Self-Editing Tips You NEED To Know

Writing a book involves so much more than the writing itself, and among the most important steps in the process is editing. Messy first drafts, rough drafts, zero drafts, proof of concept drafts—no matter what you call them, they're aptly named.

And more often than not, they won't be fit for publishing.

Hiring a professional editor is always recommended, especially for writers intending to self-publish, but it can be expensive (though quite a few offer payment plans that can work with your budget), and those costs can grand jeté their way into exorbitance if you're doing multiple rounds of pro edits.

On a similar note, agents and publishers are far more likely to reject your manuscript straight away if it's riddled with typos and grammatical mistakes; rest assured, many agents have said they don't expect pristine drafts to cross their desks, but you definitely want to ensure it's in the best shape possible so it doesn't end up in their wastebasket.

Suffice it to say, editing your book is a must.

Believe me, it can be overwhelming.

Here are some self-editing tips to make the process a little smoother...

Hold Off On Diving In

The very first thing you should do when you've finished your book's first draft? Nothing.

Actually, the first thing you should do is celebrate because you just wrote a gosh darn freakin' book. After that, though, the first thing you should do is wait.

It sounds counterintuitive, sure. You've just gotten through the drafting phase and are at last up to the next step in the process, where so much of the magic happens and your writing truly begins to shine. It's exciting. Why would you hold off?

For a couple of reasons, actually!

First, it gives you a much-needed mental reset. Editing's a formidable undertaking. Giving yourself permission to rest can help keep burnout at bay.

You've also been immersed in your story for a long time, and that closeness can interfere with your ability to notice flaws in your draft. Putting some distance between yourself and your story makes it easier to be objective and see it through a critical lens.

Psst! For an in-depth look at reasons to hold off on editing your WIP, head on over to this post.

Print Out A Physical Copy

We live in a digital age, but there is something to be said for a printout of your draft.

Having a physical copy of your WIP lets you see it from a different perspective, and I've found that it's smoother for me to mark up in the moment. Printouts are distraction-free and encourage me to slow down, which makes it easier to catch mistakes that slipped past my radar on-screen.

Plus, physical drafts are portable, which is great for writers on the go; you'll sometimes see me working on my self-edits when I'm chilling at the front desk at my day job.

This is all why I love handwritten drafts, too.

If you don't have your own printer, you can have your manuscript printed at Staples or similar stores. At the time of writing, there is a baseline fee of $0.24 per page at Staples.

Some writers have also used services like Reedsy to have their draft printed and bound as a paperback book for their editing annotations, and I will 100% be doing that when I feel that my WIP is in a good enough shape to warrant the cost.

Use Multicolored Pens

Alongside printouts of my drafts, the other mainstay of my self-editing process is using a set of colored pens.

If you're someone who enjoys color-coded organization, this might be an especially great approach for you. You may decide to assign a specific color to each of your characters or to a specific element of your story you're keeping an eye out for, like dialogue or setting descriptions, or use those colors to denote the severity (e.g., green for minor issues, going up to red for urgent fixes).

All of this attention to detail is admittedly a pipe dream for me. I'm usually too absorbed in edits to keep track of which color correlates to what. The main reason I rely on colored pens is to keep my thoughts legible. Because, let's face it, there are a lot of notes going on that printout, and having different colors keeps them from running into each other to the point of becoming totally unintelligible.

Read Your Writing Out Loud

It's awkward. But it works.

Reading your writing out loud has plenty of benefits. It asks you to take your time and take every word into account, which helps you catch anything you might have missed when reading in silence.

It's also good to get a feel for how your writing sounds—and not just for the purpose of test-driving future audiobooks or practicing for author reading events!

If you're stumbling over your words as you're reading your WIP aloud, your future readers probably will, too. Running out of breath? That could indicate run-on sentences that might be better broken up. Noticing a repeating rhythm might be a sign you need to vary your sentence structure.

Now, if you're like me and hate the sound of your own voice or the idea of reading your writing aloud to naught but thin air sends you into a spiral of cringe, don't panic!

Instead, duck!

More specifically, rubber duck.

Rubber Duck Debugging originated in software engineering and programming as a way to identify errors in codes. An engineer might have a rubber duck or other inanimate object on their desk and read their code line by line to it, which makes it easier to figure out where things went wrong. Writers can also use this method when editing their books. Whether it's the traditional rubber duck, a picture of a loved one, a Funko POP! figure, or something else, designating an object to read your writing to can ease that awkwardness and make it easier to debug your writing.

Create A Graveyard Doc

If I asked you to name the five most common pieces of writing advice, I imagine "murder your darlings" would make the list.

For the uninitiated, murdering your darlings refers to cutting parts of your manuscript, specifically the parts you love dearly even though they don't serve the story. Darlings range from entire scenes and characters to single lines, and cutting them can be one of the hardest things about self-editing.

Here's the deal: there are only so many hills you can die on as a writer. Killing your darlings sucks, but creating a Graveyard Doc can make it easier to bid your darlings adieu.

Graveyard Docs act as a junk drawer but instead of cords and batteries you swear have at least a use if not a proper home, a Graveyard Doc is a separate file where you can leave your slain darlings. That way, they're not actually gone forever and can be resurrected either at a different point in the same project or in an entirely new one down the road.

Don't Focus On The Flaws

Editing is all about making your work better. In order to do that, you have to identify its weaknesses. There have been plenty of days self-editing my WIPs has felt like combing through and pointing out every reason I'm not good enough to be a writer and every reason my book is a fumin' dumpster fire.

And I'm certain I'm not the only one.

Self-editing can quickly turn into self-loathing. Don't let it. Don't fixate on the flaws in your WIP.

As you're editing, it's normal to feel frustrated. It's a long, arduous process. Just remember that with every round of edits, your manuscript becomes stronger and closer to its best self. You're continuing to grow as a writer, and the lessons learned through one WIP carry over to those yet to be written.

Remember to recognize the positives in your writing. The details you're most proud of. Where your writing truly shines.

Editing is where so much of the magic happens in the writing process. Give yourself the credit you deserve for the process you've already made and embrace the potential waiting to be uncovered.

Self-editing your book doesn't have to be this big, scary thing. Truth be told, I actually enjoy it. A printout covered in my annotations is something I've learned to take pride in because it's proof of my growth as a writer. That motivation, along with these tips, has made self-editing something I've come to look forward to.

What self-editing tips would you add to this list? Is there anything you'll be trying for yourself? Share your favorites in the comments!