Note From KMW: I’m often asked to create more resources about self-editing your fiction. The thing about good editing is that really it’s just good writing. All the same principles apply. The only difference is whether you’re better at applying those principles (plot, character arc, theme, engaging narrative, dialogue, etc.) off the cuff in the first draft—or (like most of us) after a bit of time and perspective in the second draft.
So really, the answer to “How do I edit my story?” is “Learn good storytelling principles and figure out where your story isn’t fulfilling them.
But, of course, editing tends to feel a little more overwhelming than that. At the end of writing a first draft, most of us tend to either feel a general sense of “this is good!” or the unease of “something‘s wrong.” Either way, where do you start that all-important second draft?
Today, I’m pleased to share with you a guest post from Ali Luke of the popular writing site Aliventures. In it, she guides you through the foundational elements of moving through the big-picture edits of the second draft into the more minute and specific concerns of the third draft.
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When you think about “writing a novel”, chances are you’re picturing the drafting part of the process: getting words down onto a blank page. While that’s a huge (and exciting!) part of the writing process, there’s a lot more that goes into a complete novel. For many writers, self-editing your fiction takes as long as—or longer—than producing the first rough draft.
Self-editing your fiction is when you go back through your own writing, making changes to improve it.
This is your chance to truly see your story come together. Perhaps it felt like your first draft didn’t quite live up to your vision for the story. As you edit, you’ll see that story come together and fully take shape.
It can be tricky to know how best to approach the self-editing process. So here’s a straightforward, systematic eight-step process you can use to work through your novel.
First Draft to Second Draft: 4 Steps of Rewriting
It’s tempting to start editing by opening up your first draft and looking for little, obvious things—like typos and grammatical errors. But while those will need fixing eventually, you want to focus on the bigger picture first. You don’t want to perfect a scene … only to find it later makes sense to cut it altogether.
Here are four big steps to follow as you work through rewriting your first draft.
Step 1: Take Some Time Off … Then Re-Read the Whole Thing
Take a break between finishing Draft One and starting Draft Two. There’s no magic formula for how long a break to take, but I like to have at least a couple of weeks off, ideally a month. That way, when you come back to your work, you’ll be able to see it with fresh eyes.
After your break, sit down and read through your whole first draft, making brief notes or annotations if that’s helpful. You don’t have to do this in a single session, but I find it helps to keep it to no more than a few days. That way, you can get an accurate sense of the current state of your story.
Step 2: Get Your Story’s Timeline Firmly Nailed Down
Once you’ve done an initial quick read-through, you’ll want to work through your manuscript more closely. My first step is usually to fix the mess that I’ve made of my timeline!
When you’re drafting, you might not have a clear sense of when something is happening in your story’s timeline. If you’ve got a linear narrative, it might clearly take place between Event A and Event C, but are those a week or a month apart? And if you’ve got dual timelines going on, it’s even more important to keep everything straight.
I like to create a timeline spreadsheet where I track each chapter or scene; the point of view character; and the day, date, and time the chapter or scene takes place. This helps me figure out if I need to make changes.
Step 3: Look at the Balance of Action, Dialogue, and Description
Does your first draft feel like it’s a little out of balance? That could be because you’re leaning too heavily on one element of story—while having too light a touch with others.
Personally, I struggle with writing descriptions, so that’s what I generally need to add in. I’ll have plenty of dialogue and some moments of action, but my characters can come across as talking heads in a featureless room.
The “right” balance of these elements will depend in part on your genre and your personal writing style. Some genres are naturally action-packed (think thrillers and adventure stories). Others may lean more heavily on description and world-building (like fantasy and science-fiction novels).
Step 4. Check Whether Your Pacing is Too Fast, Too Slow (Or Both!)
In your first draft, it can be really tricky to get the pacing right. You might spend several days writing a 3,000 word chapter, which takes perhaps 10 minutes to read. Action that seemed painstakingly slow as you wrote it may now seem to whip by too fast.
Or you might have the opposite problem. When you drafted your chapter, perhaps with some long breaks in the process, it wasn’t obvious to you that you’d spent 50% of it describing your character’s thoughts. As you re-read, it’s painfully slow.
The rewriting stage is a great chance to refine your pacing, slowing up, speeding down, and tweaking as needed.
Second Draft to Third Draft: 4 Steps for Detailed Editing
Once you’ve addressed the big-picture issues and you’ve got a solid second draft, it’s time to move on to more detailed self-editing, line by line.
