I shy away from strict “rules” about how to “edit” or “write,” but I do find it helpful to learn what other writers do and find what works for me. It’s always better to do something than stress about where to start (note to self: make this my mantra).
So, let’s not make things complicated. I’ve combed through online articles, racked my brain, and combined learnings from my college classes.
What’s it all boil down to?
This checklist for book editing the second time through:
- Dig in
- Don’t polish
- Find beta readers
- Check for voice
- Look at it from the outside
- Ask hard questions
Instead of delving into all the “it won’t be perfect the first (or second or third or fourth) time” and “the best writing is rewriting” stuff, I’ll get into the weeds of what to do. Let’s go into each of the steps from the editing a novel checklist:
- Dig in: Now is the time to catch things you missed the first run through. I consider the first draft the opportune time to read through the story at normal speed and check for things that don’t feel quite right—character and plot-wise. During the second draft (or whenever the heck you wanna), you can focus on making sure names feel right for the characters, any cultural references are appropriate, etc.
- Don’t polish: It’s not time just yet. Now is the time to make the updates and fixes from your first read-through. I like how Positive Writer puts it: “Your final touches don’t come until your third draft. First drafts are for digging the book’s foundation, second drafts for framing the house, and third drafts for finish work.”
- Beta readers. The more, the better. Five is a good start. I personally have my ex-English teacher grandma, cousin, and mom read first. Then I add in friends (a controversial thing to do) and move on to beta readers. I’ll cover how to find and work with beta readers online in a different article. A good rule of thumb: Don’t tell them how you’ve been book editing, but allow them to form their own opinions about your story, plots, and arcs.
- Voice: Does your character feel jarring? Do you have a good feel of their tone and thoughts? Look for places where they stray (not the normal character fluctuation), but places where they don’t sound quite right or the insights we get are oddly positive (butterflies) while the scene is dark (a friend’s brother died). Unless your character is a psychopath. In which case, carry on. And let me know when you’re done. I want to read your book.
- Look at it from the outside. The first draft was great for reading through like a real human would. Try to keep that mentality by not getting toooooo close to the project. As you read, are there places you skip over (and not just because you already know what it says)? In step with this, try your hardest to ignore searching for typos and line edits. Make a note of it for later and get yerself back on the draft horse. (And maybe have a draft beer ’cause maaan is this hard.)
- Ask the hard questions: Could your scenes be rearranged? Does your dialogue need more life to it? How could structure changes make the story stronger?
I like the way the below image breaks down the phases of drafting:
Image from Writing Cooperative
I won’t say your novel “needs” anything. But just get started! (Which is totally me telling you to do something. Which you do not need to listen to. I have no authority over you.)
Once you’ve confidently addressed the above, you can work on the next level: Incorporating feedback, looking at theme and symbolism, and just being the badass writer and human that you are.
