I’ve finally wrapped up the rough draft of my NaNoWriMo Novel. I’d really like to eventually publish is, but right now, my book is – crap. If you are like me, you wrote quickly just trying to get the thoughts out. Halfway through my edit of course, I realized I was writing in the wrong person (3rd instead of 1st). Oops. Now I need to go back and polish everything from rough draft to a first draft.

1. Set a goal

I had a great goal for writing 50,000 words in a month. I just finished the story at a little over 60,000 words, but without that goal it took me two months to write what would have been a week in november. It makes sense that creating a goal for editing would be useful too.

Line up a beta reader and that can be your goal. Have a friend ready to edit your book next month and work towards that goal. Just set yourself a goal, preferably a solid one that you have to meet or that you will take seriously.

I’m giving myself a month and I’m going chapter by chapter. One session or day to read, one session to put changes back in the computer and continuing from there.

2. Find the best editing method for you

I am editing my novella on my computer. My beta reader did her edit in a word doc so I’m just making changes to her document, incorporating her changes. That’ll work for this project, but there are issues of distractions (more on that later).

For my Novel, however, I plan on going chapter by chapter. It is easier for me to make changes to my own story by printing it out (double space) and going line by line with a red marker. Then I’ll incorporate those changes manually.

But you have to do what works best for you. I like tracking my changes like that going from rough to first, but when I’m going from beta reading edits to second or third drafts I let my beta readers decide how they want to edit. If you like to edit all in your word processor, that works too.

3. Take a break between drafts

Part of the reason I’ve switched back to my novella before editing my novel is that its good to take breaks. The number one thing we want to avoid is burn out, especially when it comes to a NaNoWriMo novel. I spent a whole month frantically writing, I need a break. Then when I go back to my novel, I’ll be able to look on it with more fresh eyes.

And going from first draft to second I’ll take a short break to recoup. This usually will happen naturally too as I wait for beta readers to get back to me.

4. Give yourself a checklist or a form to fill out as you read

I know I have certain things to lookout for as I read. Having an easy to find writing space can help me get my novella and my novel organized. My beta reader said I had a hard time keeping character descriptions consistent so that is what I will look out for as I incorporate edits. Each character description will go in a character sheet.

5. Beta readers are your friends

Often times they are, and they are often your a great source of grammar, spelling, and consistency checkers. But don’t be afraid to go beyond your friend group and maybe hire an editor or beta reader. Sometimes your friends don’t want to insult or put down your hard work so some of them may hold back.

To help this you can tell them what you are looking for as they read. Try to write it down in a little check list if your work is long or have your beta readers read chapter by chapter if you are worried the length will prevent them from continuing.

Get Cracking!

Now it's time to get editing. If you wrote a novel and won NaNoWriMo you can pledge to edit your novel now for the last badge! If not, that's okay too. Just get editing.