Tip: Not quite at that stage yet? You can go back to Step 1 and do a full pass through your novel again.
There are loads of things you can look out for during detailed editing (I cover a total of 20 in my short ebook Editing Essentials). Here, I’ve chosen the four that can make the biggest difference to how your work is perceived.
Step 1: Master Dialogue Formatting and Punctuation
I don’t think any writer finds formatting and punctuating dialogue an exciting task, but getting this right is so important.
Dialogue has some unique rules and conventions, and if you break these, you’ll either confuse readers (who may not know which character is speaking) or look a bit amateur.
Punctuation in general can be tricky for fiction writers, but when it comes to dialogue, there are some unique rules, like:
- Always start a new line for a new speaker.
- Use a comma before a dialogue tag. (“I agree,” John said.)
- Use a period before an action beat. (“I agree.” John set his book down.)
If you’re not 100% sure you’re setting out your dialogue correctly, take a look through the Author Learning Center’s 8 Essential Rules for Punctuating Dialogue.
Step 2: Watch Out for Unintentional Repetition
Repetition is a powerful (and pleasing) tool, but unintentional repetition will jar readers out of your story.
Here are a couple of examples of unintentional repetition, with the repeated words highlighted:
“I’m just glad we made it back,” Joanna said, sharply, and turned her back on Tom.
This looks like the author hasn’t noticed “back” was used twice. Even though the word means different things each time, it’s will stick out awkwardly to the reader.
Tom sighed. “You don’t have to be like that.”
“Like what?”
“You know exactly what.” He sighed.
Tom repeats the same action twice (sighing). While most examples aren’t quite this close together, it’s easy to accidentally write a character who defaults to a particular action or dialogue phrase.
Step 3: Cut Down Wordy Sentences
When you’re busy drafting or rewriting a big chunk of your novel, it’s perfectly normal for your sentences to come out a little convoluted. Perhaps you’ve packed an awful lot into a single sentence, or you were going for a particular tone that didn’t quite work.
As you make detailed edits, watch out for overly long sentences. If they feel wordy or overladen, see if you can trim them down. Is every word essential? Could you split a complicated sentence into two or three shorter ones?
Step 4: Avoid Outlandish Alternatives to “Said”
Another mistake that tends to make writers seem inexperienced is reaching for the thesaurus to come up with alternatives to the (perfectly good) dialogue tag “said.”
If you’ve noticed a character opine, aver, proclaim, utter, or exclaim, you’ll know these “said-bookisms” can be distracting. Instead of focusing on the dialogue itself, you start wondering what outlandish tag the author is going to reach for next.
To avoid using “said” an excessive number of times, use dialogue beats some of the time instead. You can also let some lines of dialogue stand alone, as long as it’s clear who’s speaking.
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Editing your manuscript can feel daunting, but by approaching it systematically, you’ll get to see your story truly come together. Whether you’re self-publishing or seeking a traditional publishing deal, it’s crucial to get your story into the best shape you can before it goes out to your editor or beta readers.
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About Ali Luke
That’s a new thought. I still think using “said” in every piece of speech can also get boring. There must be a happy middle ground.
I agree, and often say so when people give this advice. I use actions, as Ali suggests, to avoid constantly using ‘said’.
Yes, I think actions are definitely the way to go. I do agree “said” for every bit of speech is going to sound clunky! Sometimes, a line of dialogue can stand on its own too, if it’s obvious who’s speaking (e.g. in a two-person conversation where you’ve tagged the previous line).
Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Ali!
Thanks so much for having me on the blog! 🙂
Good thoughts.
I call it “a stutter” when a word gets reused. (If it’s unintentional. Of course “made it back… turned her back” is very different from “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds…” but repeated words do draw attention, and if that isn’t working for you it’s working against you.)
My thought about “said” is always that there are four options: no tag, said/asked, those alternate verbs (or adding an adverb!), and a description. What matters most is using a variety of them, including varying “said,” and giving each moment the degree of detail it deserves. The “he verbed” versions are just worth using less than the rest because there aren’t as many moments that really call for just a bit of color and no more — and because “opined” and too many other options there really are clunky.
Ooh, I like the term “stutter” for that kind of accidental repetition.
And that’s a great point that it’s worth thinking about when a line of dialogue really warrents an alternative verb, and using those sparingly but effectively.
