Editing is as important as writing itself, so it requires a serious approach. Should you hire a professional editor or can do you do it on your own? An editor is often needed when you have a complete piece of writing. If you have just started to write or don’t have enough money to hire an editor, then become an editor yourself.
TOP-5 tips for writing a novel and editing it:
- Keep the distance
- Be organized
- Have a plan
- Be multiple
- Don’t forget about feedback
When writing a novel, remember not to do anything else – just write it! This strange advice is justified by the time gap between finishing it and coming back for editing.
When you take a break from your novel, you will still be analyzing and working on it, even subconsciously.
Once you get back to your masterpiece after a break, you can assess your novel objectively, or may have some new ideas, or be surprised because you don’t remember that specific passage.
Editing your work independently means self-organization. So prepare your working place for editing and schedule your revision. You should develop your own a system of taking notes. It will help you to track the details and structure of your novel.
A plan is vital for your revision as well. You check the general points of your novel such as the structure of the book, sense of the plot, characters development, setting, narrative, information delivery, and grammar.
Editing your own work is a complicated process that consists of a read-through, noting down the ideas that strike you, addressing the key elements when reading all over again, checking the quality of your prose, reading the novel out loud.
After you’ve done all of this, get feedback about your creation, ask anyone from your surroundings to read the novel and get some critique.
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So now you know the basics that will allow you to become an editor of your novel. Remember that editing is not a separate process from writing, it just forms a whole complicated system that will result in a new literature masterpiece.