Guide to Rewriting and Self-Editing

Nov 3, 2011
Renee Miller

Self-editing is often the most difficult step in the writing process. - Michal Marcol

Self-editing is tedious, but your manuscript should be polished to the best of your ability before you send it off to readers or editors.

An editor is a writer's best friend. Editors revise, find errors, and address issues such as grammar, syntax, continuity and pace, often in a single pass. They do not just correct spelling mistakes or wrestle wild punctuation.

The more polished a manuscript or piece of writing is before it reaches your editor, the easier it is for her to spot critical errors because she's not chasing down the minor mistakes that you should have caught.

Rewriting and self-editing begins with reading over each line of your manuscript with an eye for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Once you've made a pass through the entire work, you begin again, looking at style, syntax and voice issues. The manuscript then goes to beta readers, who will point out things you might have missed, and then it's another pass through the work to address the issues each of your readers has pointed out.

Only after extensive polishing is your manuscript ready for an editor's eye. This process seems tedious but can be simplified by using a basic guide.

First Edit

The first draft involves writing with little to no attention paid to much beyond getting the story out. Correct obvious errors as you write, but don't go back or pause. Just write until you reach "THE END".

Set it Aside

Leave the manuscript untouched and unread for at least one week. Work on something new or write your synopsis, but do not look at the manuscript during this period. This enables you to distance yourself from what you've just feverishly written over a period of months.

Pull it Out and Make Notes

After one week you can pull your manuscript out of storage and read. Make notes of any changes you'd like to make, and note problems and errors. Do not make these changes just yet. Simply read and make notes. When you've made a pass through the entire manuscript, you can begin rewriting.

First Rewrite

Address each note made on your first read through the manuscript and make changes to improve characterization, plot, continuity, etc.

Set it Aside Again

Once again you set the manuscript aside for another tortuous week. Do not even look at it. Work on other projects and do your best to forget about it.

Read and Tweak

Pick up the manuscript again and read through with an eye toward tweaking minor issues such as spelling and grammar. You may make changes as you read on this pass. Tighten POV, remove repetition and correct any issues you see as you read.

Line Edit

Up to this point, you've been revising the manuscript. To line edit, begin at the last page and work your way line-by-line back to the first sentence. By working backward, you can pick up the errors that your brain wouldn't see when editing the manuscript in chronological order. Because you're working backward, you don't see the manuscript in the same way, so you can address each sentence on its own.

Off to Beta Readers

It's time to package your manuscript in a neat little bundle and send it to beta readers. A beta reader is like a beta tester in software applications, testing your manuscript for problems and errors. Beta readers are critical to the rewriting and editing process because they provide you feedback to properly edit the things you either can't see or refuse to see because you're too close to the work.

Address Feedback

Wait until you've received all feedback from every beta reader and then sit down and go through each suggestion and comment. Some comments may seem silly or trivial, but still make note of these. You may find that a silly comment is made by every reader, indicating it's not so silly after all.

Final Edit

Make corrections suggested by the beta readers after you've made notes and determined which you'll use and which you won't. Make a final pass for formatting, punctuation and other errors until the manuscript is as polished as you can make it.

You're Done...Sort Of

Now is the time to send your manuscript to an editor. It is up to you whether that is a professional editor that you are paying, or to an acquisitions editor at a literary agency or publishing house. Once you've sent it off, sit back and celebrate. You've earned it.