Editing Advice for Authors

Editing Advice for Authors

Hello, readers!😊

I recently completed the first draft of my upcoming book (*cheers* 🥳) ... and I've now entered the book editing phase (*sigh* 🙄). I'll admit it... cutting out sentences, altering the plot line, and changing characters is NOT my cup of tea. However, I try to focus on the bright side of things, and polishing up a story definitely feels great once the dirt smudges are gone and everything is squeaky-clean!  

If you're like me and don't particularly enjoy editing, I have some advice that has made a world of a difference for me. (And I'll also share some updates about my own book at the end, so stay tuned!) 

  •  Ask yourself questions
  •  Take breaks
  •  Get feedback from others
  •  Finish it!

🧐 Let's elaborate on these...

Ask yourself questions

This is VITAL for the editing process to be a success because weeks of reading and rereading can make it easy to forget the goal. After editing a chapter or section, sit back, pause, and really think about it before moving on. Some questions I consider are:

  • Did this section contribute to the plot, moral(s), or character(s)? If not, it may be best to re-evaluate this area.
  • Was it relevant to the story? (Note: sometimes it's great to add a surprising element to shock the reader, but make sure it doesn't stray far from the overall mood/theme.)
  • If it's a plot twist and/or the character makes a decision, will the reader understand why it went this direction? (Note: it's important to keep in mind that the reader is just as smart as the author! They may discover that plot hole you were trying to cover up! 😉)

Take breaks

Secondly, never underestimate the importance of taking breaks!! Editing can be overwhelming after hours and hours of non-stop work, so refresh your mind and soul by doing something active, interacting with others, playing the piano, riding horses... (I think you get the idea 😆)

Get feedback from others

Moving on to my third piece of advice, make sure to get feedback from others! I don't know how many times I've thought everything looks perfect, handed it off to someone for review, and came back with a mountain of revisions. It's crazy how many details I've gotten wrong and never noticed (Real-life example: my character is gagged by bad guys and then starts talking normally in the next paragraph with the gag still on 😳)!

Finish it!

Lastly, make sure to finish it! It's so tempting to keep editing and never actually call it complete, but remember: there isn't a single book that's absolutely perfect. There's always going to be that one sentence or word or comma that just isn't right... and that's okay. While it's of course important to revise a book to the best of your abilities, don't get so invested with the little details that you never finalize it. Move on at some point and cross that finish line!💪

Before I conclude this blog post, I have some updates as of Spring 2023 (if you are reading this sometime in the future, the book might already be published!). My writing is going smoothly thus far, and, God willing, it will be released this summer! The overall word count is bigger than any of my other books, and it totals to 35 chapters (although that may change slightly with the coming revisions). Also... I'm creating my first map of this world through an awesome site: inkarnate.com! If all goes well, you should find this map in the first pages of the book!😄🙏

Well, that's all for now. For the writers out there, I hope this advice was helpful, and I pray your own editing goes smoothly.

Thanks so much for reading this post! If you enjoyed, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter using the form below for more content like this! 

Happy reading!😄

Evelyn Grace