How to Edit Your Novel
So you had an amazing story in mind and you have successfully transformed it into a novel.
Nothing can replace this sense of achievement but do you think that your novel is good to be published. Isn’t there any margin of improvement?
To find out the answer, you will have to be a ruthless editor and make appropriate changes. Now, this can be difficult as hardly few know the art of editing and it is not necessary that a good writer is also a good editor.
However, one can do this by following some simple yet effective editing techniques, which have been explained in this article.
Instructions
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1
Review your novel:
First thing you should do is to set your novel aside at least for a week and then review it with a fresh approach. Moreover, you will have to make another study of the novel just as a regular reader. It will be difficult but little bit practice will help you to develop a neutral viewpoint. If you feel that you are unable to do justice with this process then you may ask some experienced person to read and give an opinion. -
2
Read it aloud:
While having another look at your novel, you should read it loud in front of small gathering. This will give you an idea about the expected reaction of your reader. Moreover, you will be able to remove tongue-tied phrases and make the flow of novel better. -
3
Make a list of unnecessary things:
You should make a list of things that you think do not have any impact on the plot. It can be anything, a character, a situation or even a dialogue. Be open for amendments and prepare a detailed list of such things. The best way to decide the importance or insignificance of anything is to seek logic in the existence of that thing. -
4
Read your piece of literature again:
Now, when you have removed all unnecessary things from the script, it’s time to determine whether the novel has a strong grip or not. Exclusion of unnecessary elements will definitely loosen the frame so you will have to add few things to cover the gaps. Again, you must seek logic otherwise this will be a futile exercise and you will be adding pointless things. -
5
Final editing:
Now repeat the third step and give finishing touch to your master piece. After the final editing, your novel is ready to be submitted to a publisher.
