Edit Letter Revisions

February 1, 2021/emilyrae

Drafting your manuscript is fun, but you can’t forget the most important step: editing! Whether you hire an editor, get feedback from a beta reader, or get an edit letter from an agent or publisher, you’re going to have to digest the information. These are the steps I take to whip my novel into tip top shape:

  1. Digest the letter. Determine what big picture content you need to edit, as well as the smaller edits.
  2. Line item every revision you need to make. Voice, POV issue, plot holes, character development, etc. It’ll make it much easier to focus on each edit individually without getting overwhelmed.
  3. Go through your manuscript for grammar/spelling mistakes/typos. Editing can create MORE typos, unfortunately! I love to use ProWritingAid. It points out the obvious stuff!
  4. Read your novel from start to finish. To distance yourself from your writing, read it somewhere you didn’t write it, like an eReader. This will help you spot typos and inconsistencies.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but take the feedback one step at a time. You got this!!

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emilyrae

Emily Rae spends most of her day fighting with characters in her head. She controls their bickering by attending writing critiques and write-ins at her local bookstore. Luckily, she’s surrounded by a tight-knit group of writers who are just as crazy as she is. She has attended multiple university-level courses exploring various aspects of creative fiction writing. While she writes all year round, she has participated in National Novel Writing month eight years in a row, and nothing will stop her winning streak. She has also worked as a journalist and wrote several published news articles. Emily currently owns a marketing firm, which entails producing websites, videos, and brand strategies.