Editing the Novel - What You Need To Know About Editing Your Masterpiece

You've completed the manuscript for a novel, but you're unsure of what to do with this hulking, odd, masterpiece. Editing is usually the next step, as you want to hone it for the right publisher. Some novels, like your first, perhaps need to sit for a while or should be left alone forever. Often on the first novel we make many classic mistakes, including characters who aren't believable, punctuation that is confusing, and a lack of things like climax, conflict, and voice. Some of us can write that first novel with all the right parts, but I know my first novel was more learning experience than a means to make some money. With that aside, you should attempt an edit on any novel, if only to learn the basics from doing so. Here are a few keys to writing the publishable prose.

Wait

You really want to jump into the work again, but your lacking something important: Distance. In order to succeed in getting the manuscript published, many writers will stay away from it for weeks or even months. Then, when the story is almost forgotten amidst the second novel, you pull it out of the desk or open up the file on Word, and begin to edit. The key is to wait some time, otherwise many common mistakes will be made like punctuation.

Don't get discouraged

We all make mistakes; I know I make many every writing day. If you see a lot of major flaws in your work, it's important to truck on. At worst you will learn from these mistakes in the next novel. Often the piece is better than you think. A good strategy I read another writer mention was to look at a published novel and compare it to yours; usually if it's a fantasy get a fantasy novel, if it's historical fiction get one that is similar to your work. Once you read it, your eyes will open to a few things: This writer makes many of the same mistakes, they were published, and their story is similar to yours in the level of action or dialogue.

Fix one thing at a time

I learned this after years of labor. Instead of trying to hone the novel on the first try, work on the small aspects one at a time. An example would be to just edit the dialogue-making it more realistic perhaps-and doing nothing else on the manuscript. This will key you in on the small nuances that make a work publishable. It will also streamline your work, and familiarize yourself with your weaknesses so you can improve upon them.