ProWritingAid, the London-based program is helpful to my novel writing. I have the lowest level paid subscription. The app corrects about three-fourths of my grammar and spelling mistakes. The Critique is some kind of AI thing and it helpful at a low level. I occasionally select its suggested rephrases if they are an improvement and within my style of writing.
However, the help is limited and the program does not help me tell a story. It only saves me from egregious errors.
My primary editing tool is from a full printout on paper. I perform my edits with a fountain pen and lots of introspection. It seems slow but I weigh the impact of each sentence on the reader, the plot movement, the character arc, and foreshadowing.
Each edit results in a manuscript so much improved that I have done it five or six times. I use a lot of paper.
Actual authorship, I do in yWriter7 by Simon Haynes. I might use Scrivener if I used some Apple product, but I don’t.
Good article.
‘I use a lot of paper’ and a lot of ink I imagine? I wonder do you print chapter by chapter or the whole thing in one go, so-to-speak?
I agree that the printed word is somehow, almost dramatically, different for me, it’s also, easier to spot mistakes than on a screen. Having said that I rarely use this method until I am at the ‘almost ready’ stage.
I used to print out whole manuscripts (often by having them printed on demand as books) but these days, I do my edits by transfering them to my Kindle and annotating on there. It’s close enough to paper, for me, that the mistakes jump out!
To Sylvia and Ali, while I am an excellent typist and computer guru since 1962, it is when I read the printed page and correct, or write, we ith a fountain pen that my mind slows enough to let my creative juices flow. I do near the end print the entire manuscript. I get a feeling of what reader will feel. I can judge the overall story better, especially foreshadowing. I usually listen to the novel, at least once on the free program, Balabolka.i hate to spend so much effort on editing, but each iteration is so much improved that it seems worthwhile. You can purchase a huge amount of paper for the cose of an editor. Thanks for your responses.
I do love a fountain pen! I think you’re absolutely right that all the effort is worthwhile … it can feel like so much time to put in, but good editing can make an incredible difference to the quality of the finished piece.
One of the hardest things for me in revision is that I have the story in my head and the character’s motivations and thoughts all floating around up there, so when I read over my draft those things fill in. I have been accused by critique group of “assuming the audience can read my mind” or “being too subtle”. In the sections they point out I think it is perfectly obvious what is going on. But, I have learned that my revisions often involve adding explanations or hints or more descriptions to help the reader know what the character’s motivations are.
And on the “said” topic. John Irving tags every line with said. It disappears most of the time… kinda like punctuation. readers tend to glide past it. When we use something wild or unneeded adverbs, the reader is pulled out of the dream. And too much of that and we lose them. For me I use said unless I have a really really good reason to use something else.
It’s a really tricky balance, isn’t it, to give the reader enough information without falling into the trap of spelling out something that they’ve already figured out. Like you, I find character motivations tricky for that: sometimes it’s clear to ME why a character does/says something or reacts in a particular way, but that’s because I’ve been living with that character in my head for months. Critique groups are so helpful for spotting things like this!
I think your policy of using “said” unless you have a really good reason to switch to something else is a great idea.
Thank you for the editing tips, Ali.
I am guilty of repetition, something I did not notice until I paid for a critique by an editor.
As a non-native English speaker, punctuation is something I need to work on, especially since the grammar rules in English are different than Spanish.
I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to write in a non-native language, so I am in awe of you doing so! Well done sticking with it and working at it, too. 🙂 English is such a strange and illogical language at times!
Thank you for the tips Ali, I must be doing something right because I do most of the things you recommend. I still consider myself a novice in this writing game, though I have been seriously writing for around 8 or 9 years now and learning all the time.
With regard to pacing, I notice writing advisers using this word a lot and not really explaining what it actually is in terms of structure on the page. What I have learned, quite recently in fact, is that varying the length of sentences can speed up the action and/or dialogue. I have also been reading quite a lot of Chekhov recently and he uses this method quite a lot, (quick note that I am in no way even on the periphery of his talent lol).
Thank you once again. 🙂
Sylvia, you don’t sound like a novice to me! It seems like you have a ton of experience.
I do agree that “pacing” is often thrown around as a term without much clarity. Sentence length is definitely part of it, but I think it’s also about the balance of action, dialogue, and narrative. If you have passages of description and internal thought, for instance, that’s going to make for a slower pace than a scene with fast-moving action and snappy dialogue.
