5 essential editing tips to make your novel fly
BY Anna Davis
18th Feb 2025
It’s a huge accomplishment to make it all the way to a completed first draft of a novel. We know it can be daunting to start the editing process – but it can also be fun because it is at this stage of rewriting that your story can really start to shine. It’s a special moment when you figure out what edits are needed to make your narrative fly. Great novels are made in the rewrite!
Here are five top tips from our founder Anna Davis to help you move forward with your rewrite:
1. Get as much distance as you can for your read-through
It’s important to be as dispassionate as possible when you come to review your work. Print it out to get that extra bit of distance, or at least change how it looks on the screen. Make notes about what is and isn’t working as you go along but don’t start trying to fix it mid-read – this can be an emotional rollercoaster. Give yourself time to process what’s there and to strategize.
2. Interrogate your material
When you’ve finished your read-through, take some time to ask yourself every question you can think of about what is and isn’t working in your novel – and in the case of what’s not working, push yourself to think about why, and about what may be needed to remedy the problem.
3. Write a plan and use it to guide you along
Many of us are ‘pantsers’ in first draft, but I think when it comes to self-editing and rewriting, we all need a plan. Without one, you can go wandering deep into your novel and never come out again. Figure out what needs to be done to each and every part of your novel and write it down. With your plan in hand you are freed up to approach your rewrite in any order that works for you.
4. Don’t be afraid to make radical changes
Sometimes it’s through wild experimentation that you can sort out the problems in your novel. Solutions can come from left field – and I’d recommend stepping away from your manuscript to write new material loosely and freely. If you come up with something you like, you can figure out how to work it into your plan and your draft.
5. Hold on to your guiding star
Keep in mind at all times the central idea or question that is at the heart of your novel and that drove you to write it. Remember what your novel is, in the most fundamental sense; its identity. And hold on tight to that.
Good luck! And if you would like more help learning how to edit your novel, take a look at our specialist courses dedicated to editing and pitching – including Anna’s one-day Zoom course The Rewrite Doctor and our new four-day in-person Edit & Pitch Intensive.