Editing first draft of novel

The first draft of my first published novel was 1,084 pages long. Although i learned a lot from this book, i believe the book is misnamed and. Following are my top 6 tips for how to use scrivener to edit your fiction. The late, great toni morrison, besides being a pulitzer and nobelwinning author, was first a respected editor. The book was 6,500 words when i delivered it, but i have just finished a process of cutting and reediting that has taken it.

With clear and easytounderstand examples, revising your novel. I am writing a novel not knowing how to write a book. This was a hot topic when i asked on twitter what people wanted me to blog about next, and since im in the process of editing 1st draft of rosehead or, in other words, writing 2nd draft, it fit perfectly. Normally, i would say that about half the words that are in your first draft probably shouldnt make it to the second. Get it right now, at first draft stage, even though youre not yet ready to show it. How to edit your first draft into a story prowritingaid.

Theres little worse than an independently published book that looks like one. Reading aloud is really only useful when proofreading, and maybe sometime during edits. On the other hand if youre writing the first draft of an essay, decide on your priorities. Spend the rest of your time planning what youre going to write in the future or editing something you drafted previously. Ive edited half a dozen manuscripts in my writing endeavors, each one requiring differentiated attention. A checklist for your novel or manuscript rewriting process in this blog post, pro novelist and writing tutor, emma darwin full bio below gives you her advice on how to revise a first draft of your writing. Here are 8 tips for editing your own novel like a pro.

I felt so accomplished, but i now realize how much goes into the editing process. Then they are usually replaced by others and then the same thing happens again for your third draft and fourth and ninth. You think you have internalized how a story works as a reader and then you discover there is so much more to learn. Its wise to use a professional editor if you are serious about getting published. In all writing processes, especially fiction writing, drafting your novel is only half the battle. Even so, editing your manuscript well before you share your first draft with an editor will save time by streamlining the book editing process. First novels often start with long descriptions of place or character.

Heres what the editing and rewriting process looks like, so you can make your book as good as it can be before publishing. This is the first of three videos on editing and revision. Selfediting doesnt happen until after major revisions. I have to be honest with myself with each story, find. Prolific writers know how important it is to start writing quickly.

What i learned about rough drafts from my first novel. When i got to the end of my first novels draft, i could hardly believe id really made it to the end. Tips for editing the first draft by corina koch macleod and carla douglas on january, 2016 31 comments barbara cartland and voltaire did it, james patterson and dan brown are doing it, and popular selfpublishing author joanna penn is determined to try it. Very few possess the clarity, discipline, and intestinal fortitude to make the decisions necessary to turn a mediocre first stab into an incredible novel.

Writing the first draft has always been the most grueling part of writing a novel for me. How to use scrivener to edit your novels helping writers. Editing novel drafts requires a specific set of skills. Because without a finished first draft youre dead in the water. To help answer that question, think about some of the best novels. A complete, actionable guide on how to edit your first draft novel, with tips from bestselling novelist harry bingham. When you write the first draft youre tilling the ground for. So youve written your first draft novel or other manuscript. Only the last twentyfive percent discusses revision. But there will be inspiration, there will be ideas, and there will be a framework upon which you can further refine those ideas and that framework is the writers playground. Editing your first draft manuscript flow, character development, etc.

This is when you go through your work and try to tweak the parts that could be better, where you make sure there are no loose ends or dangling parts that dont make sense or resolve. When you finally reach the end of your novels first draft, one huge weight is lifted from your shoulders only to be replaced with another. Once youre finished writing a novel, editing your novel is one of the absolute most important things you will do as a writer nearly anyone can write a first draft. Is this classed as editing your novel, or rewriting it. It has been immensely enjoyable because i have not edited my writing as ive gone along instead just throwing ideas down as the story seemed to unfold quite naturally. First draft to finished draft offers eleven selfguided workshops that target the common issues that make readers stop reading. Like so many other people whove embarked on the novelwriting road, over the last few months ive been asking myself the same question repeatedly how do you start writing the second draft of your novel. How to edit a novel nathan bransford writing, book. For my first, i had followed all the rules of writing, read all the books, and worked hard until it was finished. Five tips for writing a first draft novel writing help.

Plus, of course, people saw me blasting a picture of my board with sticky notes and were w. Sort out the format of your novel before you read it through. Below are the minimum steps you should take before submitting your sixth, seventh, or twentieth draft to your carefully selected agent, editor or publisher. At first, i thought this is a bit of a tricky question.

