Quick Link: 5 Steps to a Thorough Book Edit

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Editing a manuscript can be cringe inducing, right up there with getting a root canal.  But it needs to be done to move you forward.  Good thing has some great tips so you can do a thorough job and perhaps not spend as much time on editing. Helping Writers Become Authors

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December 16, 2016 by

Nothing can strike fear in the hearts of writers like editing. But if you’re going to improve your story, a thorough book edit is something that must happen. With the right tools, mindset, and preparation, it doesn’t have to be scary at all!

The fun thing about the writing and editing process is that everyone approaches it differently. Sometimes writers approach different books with different methods, since each new book is not the same as the last. You’ll take bits and pieces of what you’ve done in the past and mix it up with tips you’ve read in a book or blog, trying to find the magic that makes this book sparkle.

My own editing process continues to evolve as I grow as a writer, and as I learn more about the craft. Most recently, I tackled the edit on my just-released novel Omission, the fourth book in the Darby Shaw Chronicles. You’d think by now, I’d have my path mostly set in stone, but life has a tendency to force change, and this time was no different.

Inspired by my most recent round of editing, here’s how you can tackle a thorough book edit, based on suggestions made by your beta readers.