting.
How do I start editing now that I have a rough draft of my manuscript?
I review my completed story bible (see my post on Story Bible Creation and Outlining- link at the bottom) to study the plot, storylines and pacing especially focusing on the list of events by chapter. I will make edits in the manuscript at this time for any gaps I find or areas that require additional flushing out.
I take a week break from my manuscript. A week is long enough that when I pick it up, my eyes and brain are fresh, but it is not so long that I feel disconnected from the story.
I open my manuscript on my iPad and play the role of reader, immersing myself in the story. This takes some practice because the writer in me wants to correct grammatical errors and make revisions, but doing so pulls you away from the story. Reading it on my iPad helps as it isn’t as easy to revise things I see on the spot. Instead I will make a note in parentheses with an “xxx” so I can easily find it and come back after I finish the read through. When I’m done playing the reader, I ask myself if the story was consistent? Did it make sense in the order it was written? Then I review my story bible once again asking those same questions.
After making the revisions from playing the reader, I go through the manuscript again, checking on the character's POV (point of view). Here I am asking myself, do I stay in one character’s head for the length of the section or chapter? I had a habit of head hopping when I first started writing and now I am in the process of retraining my writing brain to stay in one character’s head and share only their perspective and thoughts within a section. While I check for POV, I am also looking for character development. I make sure a character is acting/reacting the way that matches their personality.
Next I move onto line edits, going through the manuscript once again (or in multiple passes). I look for the following:
Efficient word choice and sentence flow
Unnecessary words, filter words and repetition
Use of active voice and strong verbs
Show vs. tell
Layer in descriptions and sensory words
Run spell and grammar check
Read through once more on my iPad
Use a text to speech program and have the story read out loud to me. I use Microsoft Word for this and make revisions as I go. At this point the revisions are usually small and can be quickly made. This step of the process is truly a game changer. I highly suggest you do this. Close your eyes and listen to your story unfold.
And that is how I self edit prior to sending the manuscript off to the editor. I still use an editor for developmental and line edits, as well as proofreading, so this is just the first step in the multi-step editing process.
Thank you for reading!
Have a happy day,
Stacey