Your aim is to make your novel as professional as possible. As wonderful as your story is, you can make it better. Content editingĪs you prepare to reread your story after your break and critical exercises, plan on making changes. You’ll work through the editing process from the big picture down to the tiniest details. Gather your notes, take a deep breath, and pull out your novel manuscript. When you take off time from your own story and practice critically examining other stories in your genre, you get your mind in gear to examine your own story with the same critical distance. After rereading these works, without looking at your manuscript, make a list of the ways you would like to improve your story and your writing based on the positive discoveries you’ve made in your reading.What improvements would you make? What are the writer’s strengths? You already know these stories, so practice being an editor for your favorite professional author. While your novel is set away, read each of these three books while practicing your critical approach. Pick three writers you consider masters of your genre and then choose what you consider each writer’s best work. In the meantime, read for excellence in your genre.You’ll want to apply fresh eyes to your story. Put your manuscript away for at least a week.You can build your critical distance with a few steps. You need to establish a distance to apply your critical eye to your novel. As an editor, you will examine every part of your story to make it seamless and engaging from the first sentence to the last. How to start editing your manuscriptĬreating a critical mindset is the first step in the editing process. But, the biggest benefit is learning how to think critically about your story and the manuscript.Īs you work through the three phases, you’ll have a better understanding of how each process works and why editorial input will enrich your manuscript. Every change you make saves the editor time and saves you money. You can reduce those costs by first working through the three editing steps yourself. Hiring an editor is an investment that costs money. To benefit from the objective overview put artistic feelings aside and focus on the recommendations. The editor’s job is to make your book the best it can be. Another set of eyesĪ professional editor will read your manuscript with an objective eye. Editing won’t make your book perfect, but it will make it the best it can be to create an enthusiastic reader.Īuthors who take the time to go through the three phases end up with a polished manuscript. There’s no point editing for commas and typos if your story needs rewriting and additional plot points.Įditing makes reading your book a joy for readers because they aren’t tripped up by story gaps, clunky writing, or grammar mistakes. Grammar, spelling, and syntax.Įach phase of editing addresses different aspects of your manuscript and they work in sequence. And, grammar nazis won’t toss your book aside because there’s a misplaced comma on page 197 and a misspelt character name on page 251.Įach editorial process addresses separate issues of the story. The storyline will work with no gaps or confusing scenes. Accept that and know editing will make your book better. With all the heart and soul and long hours you’ve put into your manuscript, it’s not perfect. The three stages of manuscript editing lead you through a progressive journey to creating the best book to offer your readers. You’ll discover editing is a skill you can learn to make your story ready to go out into the world. As a creative, the idea of checking for tiny errors seems tedious and alarming.Īpproach editing with a perspective that aims to make your story the best it can be and arrange the editing process into manageable chunks. In today's article, Zara Altair outlines the three stages of manuscript editing.Įditing your book manuscript can intimidate authors. I've been working with professional editors since my first book, and I continue to invest in editing to ensure my finished product is a high standard, and to keep improving my craft. It really is the secret weapon to making your book the best it can be. Editing can take your manuscript from being a pile of words into a story that can move people or a non-fiction book that can change lives.
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