So how do you go from a first draft of your manuscript to a story that works. What are some tips for editing a first draft novel. The complete guide to editing your first draft like a pro. Ksenia anskeblogwhat to edit in first draft, or how to. The editing and rewriting process starts with your first readthrough. Take even a quiet novel, such as national bestseller the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry. In this video i go over the two tools i recommend to assist in your editing. As the old adage goes, all a first draft has to do is exist. With a completed draft under your belt, it can be tempting to dive straight into. Understand the different types of editing and why they matter for your novel.

Some need more character development, some more plot structure, some need a better arc, or more heart. In this article, ill explain how to selfedit a messy first draft and get it ready for a pressing publish. Here morrison shares insights into the revision process. Stopping every quarter of the book not only allows me to stay on top of my story, it also makes the first big edit at the end of the book that much easier. Once ive finished the first draft, i immediately print it off and start editing. Theyre called first drafts for a reason, and the reason is that youll probably wind. Definitely dont let yourself start to read the novel for at least a week after you finish it. Revision is really about seeing your book as a wholerecognizing patterns you didnt notice before, and reconciling any disparate parts into a. It tracks the journey of a professional nonfiction writer creating his first fiction novel while being guided by a professional editor. And if you truly want to be a published novelist, then hello. How to edit the first draft of your novel without crying. So youve finished the first draft of your new novel. Its worth taking care with this, and here are some tips to help you get the most.

How to edit a 1st draft novel or book checklist jericho writers. Often, this is where the spirit wanes as new writers lose momentum for the old manuscript. This post is about how to edit a first draft novel, but based on an actual example of an author me going through that process, using my manuscript by way of example. It took much longer than id expected to reach that accomplishmentand there was a lot more left to go than i could have anticipated. Rereading my nanowrimo novel project purple draft 3. First editing offers professional editing services with 20 years of experience and 1,000 testimonials to back up our work. Note your most frequent writing mistakes and stay alert to them. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In this article, natasa lekic from new york book editors takes us through five problems that are common in first novels and how to avoid them. And if youre selfpublishing, the only way to stand out against even more competition is by ferociously editing your own book until its as crisp and clean as possible.

Ultimately, that work has to be put in either way, but if its done during a designated editing period, its more manageable than while youre focused on producing the bare bones of the thing. While discussing the second draft, the editor, who literally guided the book every step of the way, said this about his main client and writing partner steven pressfield. How to edit the first draft of a novel the writing. The experience of writing your first draft can be a roller coaster. Heres my process, and i believe its relevant whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction.

Practical tips for editing your first draft autocrit. The exposition may be beautiful, but prose is never enough to keep your reader interested. Techniques for transforming your first draft into a novel that sells second edition. The disadvantage is that writing the first draft of your novel will take forever. Theyre called first drafts for a reason, and the reason is that youll probably wind up rewriting the whole damn thing, so your first draft will never be your final draft.

Ernest hemingway famously stopped writing in the middle of a sentence so hed. After two years they finally have a finished first draft. How to edit your novel advice from an editor youtube. Personally, i dont actually edit my first draftsi rewrite them. How to format a novel manuscript by kelly hart kelly hart is a proofreading contractor for book cover cafe and has been a slush reader for andromeda spaceways inflight magazine. How to edit the first draft of a novel the writing cooperative. Writers library writing the first draft or the ugly. Leave reminders for yourself on what you need to edit. The complete guide to editing your first draft like a pro medium. The best part of it all, the absolutely most delicious part, is finishing it and then doing it over.

I dont believe it should be anytime before the third draft for anyone. Start with the conflict, says joanna penn from the creative penn. Hi so ive completed the first draft of my first novel ive been working on. The book was 6,500 words when i delivered it, but i have just finished a process of cutting and reediting that has taken it down to 1,000 words.

The first seventyfive percent of revision and selfediting discusses the craft of writing from theme to plot to characterization. But its also only the first step towards your finished book. I finished my first draft of my first novel about a week ago. First draft should be thought of as a canopy off writing, holding however many drafts it takes to get you to the place where you feel you have grasped the story and put it on the page. For some people, writing a first draft is the easiest thing in the world. W hen i finished the manuscript of my second novel i had one thing on my mind to make sure i didnt make the same mistakes i did with my first novel. Always one to attack my challenges head on, however, i used to set an ambitious daily minimal quota for myself, counting out how many clean, carefully thoughtout pages i would need to write each day in order to finish a 400page manuscript and still give myself enough time to revise it before my deadline. Separating writing and editing into different activities that you do at different times. Shell show you how to analyze your draft, spot any problems or weak areas, and fix problems hurting your manuscript. This article has been deeply insightful and enlightening, but it shows me that i still have a very long way to go. The tyranny of the first draft the talkative writer. Finishing the first draft of a novel is one of the most empowering experiences a writer can have. To pick out plot holes, voice inconsistencies and other errors in your current draft so you can.