Editing - Your First Draft

You’ve got the idea, now make sure you have everything else. From a solid outline and reliable writing routine to the space, time, and tools to get words on the page, this is what turns an idea into a finished novel.

"How do I edit my first draft?"

You have written the first draft. Now you turn raw material into a book. Editing is a complex, multi-pass process. You can and should edit yourself first, but to get the very best version of your manuscript, plan to hand the later stages to a professional. Here is why and how.

What editing is for?

Editing shapes, focuses, and polishes your story. It strengthens structure, clarifies language, and removes distractions so readers can experience the book you intended to write.

The passes that work

Tackle edits in layers rather than all at once.

Big-picture or structural pass
Check the story shape. Do plot threads connect, do character arcs land, and does the book start and end in the right places? Cut repetition, merge scenes, and fix pacing.
Chapter and scene pass
Give each chapter a job. Tighten openings and endings, improve transitions, and ensure every scene changes something.
Line edit pass
Focus on sentences. Improve clarity, rhythm, and voice. Remove filler, clichés, and clunky phrasing. Read aloud to catch bumps.
Copy edit pass
Clean grammar, punctuation, spelling, continuity, and formatting. Standardise style choices and check names, timelines, and facts.
Proofread pass
Catch final typos and small errors. This is the last polish before sharing or publishing.

Why you should self-edit first

Early self-editing is essential. You know your intent, your characters, and your themes. Cleaning structure and language now saves time and money later. Keep your basics tidy as you draft and refine. Clear grammar, simple punctuation, and readable formatting make professional work faster and more effective.

Why a professional editor is worth it

A professional brings distance, expertise, and market awareness you cannot give yourself.

Objectivity
You are close to the work. An external editor sees blind spots, flat sections, and mixed signals you miss.
Expert craft knowledge
Developmental editors diagnose structure, stakes, and character arcs. They suggest workable fixes, not just point out problems.
Audience and market fit
Editors know genre expectations and current standards. They help you meet the reader promise without losing your voice.
Consistency and precision
Line and copy editors enforce style, continuity, and correctness across hundreds of pages. This level of focus is hard to sustain alone.
Professional polish
Proofreaders remove the last distractions so agents, reviewers, and readers focus on the story, not the errors.

Think of it like building a house. You can design the rooms and paint the walls, but you still bring in a surveyor and an electrician to make sure everything is safe, sound, and up to code.

Which editor does what

Developmental or structural editor
Big-picture story, character, pacing, and organisation.
Line editor
Sentence-level clarity, style, flow, and voice.
Copy editor
Grammar, usage, consistency, fact checks, and style sheet.
Proofreader
Final typos and formatting after layout or final export.

You do not always need all four, but knowing the roles helps you hire the right help.

How to work well with an editor

Prepare the manuscript
Finish your self-edits first. Remove obvious repetition, fix basic errors, and label chapters clearly. Provide a brief synopsis and your goals.
Choose the right fit
Look for genre experience, request a short sample edit, check references, agree scope in writing, and confirm timeline and deliverables.
Use a style sheet
Share decisions on names, hyphenation, capitalisation, numbers, dialect, and invented terms. This keeps everyone consistent.
Be open and selective
Consider every note, then accept the changes that serve the story. Ask questions where you disagree. The goal is clarity, not winning.

Tools that help

Use your novel planner to track passes by chapter, log issues to fix later, and note decisions on style and continuity. If you do not have a planner, a simple spreadsheet or notebook will do. Print key chapters or change font and margins to see the text fresh.

Timing matters

Do not edit the day you finish a draft. Step away for a few days so you return with clear eyes. Bring in a professional after your strongest self-edited draft, not before. That way, their time and skill go into higher-value changes, not basic cleanup.

How to know you are done with a pass

Structural questions are answered, and scenes all earn their place.
Chapters have clear openings and endings, and transitions make sense.
Sentences read cleanly aloud.
Copy edits and proof marks are down to genuine nits, not rewrites.

Aim for better with each pass, then stop when changes are cosmetic rather than meaningful.

Editing is demanding work, but it is also the stage where your book becomes itself. Do your best self-edit, then let a professional bring the sharpness, consistency, and confidence that readers can feel on every page.

Editing Checklist

Before You Start

Step away from your manuscript for a few days or weeks to reset your perspective
Back up your draft in at least two places
Gather tools: planner or notebook, pens, sticky notes, and highlighters
Create a tracking sheet to log progress by chapter or section
Read your manuscript once without editing to get a feel for pacing and flow