How to Edit Your First Novel: Part 1

Hello, Readers! 

It's been some time since we last connected– as it usually is– but I come bearing exciting news... 

I finished the first draft of my book. 

That is one of the handful of times I've written and said those words in the last couple of weeks and it feels surreal. I started writing when I was just about 10 years old and each time I attempted to flesh out an idea, it would crumble after 20 or so pages. It didn't matter how passionate I was about the concept or how clearly I could imagine my MC because my tiny attention span shoved me onto the next with minimal ceremony. For the first time in 12 years, I saw through one of my most well-thought-out worlds, character arcs, and plot structures and wrote "the end." I sat for a moment in my tiny library and stared at those words like I'd completed my own little Mona Lisa. It's nowhere near, of course, but it's the closest I've ever come. 

It is a total of 680 pages and over 200,000 words. I anticipate those numbers to change as I hone the next draft, but for now, I am marveling that I even reached such a milestone. For comparison, that is close to the average amount of words in each of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle works. 

So what happens now? I know editing is the next step because if I ever hope to woo an agent, I will need my book to look as polished as possible. I understand the general path, of course, but everyone has their own style. 

So what is mine? 

I have decided that this is a journey best traveled and a path best forged with you, Readers. So buckle in and get ready for an adventure! 

This post commemorates the first step in what may or may not remain to be my process and experience. This is interesting because I decided that the first step in editing is to not edit. 

For the last couple of weeks, I have kept my eyes away from the enormous brick that is the printed copy of my first draft and has not allowed anyone else to peek at it either. Because I have been so engrossed in planning and pondering the story during its four-year creation, I must gain a little perspective for returning to the pages when it is time. 

So what have I done if I'm not writing? I've read other books, of course, some in the Fantasy genre and some outside of it, but all with the effort of cleaning my palate and inspiring me with something that transports me. If you choose to take a similar period of rest, I suggest looking at a work (or works) that inspired you to write in the first place. It could be from a favorite author with a new release, something you've never read before but you've been aching to, or even one you've read dozens of times over but takes you back to the moment you picked up a pen. Whatever it is, let it give you the literary hug you'll need to step forward! 

Though I've stayed away from the particulars of my book, I've taken this time to ask myself questions about it. My intention is to remind myself of the goals I had with these characters and their story before I dive headlong into editing without the necessary clarity or vision. My hopes for my book and many of the plot points have developed in surprising ways as I wrote, but much of my motivation has remained the same. I've been well served by asking myself the following questions: 

• How did you discover this story?
• Where did (insert character here) start and where did you intend to take them? 
• How do others view the above characters? 
• Who did you write this book for? 
• What is most important about your story? What should a reader leave with when they close the book?

I'm certain there are more questions to mull over but to keep myself from mental editing, I've stuck to the broad strokes.

Before you pull out the red pen, ask yourself why you're there and what you dream of accomplishing with your characters and your story. It is you who gets to define the next era of your work and the unique path you'll take to strive for your goals. 

I have a feeling that the editing process is akin to what I imagine hiking through a jungle must be like. Machete in hand and a tangle of plants and vines before me, I'll slash out ahead of me with both care and reckless abandon. I'll spend more time in some places than others to clear the necessary path while in others I'll tend to quickly, but within time I'll arrive at my destination and be proud of the route I've forged. Hopefully, it is good enough for others to more easily walk where I once struggled (it is to be noted, of course, that I was the one who thought up the mess of a jungle in the first place). 

This week, I begin the arduous process of wielding my machete and addressing my manuscript with a more critical–yet still loving– eye. We will meet again in "Part 2" as I delve further into the wilderness of my imagination! I will see you all there.