5 Self-Editing Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs

Guest post by Reedsy writer Desiree Villena

You’ve finally written the last page of your book. The murderer’s revealed, the lovers united, etc.—time to crack open the bubbly, right?

Not quite. Before an author starts knocking on publishers’ doors, they need to perform a thorough self-edit. If a literary agent receives a book riddled with plot holes and chock-a-block with clichés, they’ll chuck it straight in the bin—they don’t have time for rookie errors.

1. Editing While you Write

Going back and forth between writing and editing can be a huge obstacle to finishing a book.

The persnickety side of your brain—the side that’s worried about grammar and publication—is only going to hinder the creative side. And that’s the side that’s going to produce a completed manuscript.

So write your first draft as if nobody will ever read it. Allow yourself to use the wrong words and just get everything in your head down onto the page, warts and all.

An excellent way to think of writing your first draft is simply as you tellingyourself the story.

2. Diving in Straightaway

I know I said it wasn’t quite time to crack open the bubbly, but youhave just written a book — you deserve some sort of break!

Every author will agree that you should take some time away from your book before going back to edit.How much time, however, is open to interpretation.

Some will say several days is enough, others six weeks or two months.Zadie Smith has said that while a couple of months “will do,” she prefers to wait a year or more.

3. Copy Editing First

Copy editing before considering the bigger picture is avery common mistake, and one that you need to avoid at all costs.

Think about it: when you start toget book reviews, are they more likely to point out a flat and forgettable protagonist, or the Oxford comma you missed on page 136?

Besides, unless you’re the first to discover the secret to a perfect first draft (in which case, please share!), you’ll inevitably need to rewrite significant chunks of your book, rendering previous copy-editing useless. 

There’s no quick fix when it comes to plot and character development; however, if you feel your work is lacking in one of those areas, try returning to your notes.

4. Being Afraid of the Knife

Stephen King once compared editing a manuscript to “murdering children,” because taking the knife to your beloved story is really going to hurt.

5. Not Involving a Third Party

I know, I know, we’re talking about self-editing, but hear me out.

At this point, you and your book are in a serious, long-term relationship. You’ve grown so used to its flaws — the awkward phrases and the occasional typo — that you don’t even notice them anymore. Not to mention the deep attachment you’ve formed that prevents you from being objectively critical. 

For this reason, it’s never a bad idea to involve a third party editor. The work that a professional proofreader can do in the final, crucial stages is invaluable.

But if that isn’t in budget for you, then asking a friend or fellow writer to look over your book — or even just the most problematic parts — can give you incredible peace of mind before you publish.

As long as you avoid these five mistakes, the editing process is really all about feeling your way and spending as much time as you need to get your book where you want it to be.

It might be a bit of a grind, but once it’s done you can move onto the exciting things, like an excitingbook cover design or a book launch, knowing that your manuscript is polished to perfection.

Desiree Villena is a writer with Reedsy, and in her spare time, Desiree enjoys reading contemporary fiction, writing short stories, and giving (mostly) solicited advice to her fellow writers. You can get in touch with her at desiree.j.villena@gmail.com.

Photo by Joseph Gruenthal on Unsplash