So you have written your first draft and its now time to go back and make it all nice and shiny. Here are a couple of tips to help you get the most out of re-writing and editing the first draft of your novel.
Wait - The first piece of advice is to wait. By this I mean give it as long as possible between completing your first draft and starting on the second. Waiting weeks or even months will pay off, since you will come back to the text with a renewed vigour and a fresh set of eyes.
Cut and expand – It is essential that you only include text that moves your story forward. Your reader is by nature impatient and they will have little time for bloated paragraphs and fluffy descriptions. Ask yourself as you read – ‘Do I need this section? Does it move the story forward?’ If the answer is no, then cut the text. Painful but essential. By the same vein if a section is essential to the story but does not give enough information or detail, then expand. You can’t assume that readers will know certain facts unless they are presented in black and white.
Ask a friend to read - I recently wrote a blog post about getting the most from third party editing. I would suggest you go back and have a read of this post. A friend’s feedback can be essential, but only if managed correctly.
Read out aloud – I would strongly suggest that you read your text out aloud. I use a software program called TextAloud when editing. This is text-to-speech software that reads back your work. It gives you a new feel for your writing and will highlight any section that are jerky or simply don’t make sense.
Don’t worry about word count – Writers are often obsessed by word counts. You will often find blog posts listing supposed ‘ideal’ word counts for certain genres. The reality is that as long as a novel is not stupidly long or stupidly short, it will be fine. So if your work needs an extra chapter or if you feel a character can be cut – do it! Forget the word count, since the integrity of the narrative is far more important.
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The last suggestions in your (perfectly smashing and sensible) list is one that I strongly believe in. When I get asked about my novel, the question always comes: ‘How long is it?’
Honestly, who cares?
Your novel is as long as it needs to be. It’s as long as your narrative lasts. Really, it doesn’t matter in the slightest whether it’s 50,000 or 100,000 words.
This word count worrying is one of my minor objections to NaNoWriMo actually. But that’s a different story!
Thanks – Ian
Very short novels present publishers problems with marketing. Very long novels presents problems with paying editors, but also further along the line. Often a publisher will be looking to sell work into other countries. However, since translators charge per word, very long novels quickly become too expensive to export. This removes a big potential income and makes the novel problematic for all concerned.
Well when you put it like that
I guess I meant don’t worry unless it’s extraordinary long or short!
The translation thing never occurred to me until an agent once explained the maths. Yet, I didn’t mean to try and prove you wrong. We are both on the same page here – don’t worry about word count.
Oh no, I know you didnt. I hadn’t considered the translation thing at all, so very handy to think about.
*checks own word count*
*phones agent*
Some publishers have very explicit word length requirements. If their guidelines say they’re looking for 70-90K, and you’re a first-time author, I wouldn’t suggest submitting anything very far afield from those guidelines. But don’t worry about the word count until you have your story on the page. Then you can go back and adjust it for specifics, if need be.
Terry, You are correct. However, many writers become obsessed by word count. If a publishers loves a novel the word count can be fixed. Just make sure you are not massively over or massively under.
Great tips! If I might add, what has been very successful for me is to assume the perspective of the reader. Wipe the slate clean, so to speak. Knowing nothing about your story or information and seeing if you (the reader) can visualize or understand as vividly or clearly as you yourself want to portray as the author.
thanks!
Sounds good. Maybe it's finally time to get working on the second draft of my wannabe novel. Thanks.
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