The Art of Editing: Polishing Your Novel

I won’t lie, aside from Grammarly, I have published without doing much editing, but in my defense, I thought that was all I needed.

Talking to other writers, I realized that editing is the most overlooked part of writing. The general belief is that editing should only focus on fixing grammar errors.

My editing process entails converting my first draft, which I call my “raw material” into a work that can be published. Why is editing so important, though?

Editing is More Than Just Proofreading

The first thing I want you to realize is that editing is more than just fixing typos and grammar mistakes. It is you refining your story, improving your characters, and ensuring that your story is passing the message you want it to pass. Here are some key aspects of the editing process:

Revising: This involves changing your story. You know that feeling when you go back to read your books and some scenes or dialogues just feel irrelevant or you just want to add to it? That’s revising.

Editing: This is the stage where you refine your writing style, clarify your story for readers, and ensure that it flows well and is articulate.

Proofreading: This involves checking for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your story.

Self editing is challenging though, and I hardly do that anymore these days. However, here are some helpful tips that I use when editing my novels myself.

Take a break: Don’t drain yourself by editing immediately after you are done writing. I give myself a week’s break before I pick up my first draft and start editing. This gives me a fresh perspective.

Read aloud: Reading your manuscript aloud will help you identify awkward phrases and pacing issues in your writing.

Use editing tools: Though I will advise you not to get too dependent on it, there are a lot of tools that can help you identify errors and improve your writing.

Ask for feedback: You can share your writing with friends and family and ask them to share their opinions on how you can improve.

Working with a Beta Reader or Editor

While self-editing is very good and important to help become a better writer, there are also benefits to working with beta readers or editors. They can provide you with fresh perspectives on your worries, identify weaknesses, and offer valuable feedback.

Beta readers: They are typically unpaid volunteers who read your manuscript and give feedback on it.

Editors: They are professionals who can help improve your writing at a deeper level. They can help with everything from plot development to character development and writing style.

Remember, editing is a process and not a one-time event. Also, you will see a lot of errors in your manuscript, which are normal. Don’t kick yourself or hate yourself for it. Just work on the holes and make it better. It may take several rounds of editing for the book to be perfect but that’s fine. Be kind to yourself and your manuscript.

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