Five Tips Towards Smoother Self Developmental Edits: An Editing-Hater’s Guide

(thanks for being patient, guys! Last week I ended up going to a funeral so I didn’t get the article done, but I’m here now, and yes it’s another writing article XP so much for my resolution to write more on horses… anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW)

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a first draft of a book, must be in want of some self-editing.

The question is… how.

When I started investigating editing, I had come across many articles on self-editing. But most of them focused on line editing, aka, the prose of the book. Few of them actually have a guideline on how to edit your plot and structure.

Thus was the main reason I hated editing for so long. I knew enough to know something was wrong, but I had no practical way to fix it.

Thankfully, being forced to edit my novella, The Color of a Horse’s Song, several times taught me a lot about self edits. And I’ve actually been able to come up with a system to developmental edits that… actually makes editing fun (shocking, I know).

NOTE: this isn’t meant to be a one size fits all! This is a customizable rubric that gives you basic, applicable steps towards self editing your book right after finishing the first draft (well, not RIGHT right after, because you should take a break, but you know what I mean XP)

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#1 Go VERY big picture

You need to zoom out as far as possible with your book and look at the bones and structure of the novel itself. I apologize to the pantsers… but you need an outline.

BUT LET ME EXPLAIN WHY!

Story structure is actually really helpful in figuring out what’s wrong with your book. My favorite structure is K.M. Weiland’s Three Act Structure, because she has a lot of infographics that combine plot with character arcs so I can easily get a bird’s eye view of my plot and get an idea for pacing. But if you’re familiar with another structure, use that.

Write down, in bullet points, the barest plot points in your book, and what chapter they happen in. You might need to cross-reference your structure type as you go along to check your plot beats. Don’t get super technical: just summarize what happened. Write out your character arc beats in a similar manner.

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#2 Rewrite Tips

I feel like tips for rewrites online are very lucid, and the honest truth of it is, it’s because they’re so different for every book.

But the truth of a rewrite is… you’re drafting the book all over again.

I know, very confusing. I don’t know why I thought rewrites were any different, but I remember procrastinating on them a lot/not really knowing what to do with myself because… what do you mean I just write the book all over again that doesn’t make sense.

However I have learned a few things towards making rewrites go more smoothly.

• Keep draft one open in another doc. You might want to copy paste from it and you don’t want to get sidetracked scrolling through your google docs looking for it.
• Keep your outline and character motivations on hand, and get particular about your chapter and scene structure. Outline your chapters and tweak it as you go. If this makes things too stressful, you can let off some of the pressure, but it will save you some rewrites down the road.
• Grab that crazy friend who would read this book sixty times and let them read the chapters as you go for accountability. Having someone begging for my next chapter was an incredible motivation boost. Plus, you can pick their brain at the end!

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#3 The Color Coding Phase

All right. You’ve gotten your main plot points where you want them, but some of the pacing is still off.

Now what?

Time for color coding.

This is where you look over your book chapter by chapter (sometimes scene by scene), and decide what to cut, what needs a line edit, and what needs a full rewrite. I like to color code these (red for cut scenes, green for keepers, blue for rewrites, and black for already-edited scenes).

In a new document, copy the green and blue chapters, but leave behind the red. DO NOT DELETE THEM– you may want to bring them back later. But it will make editing easier if you remove everything you already know you want to take out. Then you have a smaller word count to work with, which is much less intimidating.

#4 Edit Backwards

BEFORE you rewrite, however, review the ending of your book. That is, the last act.

Edit the ending first.

Yeah, I know, it’s unc0nventional. But the ending is the most important part of your book. If your ending is solid, it will make it easier for you to add foreshadowing to the beginning.

So fill out the ending, and then go back to work on the beginning. If nothing else, the change of pace will rewire your brain to see the smaller plot and pacing flaws you might have missed before.

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#5 The Full Readthrough

You’re going to need to take a long break for this one. Let the book rest. As much as possible. You need to come back to it with as much of a fresh mind as possible.

Then, transfer the book to a different format– I like to use PDF, or sometimes convert to Mobi so I can read it on my Kindle app.

And read it like you would any other.

This is why you need to give it space. Make notes as you go along for rough spots in the pacing and plot, pieces where character motivations feel uncertain. All the little rough spots in the plot and theme and arcs that you’ve missed. Then, when you’re done, go back and smooth them out (you might need a second opinion.

If you truly get stuck on how to fix something, then you’re ready for betas. Either way, by the time you’re done with this step, you’re going to need eyes other than yours– but at least you’ve been able to get the story as far as you can on your own.

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I hope that this article gave you an idea on where to start with your rewrite! Again, this isn’t meant to be a rule, but more like a guide on how to kickstart your self-editing. If you have self-editing resources that have helped you in the past, feel free to share them below!

See you all next week!