You’ve just typed the last word of your story. You might be feeling excited, proud, or maybe a little dazed. The satisfaction of completing your story and the apprehension of walking into the storm of self-editing—it can feel emotionally daunting. But hey, it’s always the first step that’s the scariest. 

As a beginner author, you just need a little nudge to take that first step. Amidst the scary storm of editing, this article will be your umbrella—a guide on how to self-edit your novel. 

Here is your ultimate checklist that will prepare your story to get noticed by the publishers and the readers. 

Review the Story and Plot

Start your self-editing checklist with the heart of your book: story and plot. Once your story is well-structured and the plot is coherent, more than half of your work is done. Your plot doesn’t just attract readers, it also brings in publishers. Besides being immensely important, this step can be the trickiest. 

The loops in the plot are subtle enough to hide in plain sight, and if you’re not looking closely, they can slip right past you. Thus, you need a keen eye and a fresh mind to approach plot editing.  

When doing story structure analysis, ask yourself the following questions. 

1. Can I identify a proper beginning, middle, and end of my story?
2. Have I established the central conflict properly? Is it resolved by the end of the story?
3. Have I made the stakes clear?
4. Is my plot consistent throughout the story?
5. Does the pacing feel too rushed or too slow?
6. Have I resolved all the subplots?
7. Is the climax impactful?
8. Does the resolution of the central conflict feel satisfying?
9. Is my story cathartic, or does it leave the readers dissatisfied?

Look Into Character Development

After the story and plot, shift your focus to the character development. Start with your protagonists and antagonists. Once you’ve nailed their character arcs, take a closer look at the secondary characters. 

Bringing in a fresh pair of eyes at this stage can help. Consider asking one of your close friends to read your story for character development feedback. If that’s not possible, take a break and come back after a week or two with a fresh perspective. 

When looking into character development, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Do my main characters have distinct personalities?
2. Do my characters have well-defined goals and internal conflicts?
3. Are my secondary characters well-developed or just props?
4. Do my characters act and react consistently?
5. Have I developed a specific dialogue style for each character that reflects their personality?
6. Have I developed a believable relationship between characters?
7. Do all my characters serve a purpose?
8. Is there any character that can be excluded without changing the plot?

Writing Style Refinement

One of the common fantasy writing mistakes to avoid is not paying attention to writing style refinement. Your plot can be 10/10 solid and your characters compelling, but the way you tell your story leaves a lasting impression. 

It’s the tiny details that can make your story the next best-selling novel, and this step is all about fine-tuning. One way to do this is to read aloud. Your ears can often catch what you might miss in plain sight.

When working on the writing style, ask yourself,

1. Is my narrative voice consistent throughout the story?
2. Am I showing or just telling?
3. Is my writing clear and engaging?
4. Are there filler words and cliches in my story?
5. Am I using the same sentence structure over and over? Is there variety in my sentence structures?
6. Have I overused/underused metaphors and similes?
7. Have I chosen the right words to describe the feelings of my characters?

Examine Grammar And Technicalities

After polishing the story, characters, and style, it’s time for the technicalities. This phase can feel like a nightmare to a lot of writers—it doesn’t have to be. A professional book editor can make the whole process stress-free. If you’re working solo, you can use the online tools to self-edit your novel. They can be super helpful, but here’s the catch, especially with grammar tools: online checkers can disrupt the continuity of your tone.

But if you’ve taken this on yourself, don’t worry. Here is a six-point checklist to make your story grammatical and technical-error-free.

1. Are there any spelling or punctuation errors in my story?
2. Is the parallelism intact? Have I used consistent verb tenses throughout my story?
3. Have I double-checked the punctuation? 
4. Have I properly formatted and punctuated the dialogues?
5. Have I used their, there, and other similar homophones correctly?
6. Have I done a final spelling check?

Go Through Formatting And Structure

The final step of book editing for self-published authors is fixing the structure and formatting. It is your first impression, and as boring as it might seem, we can’t mess this up. If the structure is clean, organized, and smooth, it makes it easier to dive into your fantasy world. On the flip side, messy formatting can draw attention away from your story. 

Go through the following checklist to ensure the formatting and structure of your story are perfect. 

1. Have I formatted my manuscript according to the industry standards?
2. Is the paragraph and line spacing consistent? Have I used consistent indentation?
3. Are the chapter headings consistent?
4. Have I used italics purposefully?
5. Have I clearly marked the scene breaks?

Feeling Like You Have Missed Something Huge While Self-editing Your Story?

Have you read your manuscript so many times that your mind feels saturated? Does something feel off, but you can’t figure it out? It can be emotionally draining—being too close to the end yet feeling you are so far away. 

But hey, trust me, you are not stuck. You just need a little help. And that is exactly what I offer at Once Upon A Manuscript. From your plot and story to the grammar and technicalities, I can handle every aspect, making your manuscript perfect in every way.

You have finished your story; together we will make it ready (for the readers and the publishers).