So you’ve finally done it. You’ve finished your prized manuscript – the one you’ve spent months creating – and the temptation to pop it into a postal package and ship it off to a welcoming editor is tugging at you mercilessly.
I urge you to resist that temptation. For now, anyway.
After spending so much of your time and effort in producing what you have so far, it would seem a shame to rush things at this crucial stage in your manuscript’s life. Once the first draft is done, almost every writer realizes that an edit or partial rewrite is going to be a necessary task.
There are almost as many different ways to edit and rewrite as there are writers. Some prefer to edit as they go. There are those who prefer to chop and change story lines midway through the creation process. Others seem to race through the first draft and spend time polishing it up once they’re done. I’m one of the latter.
It makes no difference which technique you prefer, as long as it works for you. The point is to end up with a professional manuscript which an editor will hopefully buy.
So let’s take a look at 12 polishing techniques that could mean the difference between a sale and a rejection.
1 – Print it Out
Seeing your words paraded before you on a screen is one thing. Reading your words in a different form means you will see it in a different perspective. If you write in long-hand, type it out. If you use a computer, print out a paper copy.
I realize this method gets a little heavy on the pocket, but seeing your work in a new light will highlight a lot of little mistakes and inconsistencies that would not be so obvious otherwise. Your work will benefit from the exposure in a different format.
2 – Read it Aloud
Okay, so this might look a little silly to anyone peeking through your window, but the chances are, no one is looking anyway. The point of this exercise is to bring out the natural flow (or lack thereof) in your writing.
For this step, a notepad and a plentiful supply of pens are handy. As you read, don’t be tempted to stop and correct any redundancies, or awkward phrasings. Jot down anything you notice in your notepad, but keep reading. You will get to the fix-it stage later.
Nothing will benefit your writing more than hearing it read aloud. You’ll discover nuances of rhythm and interpretation that the printed word will not show. You may also discover odd-sounding cadences that interrupt the flow. Whatever you discover, hearing what you’ve written will give you a sense of distance.
3 – Spelling and grammar
When you read something you created yourself, the tendency to anticipate words is common. Often you mind will see the word you intended to write, rather than the actual error. Your computer spell-checker will not pick up these discrepancies.
Words like “then” and “than” are easy to miss, and even easier to overlook. They are such little words, after all.
Ask yourself how you would feel if you had picked up another author’s work and found trivial typing errors sprinkled throughout the story. I’m sure you wouldn’t be too pleased, nor would the story seem so enjoyable for this distraction. This is how a potential reader is going to view your work. Take the time to read it through carefully.
4 – Plot inconsistencies
During this initial read through, you should discover that there are points in your story that did not unravel the way you thought they would. You may also learn that you began several threads that vanished into thin air.
It happens. You know all the material in your story backwards. From your perspective, all the information is already there. But the reader’s perspective is what counts here. Just because the conclusions seem logical to you does not mean your writing clarified your intentions.
You might have been caught up in the push of the story or the lure of the characters and the plot braid you began got lost in the moment. This is the time to pick up all the loose threads and tie them into a neat, satisfying conclusion.
5 – Characters
Is your point of view consistent? Do you have characters who wander into play, and then fizzle out, contributing nothing to the story? Are your character traits consistent?
If you’ve introduced a character in Chapter One who is five feet five and brunette, describing her as five feet eight with blonde hair in Chapter Six is not going to sit well with readers, much less an editor.
Similarly, bringing a character into play simply to deliver a line, or specific piece of information, is awkward. Find a way to utilize an existing character for this, or better still, flesh out your ‘extra’ so that he contributes more to the story line than just a messenger service.
Sometimes, though, minor characters are important. The nameless man serving behind the counter, the woman at the ticket booth, the girlfriend of the next door neighbor’s son. Showing the extras is fine, but ask yourself how much relevance they have to your story before you jump into their life history, or worse, their point of view.
6 – Propel the Story
Know what your story’s conflicts are. Conflict helps to build tension, which will drive your story forward. Without the right descriptions, or by cluttering up the stage, some of that impetus can be lost.
Sometimes, though, the thrill of writing action sequences or steamy scenes can make you lose sight of where your story was heading. Adding an extra scene or two for the sake of excitement will not work if it does not advance your story-line in a positive way.
