How to Survive the Editing Process
Writing a first draft takes so much of your time and energy. When you finish something, celebrate your accomplishment! Itâs proof of your creativity and hard work.
If you want people to read your work, then itâs time to edit.
Editing can seem scary. Daunting. Confusing.
Use these tips to get started.
1. Take a Break from Your Work
Itâs so important to let your brain reset after finishing any story. Close your draft and spend the next few days or weeks doing other hobbies. When you feel ready to return with a newly energized, distanced perspective, youâll get your best editing work done.
2. Start With Developmental Editing
Writers often think that they have to start editing line by line, looking for grammar and spelling issues. While youâre free to do that, youâre likely going to add and remove plenty of content before your final draft is done.Â
Instead, start with developmental editing. Read through your work and take notes about how the larger plot points are working or not working. Does each chapter move your characters through each point on your plot outline or your visualized storyline?
This step may involve adding new scenes or removing others. It can also mean reworking old scenes so theyâre less wordy, more descriptive, more actionable, or whatever you feel like is missing.
Take notes about plot holes too. You donât have to fix them on your first read-through, but note where theyâre happening and why theyâre holes. You can return in your second read-through to address them.
You can also break your developmental editing into questions, like:
What is my storyâs theme and does each chapter support that theme?
What does every character want and do they achieve that? Why or why not?
What motivates each character? Do they retain that motivation or develop a new one to better serve the plot? (Sometimes writers forget about initial character motivations while getting lost in the writing process. This is the time to revisit that!)
Do you have a beginning, an inciting incident, building through the middle, and payoff at the end? (You can have much more than these, but these are very basic plot mechanics to look for.)
3. Save and Start a Second Draft
After reading through your manuscript and noting the things above, create a copy for your second draft and start working on your notes. Itâs good to have a separate second copy in case you want to include something from the original draft later on or just want to compare where you story started/how it ended up.
Again, youâre not supposed to worry about line work at this point. Focus on bigger-picture story issues like plot mechanics, how scenes work/donât work, plot holes, and your theme(s).
Reminder: thereâs no timeline for getting these steps done. Work when you have the energy and take breaks when you donât. Your manuscript will stay right where you save it.
When youâve worked through your list of notes, make a copy of your manuscript and start Round 3. Reread your story and start a new list of bigger-picture notes as needed. This time, the list should be shorter or include new notes that you didnât catch before. They may also include notes for new scenes you just added.
The point of this reread is to make sure that your manuscript still works. Your plot shouldnât have any holes, it should flow smoothly, and it should be engaging.Â
Hereâs a key concern for many writers: how do you edit your story without getting away from your original intentions?
Keep your eyes locked on why you write your original draft. If you make edits/scene removals or additions with that purpose or theme in mind, your story will stay on track. It may eventually look completely different than what you originally wrote (if thatâs your editing journey), but the heart of it will remain the same.
Try posting your storyâs purpose or theme on a sticky note attached to your monitor.
You could also write the theme in your documentâs header so it appears on every page.
5. Save and Start a Fourth Draft
Yes, itâs time for another new copy thatâs your official fourth draft.
Rememberâyou can still walk away and return to your work later! Burnout wonât result in the story youâve been working so hard to create. Get some sleep, see some friends, enjoy your other hobbies. Youâll come back ready to go.
The fourth draft is another chance to read through your work and ensure that everything works. Your chapters should get your characters closer to your theme/purpose with each page. The scenes should flow, not repeat information, and keep you engaged.
When you have a small list of edits or none at all, itâs time to start line work.
The spell check feature of any word processing software is a lifesaver, but itâs also not perfect. Youâre going to have sentence structures that spell check deems incorrect when it actually works for your writing style or character. Youâll have fake names you made up that spell check wants to change.
If you use spell check, proceed slowly. Read every sentence with a flagged issue to make sure itâs a good or bad suggestion.
You can double your line work by combing through it by yourself. Print your story and grab a highlighter or use the highlight feature on your computer. Note linework issues that you can fix with a quick edit when you get a chance, like:
Inconsistent capitalization or spelling
Formatting issues (spelling out numbers vs using numerals, etc.)
Using the wrong tense in some paragraphs or chapters
Inserting indents as needed
Extra spaces between paragraphs
6. Send Your Work to Beta Readers
Repeat the saving, making a copy, and editing as many times as you want. When you feel like youâve got your strongest draft yet, you can send it to beta readers.
How you define beta readers depends on your specific situation. You may have a few writing friends who know the craft well and will read your work with a professional eye. You might have a family member or best friend who doesnât know about the craft of writing but always reads your work.
There are also places like Reddit threads and Facebook groups where people volunteer as beta readers.
The primary reason to get fresh eyes on your work is to get notes from someone who hasnât been working on the content for months or years.Â
Their advice might not always be usable, but itâs still an important part of editing. Your beta reader might suggest points where they lost interest because your pacing slows down or point out places where you described your protagonist as having long hair when they have short hair during the rest of the story.
Youâll know which suggestions are actionable and which arenât based on whoâs speaking and how it resonates with your storyâs purpose. Youâll probably get better advice from other writers who have been through editing before, but that doesnât mean their advice will always be correct.
Check in with your storyâs purpose or theme before taking action on a beta readerâs notes.
When Should You Stop Editing?
One of the final battles during your editing experience will be recognizing when you can stop working on your manuscript.
There will always be moments where you could think of a new scene or a new way to rewrite a scene. That doesnât mean you have to!
Ask yourself these questions to finish your editing when your story is strongest:
Question 1: Have I Worked Through the Most Essential Plot Mechanics?
A finished manuscript doesnât need more structural work. But structural, I mean that youâll be at peace because your manuscript:
Doesnât have any plot holes
Addresses your theme/message from beginning to end
Showcases each characterâs growth through plot developments
Has introduced and resolved conflicts (with the exception of conflicts that will continue in a sequel or series)
Has no known typos or grammar issues
Question 2: Are My Edits Improvements or Are They Inconsequential?
You could spend a lifetime swapping character names, adjusting your world map, or revising how you describe locations. You might like your edits better, but they arenât vital to your storyâs plot or character development. If thereâs no substantial improvement with your edits, youâre likely done with your manuscript.
Editing can be tricky at first, but using steps like these will help you whack through the densest parts of the work. Take your time, give yourself space to rest, and youâll create the story youâve been working so hard to finish!
