How to Self-Edit Your Novel Before Sending It to an Editor
If you’re an indie author writing a novel, you probably know you should revise your manuscript before sending it to an editor. But do you know how? What is the correct order of revisions? Should you fix the punctuation first? Or maybe start by deleting unnecessary words, such as “just” and “really”? Or perhaps your manuscript needs a thorough scene rewrite?
The self-editing process can feel overwhelming when you’re running in a thousand different directions and trying to fix everything at once.
Don’t panic. In this article, you will find a practical, step-by-step guide to help you manage your revisions and keep your sanity. I will explain how to self-edit your manuscript, what to look for during each pass, common mistakes to avoid when preparing to self-publish your novel, and the correct order of revision passes.
The first step after finishing your draft is to give it a rest. That’s right: after typing the elusive THE END, step away, take a break, go on a walk, enjoy other hobbies. Nothing helps you see your manuscript from a different viewpoint more than stepping away after months (or even years) of staring at the same words.
After waiting at least a couple of weeks, split the revision process into three major passes. Each pass focuses on a different perspective of the self-edit, helping you address one specific problem at a time. This way, your mind will concentrate on one problem at a time instead of trying to fix everything at once.
Here are the three major passes:
Pass 1 - Story
The first major pass focuses only on the big picture and the story. Try to see your manuscript as a reader, as someone who reads the story for the first time.
During this pass, ask the following questions:
Are there any plot holes?
Sometimes plot holes might be hard to catch when you are too close to the manuscript. That’s why taking a break from your manuscript helps you see the story with fresh eyes.
Is the pacing working?
Two types of narrative movement impact the story: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal narrative is the linear action—what happens in linear time. The vertical narrative is often why it happens. Stories need a balance of the two to fully absorb a reader in the story world. Vertical movement gives a story depth, texture, mood, tension, and emotional resonance. When we have vertical movement, the story's pace slows down. We don’t want a fast pace all the way through (of course, it depends on the genre. For instance, a thriller will have a faster pace and therefore less vertical movement). On the other hand, horizontal movement gives scenes the feeling of time moving forward and pulls readers into the story's present-past (Present-past means we write in the past tense, but it feels like the present to readers). To speed up the pace, you can weave more purposeful action and character interaction into the story to create horizontal movement.
We can control pacing through vertical and horizontal movement. The trick is to insert vertical movement when the story calls for a slower pace.
Another well-known method to speed up or slow down the pace is to use shorter or longer sentences, respectively.
Is the character's motivation clear?
What do the characters want—internally and externally? Why do the characters want these things? What and who is standing in the way of these characters’ goals? Do the characters’ flaws prevent them from achieving these goals easily? What obstacles and complications must the characters overcome?
What actions does the character take to achieve their goals? Does the protagonist show agency? Or is the protagonist often passive, letting things just happen without trying to make a change? A common issue I see as a fiction editor is that authors, especially less experienced ones, include scenes where the main character goes to get something to eat at the height of a conflict or stares endlessly out the window and lets others solve the crisis. That makes the protagonist feel passive to the readers.
Another question to ask yourself during this pass is: Are the character’s motivations sufficient to explain their actions?
Are there any continuity issues?
This is another common issue I see often in the manuscripts I edit: the MFC leaves her house wearing high heels, but at the end of the night she’s grateful she chose her favorite sneakers so she can run and catch the last bus. Or a character says they’ve never been to Paris, only to reminisce about a trip there a few chapters later.
Continuity issues are those little inconsistencies that can pull a reader out of the story. And believe me, readers notice.
Are all scenes moving the story forward?
I touched on pacing a few paragraphs ago, but this question is more about a scene. Each scene should represent an event where something significant happens to capture the reader’s attention and keep them immersed in the story. A successful scene focuses on action, ensuring something unfolds or is revealed and drives the story forward. (There are always exceptions, of course.)
To make sure a scene belongs in your story, ask yourself these questions:
What is the purpose of this scene?
What has changed?
What is new?
Is there a new plot element?
Does it reveal a secret?
Does it foreshadow something to come?
Does the scene make the story plateau?
Pass 2 - Prose
During this pass, your sole purpose is to improve the prose and work on your overall writing style. These are the things I would focus on:
Repetition. Do you tend to use the same words/phrases over and over again? Search for them and check how many times you’ve used them. This also applies to specific actions (Seriously, how many times can Derek smirk in one scene?), sentence structures, and information already established.
Unnecessary words. One of the main things I focus on while editing a manuscript is conciseness. Instead of walking slowly, maybe she can stroll. Other examples of unnecessary words are: really, very, just. These words add no impact, and removing them won’t change a thing. To tighten your prose, also try removing “there is/was.” Here’s an example:
“There was a forest at the edge of town.”
“A forest edged the town.” — gives the same information but is more concise.
Awkward sentences. sentences that are technically correct and make sense but don’t quite flow when you read them. They might be too wordy, repetitive, clunky, or structured in a way that makes the reader stop and reread. An example I see way too often in manuscripts I edit is: “She nodded her head in agreement.” Instead, you could simply say: “She nodded.” The meaning stays the same, but the sentence becomes cleaner and more natural.
Overused descriptions. These include cliché physical reactions, lazy character introductions, and tired sensory metaphors that pull readers out of the story. One example of an overused physical reaction is a character squeezing their fists (or the wheel in their car) so hard that their knuckles turn white to depict anger. Another is tears sliding down before the character stops them - a passive, melodramatic way to describe sudden sadness. For character introduction, be conscious of the mirror examination: a character wakes up and catalogs their eye color, hair texture, and scars while staring at their reflection.
Clichés. Similarly to the previous point, clichès are overused phrases and descriptions (and even tropes) that are so tired, they pull the reader out of the story. The most notorious example is releasing the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. To be honest, I’m still on the fence about this one. At this point, I’m convinced authors use it more as an Easter egg rather than a literary device.
Telling vs. showing. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Probably thousands of times. The trick here is to find the balance between showing and telling, because contrary to popular belief, not all prose needs only showing. Sometimes telling works great, especially when you want a faster pace or need to relay information that doesn’t need its own chapter.
Pass 3 - Technical
This should be the easiest and fastest pass. During this revision, focus only on technical issues such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, dialogue punctuation, and consistency.
During each pass, you will need a different mindset. For example, while revising your plot, character motivation, and scenes, focus on creativity and logic rather than trying to recall 5th-grade grammar rules. Trying to fix everything is like trying to play the notes in a song all at once. To create beautiful music, you need to follow the process and let each instrument play its notes in sequence, then layer it with a talented vocalist’s voice. The same goes for a story.
Want a checklist you can actually work through while editing? I've put together a free Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.
