Writer's: How to Self-Edit Your Book

   They say that the first draft of your novel when writing it should never be self-edited as you are writing until you completely finish this draft.  Now, I have to admit there are times I sort of look back and start editing my first draft before this draft is finished.  The reason I do this is sometimes I run into writer's block and by going back and self-editing I generally get an idea that gets me back to writing.  Am I telling you to do this?  Well, it's up to you.  I just know that it helps me a lot when I am not sure where my story should go.  

     So after the first draft is done, you will need to self-edit your book regardless of whether you have an editor who you plan to hire to edit your book later.  Believe me, you never want to send your first draft out to an editor before self-editing it yourself.  The reason being is you will generally be amazed at your writing when you do this.  There will be times in the first draft where you will question what you were actually trying to say when reading back this first draft. You'll even wonder if you know how to write.  You'll probably say things out loud like:  What was I thinking?  What is this sentence telling me?  Who wrote this piece of garbage, anyway? etc.  I'm sure you get the picture.  Just remember if this is your first book, this is quite normal.  It doesn't mean that you should scrap this first draft into the nearest garbage, but instead, see this as the framework to what it will become after you self-edit it into the second draft.

     Here is a video of a person showing you how she self-edits her work:

     Many of the tips talked about in the above video is something that you might want to consider entering notes into Evernote, which is something I talked about in a previous blog entry.  If you didn't read this blog article you still can by clicking here:  "What is Evernote and How Can it Help a Person Writing a Book".

     And, here is another video on this subject that goes into using Scrivener to help you with self-editing your book:

     If writing a book wasn't hard enough, the editing phase will be just as hard.  But, in the end, just think of it like you're getting closer to publishing it.  This should make you feel somewhat good.  Keep writing and keep editing.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about how writers can become obsessed when writing a book.  If you feel at times that writing a book is overwhelming, you are not alone.  Some of what I will share in this article will probably make you laugh, and I'm sure as a writer you will be able to relate to some of the situations that will be discussed.

     So stay tuned!