If you have a piece of fiction you're serious about, something you might actually want to shop around, or just something you are really into and want to make it as good as you can... do NOT edit.
Repeat, do NOT edit.
RE-WRITE.
As in print out the whole thing and re-enter it, every word (or use two screens). Re-type the whole thing. Recreate it form the ground up using your first draft as a template. Start withe a blank page and re-enter. Every. Single. Word.
I know it's insane. But.
It is the most powerful thing you will ever do for a piece of fiction you are serious about. You can edit, sure. But you will not get down to the level of chnge that needs to happen in a second draft. You will let things slide. Your eyes wll miss things. You will say "eh good enough".
You will end up with an entirely different novel from the one you started with. When you're re-entering every single word, it's easy to make deep changes. You'll reformat sentences, you'll switch phrases around, you'll massage your word choice. You'll discover whole paragraphs that don't need to be there at all because they became redundant. You'll find dialogue exchanges that need reimagining. Whole plot points will suddenly be different, whole story arcs will reveal their flaws and get re-drawn.
YOU ARE READING
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