You’re Done with Your First Draft—Now What? Your Ultimate Editing Guide

So now that you’re done with writing your first draft (or perhaps you are preparing to send your story to a publisher), you’ll want to look over your manuscript to ensure the best version of your story is put into print. Here are some of the things I look for as an editor with an MFA in creative writing, former book editing and publishing intern and years of reading and critiquing experience.

These questions are meant to prepare your manuscript for publication so that your readers can enjoy a well-written and polished book. Happy editing!

Developmental Editing Questions

1. What is your purpose in writing this book? How do you want readers to feel after reading it? What do you want them to take away?

2. Nonfiction writers: What is the main idea or message you want to convey? Fiction writers: What is the compelling or central idea of the story? Usually, this is one sentence and may be a question such as “Will love conquer all?” or a sentence: “Christmas is saved by the power of generosity and family coming together.” Here is a good supplemental resource.

3. Are there any plot holes?

4. How is the pacing? Is there any section that goes too quickly or drags on for too long?

5. Are character motivations strong, consistent and visible throughout?

6. Are characters understandable and believable? Do they seem like real people?

7. Are the characters interesting and memorable?

8. Are characters proactive and relatable? Do they make the reader care about them and root for them?

9. Are themes expressed in ways that are interesting and engaging to the reader?

10. Is there an unusual element that surprises and hooks the reader?

11. Is there enough tension and high stakes to keep the reader turning the pages? And if there is consistent high tension, do you have lighter moments sprinkled throughout?

12. Are there cliches that could be avoided? Have you added your own unique spin on tried-and-true tropes?

13. Is there anything that should be cut or added? In other words, is there any part that doesn’t contribute to the central idea? Is there anything that should be added to strengthen the central idea?

14. Have you identified the five major plot points: inciting incident, turning point, crisis, climax and resolution?

Copyediting & Line Editing Questions

1. Is punctuation correct? Are there any missing or extraneous punctuation marks?

2. Is grammar and syntax flawless?

3. Are all spellings correct?

4. Is there proper and consistent capitalization?

5. Is there too much repetition of certain words?

6. Are there any typos?

7. Are POVs, descriptions, locations consistent?

8. Is the tense consistent?

9. Is there one editing style guide (CMOS, APA, MLA, etc.) that is consistently applied?

10. Is the tone as the author intends?

11. Do sentences flow? Are they coherent and structured well?

12. Could there be better word choices that convey the meaning you intend?

13. Are the descriptions of characters, locations, etc. good?

14. Are there any confusing phrasings that needs to be changed?

Proofreading Questions

1. Is the table of contents correct?

2. Is the layout professional and easy to read?

3. Are illustrations, graphs and tables formatted correctly?

4. Is the index or other back matter formatted correctly?

5. Are there any rivers, hyphen ladders, runts, orphans or widows?

6. Are fonts professional, consistent throughout and easy to read?

7. Are there any leftover typos or errors that need to be fixed?

Editorial Review

1. Is the book high-concept?

2. Is the book concept unique (or puts a fresh spin on a well-known concept)?

3. Is the book well-written and complete?

4. Have you received feedback from industry professionals including agents, editors, publishers and/or readers in your genre?

Once you’ve gone through this checklist and completed your edits, it’s time to publish your polished story! If you'd rather not edit your story yourself or want another pair of eyes, I'd love to do it for you. Just reach out by sending me an email by pressing the gold button at the top of the page, or send me a message through the contact me page.