Self-editing your manuscript is a crucial part of the writing process whether you intend to have your story professionally edited or not.
However, the process can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure what to look for or you try to fix everything all at once.
So, how does a writer self-edit their book?
They break it down into manageable steps.
Step 1; Find clarity before starting
Once you’ve finished writing your manuscript, take some time away from it.
That space gives your brain a chance to digest the story and allows you to come to edit your manuscript with fresh eyes.
I’d recommend leaving at least 2 weeks before diving into any re-reads or edits, but a couple of months would be better. In that time, if you have some ideas, note them down and then revisit them after your time away.
When It’s finally time to revisit your manuscript again, know the next steps are in stages that reflect the progressive steps of professional editing. It may be good to familiarise yourself with these different types before you get started.
The first is a Developmental Edit.
Step 2; Self Developmental Edit
When you first re-read your manuscript, you need to be looking at the overarching story elements to check the structure and foundation of your novel is sound. This will likely be the longest step of the process, but it can really make a noticeable improvement to your story.
This includes looking at the following elements;
- Structure; Look at your word count, chapter lengths and what structure your novel follows e.g. a 3-act or 5-act structure.
- Pacing; Are there any slow parts that drag, or fast parts which are confusing.
- Themes; What themes can you identify? Can you deepen them in the narrative?
- Plot Development; Does the plot follow a logical sequence?
- Character Motivations; Do the main characters have goals/needs? Are their decisions logical?
- Character Development; Do your characters change over the novel? Are the changes reflective of the plot’s events?
- POV; What POV are you using? Do you slip into different POVs by accident?
- Consistency and accuracy; Check character names and appearances, setting descriptions and logistics are all consistent.
- Narrative Summary; How often do you use narrative summary? Assess if it’s always needed or if the exposition can be told in a different way.
- Internal Monologue and Dialogue; Do you have good characterisation in how the characters think and speak? Is the dialogue natural?
This list may sound overwhelming, but you don’t have to look at every element all at once. In fact, I’d suggest you break them up into groups. Expect to do a few read throughs and make notes of areas to improve as you go.
As the author of the novel, you have the unique perspective of knowing what your intention was when writing. Sometimes this can make it hard to judge the clarity of your story, but it can also benefit you. You can assess your intentions before starting the edit, then reassess the same elements afterwards to compare the difference and see the effects those differences had.
For example, if you intended for a specific character to come across as a neutral presence, but notice on that they lean more towards being a bad guy, you could course correct to the original plan or lean into the new way you’ve written them.
Once you’ve made notes on the big picture changes you’d like to implement, make a plan to incorporate these. You may find some of the changes affect each other, and you may find it takes a while to fully incorporate the edits.
Take your time with this step to make sure each change is an improvement to your manuscript, before you move onto Line and Copy Editing.
Step 3; Self Line Edit
Unlike a Developmental Edit, the next two types of editing don’t require that consideration period and should take far less time. You aren’t assessing what needs to be improved and then making the changes, you are updating the writing as you read.
The first one is the Line Edit.
Which is editing at a paragraph and sentence level to make sure your writing flows.
The flow of a section of writing can reflect the character’s perspective, personality and emotion. For example, short sentences increase the pace and tension of a scene and are often used to make the reader feel the same thrill (either positive or negative) as the character.
Alongside this, writing has a natural rhythm to it. Too many sentences that start the same or are the same length begin to sound clunky and boring. Variety helps a story come to life.
You can approach this edit by asking yourself some questions as you read:
- Are my sentences stilted and monotone?
- Is the pacing of my writing suitable for the tension and emotion of the scene?
- Will changing the wording of this sentence increase clarity, emotional depth or flow?
- Will changing the length of this sentence improve readability?
- Do the sentences of these paragraphs work well together?
- Do I often structure my sentences the same way?
Don’t worry, as you get into the edit, assessing these points becomes more instinctual.
Step 4; Self Copy Edit
Then we are onto Copy Editing.
For me, this is by far the hardest technically and most frustrating edit to complete, because you need to work through your manuscript with a fine-tooth comb and correct all the grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes.
It can be very hard to spot these mistakes in your own writing because your brain often ‘reads’ what it thinks it has written rather than what’s actually there. To overcome this, I’d suggest reading the story out loud or using the Immersive Reader function in Word to have the story read to you. This can actually be really funny at points, to hear such an emotional scene very monotone.
Be aware, you will not catch every mistake. Even a professional Copy Editor will not catch every mistake, and it’s much harder to do it yourself. Rest assured though, that if the remaining mistakes are few and far between, readers are often pretty forgiving.
However, this is why we have step number 5.
Step 5; Ask for feedback
Even if you don’t want a professional editor to look at your writing, I’d suggest getting someone to read it. It could be a friend, family member, a stranger online or a Beta Reader.
You need this outside perspective on your story, and preferably more than one, to see how your story is being perceived.
Asking for and receiving feedback can be stressful, but the benefit that can come from it is invaluable. It helps you to make sure there is no confusion in your narrative, and can catch any technical mistakes you missed.
This is why it is important to ask for feedback before you come onto the final step of self-editing your book, so you can make your last-minute changes before the final check.
Step 6; Self Proofread
The final step is quick. I know, after all this effort you want it to be quick so here we go;
One final read through.
Use your Proofread as one final check before you move onto the next stage of querying or self-publishing your novel.
After all this work, you should finish the read through feeling that the story makes sense and is well written. If you find a few areas that cause you to stumble, you may need to return to an earlier stage of the process and re-work it a little.
You may also feel a bit apprehensive to call your manuscript finalised, but if you’ve followed these steps, find confidence in that you’ve put the work in to make your novel the best it can be.
Conclusion
Whether you decide to include a professional editor on your writing journey or not, every manuscript you write should be self-edited to make it the best story it can be before a professional evaluation or self-publication.
If you decide to get a professional’s perspective on your writing after the process, they can help you to spot further areas to improve upon which you can then be aware of the next time you self-edit.
Self-editing is a skill that can take time to learn and, like so much in this industry, you often find your own process as you get the hang of it. In the meantime, it can be frustrating, but it’s okay to step back and take breaks, and I promise that it’ll be worth the effort in the end.
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FAQs
Won’t providing writers with this self-editing checklist make an editor’s role redundant? – No, but I can understand what you mean. In this checklist, I am providing the simplest way in which a writer can self edit their book, because not every writer wants to, or can, afford to be professionally edited. And that’s okay. The difference with a professional edit will be the knowledge of writing craft and industry experience a professional can provide. Even if you’ve followed this checklist to the letter, I’d recommend having a professional edit completed.
How do I know when I’ve edited my book enough? – This is a tough question because there is never a clear stopping point. At some point, you just have to accept you’ve told your story in the best way you can and let it out into the world.
What is a Developmental Edit? – A Developmental Edit is one of the first types of editing a manuscript undergoes. It looks at big picture items like plot, character, pacing and narrative arcs, to make sure your story is logical, clear and well structured.
What is a Beta Reader? – A Beta Reader is someone who reads your story in the early stages, often after you’ve edited a few drafts, but before you send it to a professional. They provide a ‘readers’ point of view of the story and their feedback can help make sure you are on the right track.
I want to hire a professional editor, but I can’t afford one, what should I do? – There are ways to make editing affordable, if you’d like a professional to take a look at your manuscript. However, you can also try to self-edit first by following these 6 steps to make your story as refined as you can before deciding.
