So, you’ve finished your first draft—congrats! That’s no small feat. But before you hit ‘send’ to agents, publishers, or self-publishing platforms, there’s one more important step: self-editing. Think of it as giving your story a makeover, turning it from something good into something great.
As the author of the upcoming debut novel Obsessing Over Coffee and Us (set to release next year), I’ve been through the ups and downs of self-editing. It’s a crucial part of the writing process that turns raw potential into polished prose. Here are some essential tips to help you refine your manuscript and get it ready for the world:
1. Take a Break Before Editing
After you’ve wrapped up your draft, hit the pause button. Take a breather for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks. Giving yourself some distance from your work is key because when you come back with fresh eyes, you’ll spot things you completely missed while you were deep in writing mode. Trust me, stepping away for a bit can make all the difference in catching those hidden little issues that sneak past when you’re too close to the story. (I definitely caught more errors when I took a break in between writing and editing than I did when I just rushed through it.)
2. Start with the Big Picture
Before diving into sentence-level edits, look at the larger structure. Are your plot points clear and compelling? Do your characters’ motivations make sense throughout? Check for pacing issues—are some parts dragging or rushing?
For reference, I rewrote half of Obsessing Over Coffee and Us after doing some basic line editing. I wasted my time with those edits, and I wish I hadn’t! Don’t make the same mistake as me. As painful as it is to read a manuscript that desperately needs refined, try and only focus on the bigger issues on your first read through.
3. Cut the Clutter
Less is often more when it comes to writing. One of the most common pitfalls in a first draft is wordiness—filling your sentences with unnecessary words or phrases that can bog down the story. We all do it, so don’t fret too much when you see a lot of red ink marking it up.
Eliminate filler words
Words like “just,” “really,” “very,” “that,” and “actually” often sneak into sentences without adding much value. For example:
- “She was really happy with the results.” can be trimmed to “She was happy with the results.”
- “He just couldn’t believe it.” becomes more powerful as “He couldn’t believe it.”
While these words may seem small, cutting them can make your sentences punchier and more direct. When used sparingly, filler words can have an impact, but if they clutter every page, they dilute the strength of your writing.
Look out for redundancies
Often, we tend to repeat ourselves without realizing it. For instance, phrases like “end result” or “past history” are redundant because the second word already implies the first. Be mindful of when you’re saying the same thing twice and trim down those repetitive phrases.
Another example:
- “She nodded her head in agreement.” can simply become “She nodded.” The reader will understand the meaning without needing the extra explanation.
Trim dialogue
When writing dialogue, aim for a natural and purposeful flow. Real-life conversations are full of small talk, interruptions, and filler, but that doesn’t always translate well to fiction. Every line of dialogue should serve a purpose—whether it’s advancing the plot, revealing character, or building tension.
For example, instead of:
- “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Pretty good, you?”
“Oh, you know, same old same old. Anyway, about the project…”
You could streamline this to:
- “About the project…”
This keeps the focus on the topic at hand without unnecessary back-and-forth.
Cut out unnecessary descriptions
While it’s tempting to paint a vivid picture with your words, too much description can slow down the pace of your story. I know, I know. We love writing those descriptions. But, think of all the stories you read and which ones you prefer to read. Trust me and focus on giving just enough detail to create a clear image for the reader without overwhelming them.
Revise sentence structure
Long, winding sentences can lose a reader’s attention fast—believe me, I get it, because I love writing them too. But here’s the thing: we’re writing for our readers, not just ourselves. If we were only writing for ourselves, we wouldn’t bother publishing. So, it’s important to find a balance. Mix up your sentence lengths to keep things dynamic and easy to follow. When a sentence starts getting too complex or long, break it up into shorter, more digestible pieces. This helps your writing flow better and makes it way easier for readers to stay hooked on your story.
4. Read Aloud
Reading your manuscript aloud is a game-changer. It helps you catch awkward phrasing, unnatural dialogue, and those pesky repetitive sentence structures. There’s something about hearing the words that makes issues with flow and rhythm stand out—things you might miss when just reading silently.
When I was editing Obsessing Over Coffee and Us, this trick made a huge difference. My characters became more realistic, the humor came through better, and I felt way more confident that I would be able to keep my readers engaged.
5. Pay Attention to Pacing
Is your story dragging in places? Or moving too quickly through important scenes? Pacing is key to keeping readers engaged. Break up long descriptive sections with action or dialogue. Similarly, give your characters time to breathe and reflect after intense moments.
Don’t worry too much about pacing in your first draft—that’s the time to get all your ideas on the page and let your creativity flow. Trying to perfect pacing while drafting can slow you down and lead to overthinking.
However, during your first round of editing, it’s time to take a closer look. If you find that some scenes are dragging or others are rushed, you’ll need to adjust the pacing. This often means rearranging or cutting entire sections, but don’t worry—it’s a natural part of the process. While it might sound daunting, fixing pacing issues is much easier than trying to focus on it while writing. Trust me, I’ve been there with my debut novel Obsessing Over Coffee and Us, and making these changes in the editing phase allowed me to refine the story without losing momentum.
6. Focus on Character Consistency
One of the biggest ways to keep readers invested in your story is by making sure your characters’ actions and reactions line up with who they are. If a character suddenly makes a decision that seems completely out of left field, readers will feel confused or disconnected. You want your characters to feel real and relatable, and consistency is the key to achieving that.
Think about it like this: every character has a unique set of motivations, fears, and desires driving them. So when something happens in your story, their reactions should reflect those inner drives. If your laid-back, carefree protagonist suddenly decides to quit their job and move to a high-stakes corporate gig without any buildup or reason, it’s going to feel jarring. The reader will be left wondering, Wait, why did they do that?
Now, this doesn’t mean your characters can’t surprise readers or grow. Character growth is important! But when they change or evolve, make sure it feels earned. Show the internal struggle or the key moments that lead them to make different choices. That way, even if the decision is unexpected, it still makes sense based on what the character has experienced.
When you’re editing, take a close look at each major decision your characters make. Ask yourself:
- Does this fit with their personality?
- Is there enough groundwork laid for this decision to feel justified?
- Would the reader buy into this moment based on what they already know about the character?
This doesn’t mean your characters should be predictable, but their decisions need to feel authentic. Consistency in personality and motivation makes readers feel like they really know your characters, and when readers are emotionally invested, that’s when your story truly works.
7. Check for Continuity Errors
Did your character start off with blue eyes and end up with green? Does the timeline of your story make sense? Small continuity errors can pull readers out of the narrative, so keep an eye out for them.
You don’t even want to know how many errors I had in the early drafts of Obsessing Over Coffee and Us…
8. Get Feedback
Once you’ve done your self-edit, don’t be afraid to get feedback from beta readers or critique partners. They’ll bring a fresh perspective and may catch issues you missed. After all, the best self-editing often comes with help from others.
Finally, Take Your Time and Enjoy the Process
Remember, no manuscript is perfect on the first try—Obsessing Over Coffee and Us certainly wasn’t! With patience, distance, and a willingness to get into the nitty-gritty of your writing, you’ll be amazed at how much you can improve your work.
The key is to take it one step at a time and above all, trust the process. Every pass through your manuscript brings you closer to the polished story you’ve been dreaming of sharing with the world. Happy editing!