Self-editing is the most critical part of the writing process. It’s also a giant pain in the you-know-what. How does one mitigate the stress and anxiety with self-editing? Having a plan in place certainly helps. Figuring out a process that works best for you? Essential.
My process
This is how I’ve been tackling self-editing for the last few years. The process evolves with time, as anything should, and each project has its own unique characteristics that can influence how edits are handled.
For me, step one is a readthrough. As I read, what am I looking for?
- Story Logic flaws. Does this detail line up with the story being told later on?
- Areas to strengthen – either through description or dialogue – to beef up an image I’m trying to convey or an arc that needs defining.
- Sentence structure and word choice. This is the most repeated step in the process. A lot of the initial pass is macro-based. I’m looking at the novel as a whole to see if it flows properly and everything is buttoned up plot/character-wise. As I do, I try to keep an eye out for overused words, for the same sentence structure repeated, and if a better word might be used to describe certain actions than the one previously selected.
- Transitions/Final Beats. A lot of my focus tends to be on the transition between chapters. Because I employ multiple POVs throughout my novels, I want them to flow seamlessly from one to the next without feeling jarring to the reader. Beyond this, I am always looking at how a story beat ends and if there is a way to make it more impactful. Maybe this means not ending on a piece of dialogue. Maybe there’s a narrative plot point that needs to be more prominent instead.
- Continuity. Obviously, for a standalone book, this step isn’t as necessary and would fall under the story logic flaws banner. With series, though, continuity is an essential step. What color hair and eyes does your main character’s sister’s uncle have in Book One, and why has it changed for Book Seven? This happens so often, so plugging in a note to refer to a previous book (or having a series bible with all these details in the first place!!) reminds you to line things up during this phase of the editing game.
After the readthrough
With my printed draft marked up, I start going through my changes page by page. Sometimes, if there is a larger issue or a piece I am not sure how to handle in that moment, rather than get bogged down I will highlight the sentence or paragraph to come back to it later on.
By the end of this pass, I will have worked out most of the issues listed in the readthrough. There are some projects where this leads to multiple paragraphs being highlighted. That means something doesn’t work and things need to be redrafted from the ground up. This happened for a few chapters in Secret of the Stone and allowed me to take beats from a new angle to make them more relevant to the story being told.
Asking questions
This is fundamental to strengthening your draft. Everything should be questioned.
- Why is this person the POV for this chapter?
- What is the purpose behind this story beat? Does it advance the plot, a character arc, or (hopefully) both?
- Does anything contradict a later detail?
- Is there a better way to start off/finish this chapter?
- Has some dialogue been repeated by the narration and is no longer needed?
There are hundreds of areas to focus on. Pick one, roll with it, then start the next.
After the first pass
Subsequent passes on books tend to revolve around cleaning up the book. I’m talking about a line-by-line edit for grammar and sentence structure issues. These are the passes where finding stray commas takes over much of your life, and you’ll hate yourself for putting them there in the first place.
It tends to go micro compared to the first readthrough. There’s a lot to unpack. Maybe some more dialogue will flesh out a character’s flaw that flows into their personal arc for the novel.
Methods to consider
- Follow a single thread through the novel. Make sure your subplots work and feed into the overall narrative instead of feeling superfluous.
- Follow a character. Do they remain consistent throughout? Are they all over the place? Track them to find out.
- Write down repeated words and phrases, then find them throughout your book. Replace them with something fresher to liven up the narration.
No time limits required
Every book is different. They have unique needs when it comes to editing. Remember this. And while you’re at it, remember that you set the deadline. If a book needs another pass, give yourself the time to do it and do it well.
These are only a few of my many practices when self-editing. Again, your process should be your own, with whatever works best for your style. Try to enjoy this critical step. It will make or break the book.