I write screenplays using the industry standard, Final Draft. Could you give a quick course on how best to use this powerful software for writing fictional screenplays. Right now there is a huge demand for romance, science fiction, and comedy screenplays.
Hey, Ralph. I don’t write screenplays (and I don’t think Ali does either), so I’m not much help on this. You might check out Studio Binder.
I don’t write screenplays either, Ralph … I hope you can find some useful courses though!
Glad to know I’m not the only one who struggles with talking head syndrome! I always have to go back and add action beats to dialogue scenes, and remove some of the sighs and neck rubbing. My characters always seem to be exasperated at something!
Haha, my characters seem to repeat the same half-dozen actions all day long, unless I stop them. 😉 It’s so easy to fall into these … like a sort of shorthand, I suppose, when we’re in the flow of drafting.
Thank you for all your great tips, which I know will be extremely helpful when I complete my first draft. The issue I’m having with my novel is that I continue to rewrite chapter 1. I keep coming up with a better beginning and never get through to completion. Also, I have about a hundred notecards with fantastic notes, and I’m having a hard time putting some of the events in a logical, effective sequence. It’s chaos. Do I need to lock myself into a room until I get it all in order? Help!!!
Oh Colleen, I have seen so many writers with that problem! And some of my Chapter 1s have been through what must be dozens of iterations.
One thing that might help is to remember that, once you’ve got to “The End”, you might be able to see an even better way to begin! That’s what Draft 2 is for…
When it comes to ordering the notecards, I’ve found K.M.’s advice on novel structure super helpful for how to put things in the right order. There’s a handy visual here: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/resources/structuring-your-novel-visual-chart/ and lots more advice here: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-story-structure-complete-series/
It’s so awesome to see the great comments and suggestions. I’m definitely no expert but printing, reading and making edits by hand is definitely my go to. I was curious, however, that no one here had suggested reading it out loud or having it “read” by a Computer or AI voice. You would be surprised how much different it sounds hearing your story read back to you. I’ve made numerous changes to things that sounded good in my head when writing only to reveal a level of ‘clunkiness’ or ‘odd’ sounding content when listening to the story being ‘told’ to me. It also helps with the repetitive words and in so many other ways. As writers we know the whole story and often expect our readers to make connections, assumptions or have understanding about items or issues we haven’t clearly introduced or defined. Hearing the story read back really puts you in the readers seat and gives a different perspective. Maybe it helps, maybe not…but it might be worth a try…Thanks and Have a GOD day!
Ah Sean, a fantastic tip and one I should have included in the post! Reading aloud definitely pinpoints all those clunky/odd/off-sounding sentences. Some things like unintentional rhymes stand out and it’s such a great way to force yourself to slow down when editing, too. Great point that you can have it read to you by software, I think that would be a great way to create a bit of distance from the text and hear it afresh.
Sean, I too read my manuscript aloud, as well as listening to it read on Balabolka, a free text to speech program. I cannot believe the trash I uncover.
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m just starting to work on the 2nd draft of my first novel. Thanks for the tips.
Hurrah, so glad this was good timing for you, Jordan. Best of luck with Draft 2!
This is excellent – but the real gem is the super-value in your editing essentials – just downloaded that and starting to review, and I really appreciate an organized checklist approach! I’m finding that a discipline of self-editing is actually helping me improve my writing. The book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King, has also been helpful here. I suspect there’s a lot of overlap with your essentials! I use a checklist from the Browne and King book and I’m editing each chapter as I go. I realize it’s completely counter to First Draft – Second Draft thinking, but for a first novel, it’s been a GREAT way to build in the rules of writing.
I’m so glad the checklist is helpful, Peter! 🙂 I think it really does help to have a systematic approach to editing. If editing each chapter as you go works for you, then that’s great. When I first started writing fiction seriously, I was sharing my work with a writing group as I went along, so I tended to edit each scene/excerpt as I went along (nothing like reading your work out loud to a group for spotting all the awkward sentences and typos!)
My historical novels are about people who combat a mafia in their community. There are many characters. There are action scenes, but since the latest book is about the “Information War”, a major portion contains dialogue. Reviews of my previous novels have been positive about my use of dialogue. In this current novel, there are meetings among the people of the community, and also meetings among the villains. The place of meeting is described to set the scene, and then conflict is shown in the dialogue. This is theme and character-driven literature. Action beats not only add to the scene, but also describe each speaking character in more detail. I believe that limiting myself to the word “said” would be a disservice to the reader.