Editing Your Manuscript: How to Self-Correct Your Work Without An Editor

I finished my manuscript now what?

Editing your manuscript

That is certainly no easy task, after all, but it becomes even more challenging when you battle yourself mentally. Before publishing or releasing it into the world, you have one more crucial step left: edit.

I loathe editing but I'm on a tight budget, so I'll need to do it myself. Self-editing is a skill that any writer can pick up.

This post aims to teach you what I do to edit a manuscript without outside help.

1. Set Your Manuscript Aside

   
   

Give your manuscript a break and step away for a while. I like to give it a week. This reset is extremely helpful in ensuring that when you return to the writing, you’re able to catch all the mistakes that you previously overlooked. Even if you believe that every ounce of writing from your rough draft to the end of it has been finalized correctly, making a small reset like this makes a world of difference.

Taking a few days out will allow you to return to the piece with a fresh look.

2. Tackle Big-Picture Issues First

   
   

Work through grammar and punctuation only after addressing larger items. First ask yourself:

Structure: Is your argument or story coherent?

Pacing: Is there any part of the writing that is too rushed or too slow?

Clarity: Is the argument easy to follow throughout? Are any sections ambiguous?

Consistency: Does your cast act consistently? What about the tone of the piece?

At this stage, feel free to cut ruthlessly. Reorganizing or removing entire sections may be painful, but I do it anyway.

3. Listen to the Text

   
   

Hearing text forces your attention to all the words, so instead of seeing phrases, you hear them which makes your brain work harder. Listening to one’s own work highlights awkward prose, repetitive words, and clumsy sentences. If you feel akward have AI read it to you.

4. Remove Unnecessary Words

   
   

Too flowery? Too many descriptives? Fillers? Look for the following where you can make changes:

• Unnecessary adverbs or adjectives

• Repetitive phrases or clichés

• Filler phrases (very, quite, actualy, just, etc)

• Long sentences

• Make a point of asking: Do these phrases or sentences serve the argument or narrative? If the answer is no, it is best cut.

5. Search for Common Mistakes

   
   

You have completed the big-picture edits as well as the line edits. Now focus on the technical aspects, such as:

Grammatical Structure, Sentence Construction and Typos

Spell check in so-called “modern” word processors may not make the cut. Other tools such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid are also useful, but make sure you evaluate the changes carefully.

6. Adopt A Style Sheet (It is Optional, but Useful)

Use a guide to remain consistent throughout your paper if you are writing for a publication.

Select one bearing your genre or target market e.g. Chicago Manual of Style, AP, MLA, and use it to guide you on capitalization, hyphenation, and other stylistic questions you may have.

7. Get Feedback From Other People

   
   

You can pose the question of whether a trusted friend or critique partner/beta reader should read your paper and give their opinion on it. It helps to have someone who can give you an unfiltered perspective on things. I usually have someone do this when I have set the manuscript aside for a week.

Be open to criticism, in all its forms, .

Final Thoughts

It may not be easy, but it is rewarding.

Have a guide and remember: no one’s first draft is perfect—every great book is rewritten.